Writing
Honest live connect: QuickBooks Online and Xero
QuickBooks Online and Xero, over OAuth. That is the full list. Any other ledger, bank, or books source comes in as a CSV export, and the findings engine is the same either way. Google Workspace is not available. Live connect reads accounting transactions, the same data a CSV would carry. It does not read app admin consoles, identity providers, seats, or logins.
Integration pages tend to grow. A logo wall gets longer, a few entries say coming soon, and a firm owner ends up promising a client something that does not exist yet. This post does the opposite. It lists what ShadowLedger connects to live, what that connection reads, and what stays a CSV.
If you have not run a review yet, start with CSV-first Software Spend Review. It covers why the first review should come from one export, and how to shape that export. This piece picks up where that one stops: when, if ever, to connect live.
What connects live
QuickBooks Online and Xero, over OAuth. That is the full list. Any other ledger, bank, or books source comes in as a transactions CSV, and the findings engine is the same either way. Google Workspace is not available, so do not promise it to a client or put it in a proposal.
Your firm makes the connection. The client still does not get a ShadowLedger login, and the report still goes out under your firm brand. How that delivery works is in White-labeled Software Spend Review.
What live connect reads
Live connect reads accounting transactions from the books, the same kind of data a transactions CSV carries. It does not read seats, logins, usage, app admin consoles, identity providers, email, calendars, or documents. Connecting live saves an export step. It does not change what the review can see or turn it into a usage tool.
The findings engine is the same either way, so a live review flags the same things a CSV review does:
- Charges that repeat on a monthly, quarterly, or annual rhythm.
- The same vendor under more than one descriptor or account.
- Amounts that changed across the date range.
- Annual charges, with the dates they landed.
- Descriptors that are unclear and worth a question.
Those payments include ACH, checks, invoices, and direct debits that were recorded in the books, not only card lines.
What live connect does not read
- Seats, logins, or usage in any app.
- App admin consoles or identity providers.
- Email, calendars, or documents.
- Anything outside the accounting transactions in that company's books.
It is still a review of what was paid. The longer explanation is in Software Spend Review reads what was paid, not who logged in.
Everything else stays CSV
If a client keeps books somewhere other than QuickBooks Online or Xero, the review still works. Export a transactions CSV from that source and upload it. The same goes for a bank export or a desktop ledger export, as long as it has a transaction date, an amount, and a payee or vendor description.
CSV is not a fallback. It is the first path for every client, including those on QuickBooks Online or Xero. CSV-first Software Spend Review covers what columns matter, what date range to pull, and why a thin export gives a thin report.
Google Workspace is not available
Google Workspace is not available as a connection for customers. Do not promise it to a client, and do not put it on a roadmap slide in a proposal. If a client asks, the answer is that the review reads the books, and the books are reached by CSV or by live QuickBooks Online or Xero.
When to connect live, and when to stay on CSV
Stay on CSV when you are proving the review on one file, the client uses a ledger other than QuickBooks Online or Xero, the review is a one-time pass, or nobody wants another connected app. Consider live connect when a QuickBooks Online or Xero client will be reviewed again on a regular cycle.
Stay on CSV when:
- You are proving the review on one file. The free audit is CSV, one company, no card.
- The client is on any ledger other than QuickBooks Online or Xero.
- It is a one-time review and an export is quicker than setting up a connection.
- You or the client would rather not add another connected app.
Consider live connect when:
- The client is on QuickBooks Online or Xero and you plan to review them again.
- You run reviews across part of your book on a regular cycle and want to skip the export step each time.
Either way, the findings come from the same engine. Running the review across many clients is covered in How to run a Software Spend Review across a client book.
What this is not
- Not a long integration list. Live OAuth is QuickBooks Online and Xero only.
- Not a Google Workspace connection. Google Workspace is not available.
- Not a seat, login, or usage connection. Live connect reads accounting transactions.
- Not a requirement. Every client can stay on CSV from any source.
- Not a savings promise. No averages, no percentages, no invented customers.
- Not SOC 2 certified. See /security and /dpa for how data is handled.
Frequently asked questions
Is ShadowLedger SOC 2 certified?
No. ShadowLedger does not have SOC 2, and a Software Spend Review should not be pitched as a substitute for it. When a partner, ProAdvisor, or client asks how data is handled, point them to the /security and /dpa pages. Do not describe security controls beyond what those two pages publish.
How to start
Start on CSV, whatever ledger the client uses. Run the free audit at /sign-up?intent=free on one company's export: no card. Read the findings.
If you want to run reviews across your book, including live QuickBooks Online or Xero connections where they make sense, the Firm overview and 14-day trial are on /for-bookkeepers. The Firm trial requires a card.