TallyPrime (CA) Skill#

Connect to a locally running TallyPrime instance via its XML-over-HTTP interface. All requests are HTTP POST to $TALLY_URL (commonly http://localhost:9000) with an XML body.

• No cloud API: TallyPrime must be open/running on the user’s machine.
• Multi-company: Always use the correct SVCURRENTCOMPANY (exact spelling).

Hero Use Case: WhatsApp invoice → Tally entry#

Goal: zero manual entry for CAs handling many clients.

1. Read bill/invoice (PDF/image) using the mandatory scribe extraction workflow below and extract: company, party, GSTIN, date, invoice no, taxable, tax, total, ledger mapping.
2. Ensure masters exist: party ledger, purchase/sales ledger, GST ledger(s), bank/cash ledger (if needed).
3. Post voucher with a unique GUID.
4. Immediately fetch the posted voucher back from Tally and review it against the intended entry.
5. Confirm a summary back to the user only after the review passes.

Mandatory OCR/data extraction from PDFs and images#

When the user sends a PDF, JPEG, JPG, PNG, or scanned invoice/bill image through any OpenClaw communication channel (including WhatsApp, Telegram, or uploaded files), the agent must use the globally installed scribe CLI to extract data. Do not extract invoice data directly with the LLM, vision model, screenshots, manual reading, or any other OCR/tool unless scribe itself fails and the user explicitly asks for an alternative.

Do not ask the user whether to use scribe. Do not ask whether they want extraction. If a PDF/image is provided and the task requires invoice/bill/accounting data, immediately run the relevant scribe commands, extract the data, and present the extracted fields to the user for verification before any Tally posting.

PDF invoice/bill extraction#

For PDF files, first detect the PDF type, then extract text directly:

bash

mkdir -p "scribe-extractions"
scribe type "<input-invoice.pdf>"
scribe extract -f txt "<input-invoice.pdf>" "scribe-extractions/<invoice-id>.txt"

Read the generated .txt file and parse invoice fields from that text. If the PDF is image-native or extraction quality is poor, use the image/scanned OCR flow below by running scribe recognize first, then scribe extract on the OCR PDF.

JPEG/PNG invoice/bill extraction#

For image files, direct extraction may return empty output. The correct workflow is:

1. Try direct text extraction: bash

   mkdir -p "scribe-extractions"
   scribe extract -f txt "<input-image.jpeg>" "scribe-extractions/<image-id>.txt"
   
   

2. If the output file is empty, incomplete, or unusable, run OCR recognition to create an OCR PDF: bash

   scribe recognize -h -o "scribe-extractions/<image-id>-ocr" "<input-image.jpeg>"
   
   

   -h means output hOCR in addition to the generated OCR PDF. Use --help for help text.

3. Extract text from the generated OCR PDF: bash

   scribe extract -f txt "scribe-extractions/<image-id>-ocr/<input-image-stem>.pdf" "scribe-extractions/<image-id>-recognized.txt"
   
   

4. Read the recognized .txt file and parse the invoice fields.

User response after extraction#

After scribe extraction, reply with a clean accountant-friendly verification summary:

• supplier/customer names
• GSTINs
• invoice number and date
• item/service lines, HSN/SAC, quantity, rate
• taxable value, CGST/SGST/IGST, round-off, total
• transport/e-way bill details if present
• fields that were unclear or missing

Ask for confirmation only before posting/creating/updating anything in Tally. Extraction itself is read-only and should be done automatically.

If extraction fails or is unclear#

If extraction fails, the file is not readable, or important fields are unclear, keep the response simple and accountant-friendly. Do not mention technical words such as CLI, OCR, hOCR, command, stack trace, exit code, path, stdout, stderr, PDF parser, model, tool, or raw error details.

Use plain language like:

• “I could not read this bill clearly. Please resend a clearer photo or PDF.”
• “Some details are not clear in the bill. Please verify the highlighted fields before I continue.”
• “The invoice image is blurred/cut off. Please send a full, clearer image.”

