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bluecherlab

Independent apps and hardware projects from Lower Saxony.
Outlays Documentation · public preview

From import
to traceable analysis.

A compact, searchable path through architecture, connectors, OCR, AI, review, and privacy—with real product interfaces and synthetic data.

Quick startOpen demo

Jump toConnectorsAI boundaryPrivacy
Table of contents

What Outlays is

Outlays is a local workspace for household spending. Digital receipts, orders, manual expenses, and scanned documents share one history that powers search, dashboards, product comparisons, budgets, and review queues.

Outlays dashboard with spending, categories, merchants, and review queue
Real product interface using synthetic sample data only.
Independent of retailers

Outlays is not affiliated with Lidl, Amazon, REWE, dm, Rossmann, Kaufland, or other retailers. Connectors only read data the user can access with their own account.

Local-first architecture

The local core processes imports, stores the normalised history, renders dashboards, and creates exports. There is no mandatory Outlays cloud or BluecherLab product account.

Local

Database, receipts, search index, settings, and backups.

Self-hosted

Docker instance for several devices or a home server.

Optional remote

A selected OCR/AI provider for deliberately started tasks only.

Quick start

  1. 01
    Inspect the demo

    Open the read-only demo first and confirm that the terminology and workflow fit.

  2. 02
    Get the source

    Clone the GitHub repository and choose local or Docker operation.

  3. 03
    Connect one source

    Start with one retailer or one manual receipt. Review imported rows before adding more sources.

  4. 04
    Test a backup

    Create an export early and test restoring it. Local first only works when recovery is understandable.

Important concepts

Source
A retailer account, file import, or manual input.
Transaction
A financial movement with amount, date, merchant, and origin.
Receipt
The document and line items explaining a transaction.
Review first
Uncertain proposals remain visible until a human confirms them.

Connectors and sources

Every connector has its own data quality and authentication path. Outlays shows installation state, last synchronisation, and limitations for each source.

Outlays connector overview with installed and available sources
Connector state and data scope remain visible.
Typical source characteristics
SourceAccessDataNote
Lidl PlusUser accountReceipts and itemsOften detailed discounts
AmazonOrder exportOrders and refundsOlder history may have less detail
OCRLocal fileImage or PDFReview before import

Scanning and OCR

OCR is a proposal, not truth. Outlays separates the document, extracted text, and derived transaction so every stage remains reviewable.

Outlays OCR import with document preview and recognised fields
Document and recognised values stay side by side.
Sensitive documents

Use local OCR when receipts must not be sent to a remote provider. Remote OCR is subject to that provider’s privacy and retention rules.

AI and the ingestion agent

Outlays can use a local or user-selected compatible provider for chat, categorisation, and ingestion. The user deliberately configures provider, model, and task scope.

Outlays settings for local and remote AI providers
Provider and model are selected explicitly.
Outlays ingestion agent with proposals and source context
Proposals remain visible before commit.
  • No automatic transmission without a configured task.
  • Prompts may contain receipt snippets, OCR text, and item names.
  • Answers are tools, not financial, lending, or insurance decisions.

Review flows

Low OCR confidence, unknown merchants, unusual amounts, and AI proposals can enter one review queue. Each item shows its source, rationale, and proposed change.

Outlays review queue with status, confidence, and proposed changes
Uncertainty becomes a visible workflow state rather than being hidden.

Backup and export

Backup

A backup contains the database, relevant receipt files, and configuration—encrypted credentials are handled separately.

Portable export

CSV and JSON keep core information readable and reviewable outside Outlays.

Backup rule

A backup only exists after restore has been tested on a second target.

Privacy boundaries

BluecherLab receivesno household or receipt data during normal operation
Local instance containsreceipts, items, merchants, settings, and analyses
Optional provider receivesonly content needed for the deliberately started task

More detail is available in the privacy policy. Every configured third-party provider also has its own terms.

Frequently asked questions

Does Outlays work without AI?

Yes. Import, storage, search, dashboards, manual review, and export do not depend on an AI provider.

Must I store retailer credentials?

It depends on the connector. Where credentials are needed they are encrypted locally; export or file connectors often need no permanent credentials.

Does the demo contain real data?

No. Names, locations, IDs, receipts, and assistant answers are synthetic and safe for publication.

Is there a mobile app?

A mobile companion is planned but is not public yet. The current focus is desktop and the self-hosted web interface.