Only show business fields that were found or missing. Do not expose internal extraction steps unless the user explicitly asks for technical details.

PDF Generation from Text (Invoice / Receipt)#

When the user asks to generate a PDF from invoice data or any text message, use the tallyca CLI. This converts raw WhatsApp/Telegram text directly into a professional GST-compliant PDF.

Important: Always produce the file only via tallyca. Do not invent HTML/PDF with the model when tallyca fails — fix the environment (below) or set TALLYCA_PDF_BACKEND=pdfmake and retry.

One-time setup (run once per environment)#

bash

npm install -g tallyca

Minimum tallyca CLI version (OpenClaw must stay current)#

OpenClaw does not auto-discover new npm releases. Whatever was installed with npm install -g tallyca stays until someone runs an upgrade command.

Required for this skill’s PDF flows: tallyca >= 1.0.1 (semver). Features such as Playwright + pdfmake fallback and TALLYCA_PDF_BACKEND assume this baseline.

When you publish a newer breaking or must-have CLI release, edit this line in SKILL.md to the new minimum and redeploy the skill so agents reinstall if needed.

Preflight (before generating a PDF):

1. Run tallyca --version (output looks like tallyca/1.0.1 …). Compare the numeric version to the minimum above.

2. If tallyca is missing or older than the minimum, run: bash

   npm install -g tallyca@latest
   
   

   Or pin exactly: npm install -g tallyca@1.0.1.

3. Optional (only if npm registry is reachable): compare registry vs installed: bash

   npm view tallyca version
   
   

   If the registry version is newer and you want the latest fixes, run npm install -g tallyca@latest, then re-check tallyca --version.

Note: The version: field at the top of this file is the skill document version, not the tallyca package version.

PDF rendering on servers (AWS / Linux / minimal images)#

tallyca tries Playwright + Chromium first (matches the HTML templates). If Chromium cannot start (common errors: missing libatk-1.0.so.0, “failed to launch browser”, missing GTK/GBM libs), it automatically falls back to pdfmake (pure JavaScript, no browser). You can control this with TALLYCA_PDF_BACKEND:

ValueBehaviorauto (default)Playwright first; on typical Chromium failures, use pdfmakeplaywrightPlaywright only — fails if Chromium/libs missingpdfmakeSkip Chromium — always pdfmake (best on locked-down serverless/AWS without apt/yum)

Recommended on AWS when Playwright errors appear:

bash

export TALLYCA_PDF_BACKEND=pdfmake

Then run the same tallyca from-text / generate:invoice commands as usual.

If you can install OS packages (full EC2/container with sudo), install Chromium dependencies and browsers so Playwright works:

Amazon Linux 2 / AL2023

bash

sudo yum install -y \
  alsa-lib atk at-spi2-atk cups-libs libdrm libXcomposite \
  libXdamage libXrandr mesa-libgbm pango gtk3
npx playwright install chromium
npx playwright install-deps chromium

Ubuntu / Debian

bash

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y \
  libatk1.0-0 libatk-bridge2.0-0 libcups2 libdrm2 \
  libxcomposite1 libxdamage1 libxrandr2 libgbm1 \
  libpango-1.0-0 libcairo2 libasound2 libatspi2.0-0
npx playwright install chromium
npx playwright install-deps chromium

Generate invoice PDF from raw WhatsApp text#

Pass the user's message directly to tallyca from-text:

bash

tallyca from-text \
  --company "ABC Company" \
  --text "Party Name: XYZ Party
Invoice No.: 186
Date: 2/1/2026
Item: PQR Item 2523 @ 18 %
Qty: 140 Bag
Rate: 279.66/Bag
HSN Code: 25322210
Amount: 39152.40
Make sure to use voucher class Sales @ 18 %" \
  --output invoice_186.pdf

The parser auto-extracts: party name, invoice number, date, item details, HSN, quantity, rate, tax rate, amount, and voucher class.

Generate invoice PDF with structured flags#

When you have already extracted the fields:

bash

tallyca generate:invoice \
  --company "ABC Company" \
  --party "XYZ Party" \
  --invoice-no 186 \
  --date "2/1/2026" \
  --item "PQR Item|140 Bag|279.66|18%|25322210" \
  --voucher-class "Sales @ 18 %" \
  --output invoice_186.pdf

Item format: Description|Qty Unit|Rate|Tax%|HSN (pipe-separated). Use --item multiple times for multiple line items.

Generate generic PDF (receipts, notes)#

bash

tallyca generate:generic \
  --title "Payment Receipt" \
  --body "Payment of ₹39152.40 received from XYZ Party against Invoice 186." \
  --output receipt.pdf

Commands summary#

CommandUse casetallyca from-text --text "..." --output x.pdfAuto-detect type from raw texttallyca generate:invoice --party "..." --item "..." --output x.pdfStructured invoice datatallyca generate:generic --title "..." --body "..." --output x.pdfReceipts, notes, any text

Workflow: User asks for PDF#

1. User sends invoice details via WhatsApp/Telegram
2. Check if tallyca is installed: which tallyca / where tallyca (Windows) or tallyca --version
3. Run tallyca --version and confirm it meets Minimum tallyca CLI version above. If missing or too old: npm install -g tallyca@latest (or the pinned version), then verify again.
4. Optional: Run npm view tallyca version if you need to confirm whether a newer CLI exists on npm before upgrading.
5. Run tallyca from-text with the user's message as --text (and --company / --output as needed)
6. If the command fails with Chromium/browser/library errors on Linux/AWS: set TALLYCA_PDF_BACKEND=pdfmake for that shell session (or install OS + Playwright deps above), then retry the same tallyca command. Do not substitute a hand-built PDF from the model.
7. Return the generated PDF file from tallyca to the user

Maintainer / release discipline ( tallyca npm package)#

When you ship a new tallyca version that this skill depends on (new flags, breaking PDF behavior, or required bugfixes):

1. Publish tallyca to npm ( tally-pdf-cli package).
2. Update Minimum tallyca CLI version in this section if the skill requires that release (especially majors or breaking flags).
3. Bump this SKILL.md frontmatter version when you redistribute the skill bundle so teams know the doc changed.

That way OpenClaw instructions and the installed CLI stay aligned; the agent only “knows” about new versions through this documented minimum + upgrade commands, not automatically.

When to use this skill#

Use when the user asks to:

• Generate PDF: create invoice PDF, receipt PDF, or any document from text/data (use tallyca CLI)
• Post entries: purchase, sales, receipt, payment, journal, contra, credit note, debit note
• Check reports: day book, trial balance, balance sheet, profit & loss, ledger statement, outstandings, GST
• Manage masters: create/alter ledgers, groups, stock items/UOM (inventory clients)
• Fix data: alter or cancel a voucher

For any Tally/accounting task, always follow this skill and its reference/ templates. Do not create XML payloads from scratch for known flows; use the documented template that matches the task and only replace the required placeholders. If the required task is not documented, first read SKILL.md and all relevant files in reference/ thoroughly; if no documented template/workflow exists, clearly tell the user that this skill cannot perform that task yet and do not attempt it.

Responses to users must be written for accountants, not developers. After Tally calls, do not mention XML, payloads, HTTP, server responses, status codes, raw API output, or integration internals unless the user explicitly asks for technical details. Say “Tally is connected” instead of “server is running”; say “Entry posted” or “Entry updated” instead of “XML import succeeded”; then summarize the company name, voucher type, date, party/ledger names, amount, tax split, narration, and any masters created or missing.

Critical rules (must follow)#

1. Never assume company: if not explicit, ask which company to use before posting.
2. Never guess ledgers: verify ledgers exist before voucher import; create missing masters first.
3. Dates are YYYYMMDD (no separators).
4. Idempotency: always set a stable unique GUID per voucher to prevent duplicates on retries.
5. Balance vouchers: total debits must equal total credits (Tally error: “Voucher totals do not match!”).
6. Escape XML: narration/party names may contain & → use & in XML.
7. Posting is write operation: confirm intent (and company) before any create/alter/cancel.
8. Prefer bill-wise allocations for party ledgers to keep outstandings correct (see reference/vouchers.md).
9. Accounting-only vouchers (no inventory items): set <ISINVOICE>No</ISINVOICE> and place the party ledger entry first in the ALLLEDGERENTRIES.LIST sequence. This makes the Day Book "Particulars" column show the party name (not the expense/purchase ledger) and defaults the voucher to the clean "As Voucher" view. Only use ISINVOICE=Yes for item invoices that go through reference/inventory.md.
10. Accounting Invoice Mode — always use LEDGERENTRIES.LIST: when OBJVIEW="Invoice Voucher View" is set (Modes 1 and 2 in reference/vouchers.md), every ledger block must use <LEDGERENTRIES.LIST>, not <ALLLEDGERENTRIES.LIST>. Tally silently ignores ALLLEDGERENTRIES in this view, causing the voucher to be saved with no entries and the error "No accounting or inventory entries are available."
11. Voucher class decision — confirm before posting: before posting any Purchase or Sales voucher, check whether the company's voucher type uses a class for GST splitting. Run the preflight checklist in the "Preflight checklist before posting" section below. If class mode is confirmed, set <CLASSNAME>EXACT_CLASS_NAME</CLASSNAME> in the voucher header and include all four GST header fields ( CMPGSTIN, PARTYGSTIN, GSTREGISTRATIONTYPE, PLACEOFSUPPLY). If class existence is unconfirmed, stop and ask — do not post without it. Full decision rules and templates are in the "Voucher class — decision rules" section of reference/vouchers.md.
12. Post-entry review is mandatory: after every voucher Create/Alter/Cancel done by the agent, immediately fetch the voucher/report data back from Tally and verify it matches the intended entry before telling the user it is complete. Do not rely only on the import success response.

Preflight checklist before posting#

Run through every item before sending any Create/Alter/Delete request. Stop at the first unresolved item and ask the user.

#CheckHow to verifyBlock if…1Company confirmedUser stated it explicitlyName not given — ask2Server reachablecurl -s --max-time 5 "$TALLY_URL"No response / wrong port3Voucher type uses a class?Export voucher type masters or ask userUnknown — ask before posting4Class name confirmed (if class mode)List voucher type via masters export; match exact class name in TallyClass not found — ask, never guess5Party ledger existsLedger existence check ( reference/masters.md)Missing — create first6Purchase/Sales/GST ledgers existSame as aboveMissing — create first7GST header fields available (if class mode)CMPGSTIN, PARTYGSTIN, GSTREGISTRATIONTYPE, PLACEOFSUPPLYAny missing — ask user8Voucher totals balanceSum all AMOUNT values = 0Mismatch — fix before posting

Step 0: Check TallyPrime server#

bash

curl -s --max-time 5 "$TALLY_URL"

Expected (example):

xml

<RESPONSE>TallyPrime Server is Running</RESPONSE>

If not running, stop and ask user to open TallyPrime and enable integrations for the port.

Step 1: Company context#

If the user did not specify company, ask. If they did, use exact name in SVCURRENTCOMPANY.

To list companies, use the template in reference/reports.md (“Company list”).

Step 2: Verify/create required ledgers (masters)#

Ledger existence checks and master creation templates are in reference/masters.md (includes ledgers, groups, GST/address fields, and party ledger creation with required field prompts).

New company? Run the "New Company Setup — Standard GST Ledgers" block in reference/masters.md first. It creates the seven minimum ledgers every GST-registered company needs:

#LedgerType1Input Sgst @ 9 %Input GST2Input Cgst @ 9 %Input GST3Input IGST @ 18 %Input GST4Purchase @ 18 %Purchase ledger5Round OffRounding6Output Sgst @ 9 %Output GST7Output Cgst @ 9 %Output GST

Quick group defaults (common CA mapping):

Ledger typeParent groupCustomerSundry DebtorsVendorSundry CreditorsSalesSales AccountsPurchases/ExpensesPurchase Accounts / Direct Expenses / Indirect ExpensesBankBank AccountsCashCash-in-HandGSTDuties & Taxes

Step 3: Post vouchers (core)#

Use REPORTNAME=Vouchers and always include GUID, DATE, and VOUCHERTYPENAME. Full templates (including bill-wise allocations, returns, contra) are in reference/vouchers.md.

Supported voucher types in this skill:

• Purchase, Sales, Payment, Receipt, Journal
• Credit Note, Debit Note
• Contra
• Voucher Alteration + Cancellation

Step 4: Review every posted entry (mandatory)#

Every time the agent creates, alters, or cancels a voucher in Tally, it must perform a post-entry review before final user confirmation.

1. Fetch the entry back from Tally using reference/reports.md:

   • Prefer Voucher Register filtered by SVVOUCHERTYPENAME and the voucher date as both SVFROMDATE and SVTODATE.
   • Use Day Book for the voucher date if the voucher type filter does not return enough detail.
   • Use Ledger Vouchers for the party/bank/expense ledger when ledger-level confirmation is needed.

2. Locate the voucher by the strongest available identifiers: GUID, voucher number, voucher type, date, party/ledger name, and amount. If multiple matches exist, do not guess; narrow the report range or ask the user.

3. Compare the fetched voucher against the intended entry:

   • company, voucher type, voucher number/reference, date
   • party and all ledger names
   • debit/credit direction and total amount
   • GST ledgers, tax split, taxable value, round-off
   • bill-wise allocations, narration, bank/cash ledger, and cancellation/alteration status when relevant

4. If everything matches, tell the user the entry was posted and reviewed, then summarize the accounting fields in accountant-friendly language.

5. If anything is missing or different, do not say the entry is complete. Either correct it with an Alter voucher after confirmation (when required), or explain the mismatch in plain business terms and ask the user how to proceed.

Read reports (core)#

Use TALLYREQUEST=Export / REPORTNAME=... with SVEXPORTFORMAT=$$SysName:XML. Full templates are in reference/reports.md.

Common CA reports:

• Voucher Register — fetch all vouchers or filter by type (Payment/Receipt/Contra/etc.) for a date range — use for banking transaction extracts
• Day Book (period)
• Trial Balance (period)
• Balance Sheet
• Profit and Loss
• Ledger Names — fetch all ledger names before mapping/posting entries
• Ledger Vouchers (ledger statement)
• Bills Receivable / Bills Payable (outstandings)
• Ledger Outstandings / Group Outstandings
• GST: GSTR-1 and related summaries (plus GSTR-3B where available)
• Stock Summary (inventory clients)

Suggested GUID pattern#

Use a deterministic pattern when invoice number exists:

text

{companyShort}-{voucherType}-{voucherNumber}-{date}

Examples:

• abc-purchase-ril2026-00123-20260115
• abc-creditnote-cn09-20260302

Multi-company CA workflow (recommended)#

1. Capture company name early (and confirm spelling).
2. Validate connectivity.
3. Fetch required ledgers/masters or create them.
4. Only then post the voucher.
5. Fetch the posted voucher back and review it against the intended entry.
6. Reply with: company, voucher type, voucher number, date, amount breakdown, review result, and whether any masters were created.

Bank Statement Import#

When importing bank statement transactions (PDF/Excel from bank), use the mapping guide and templates in reference/vouchers.md → "Bank Statement Import Workflow". Covers:

• Mapping bank entries to Receipt/Payment/Contra vouchers
• Ledger selection rules (debits, credits, expenses)
• Before posting, fetch all ledger names using reference/reports.md → "Ledger Names (all ledgers)" and confirm once with the user: “These are the ledgers I will use for the bank entries: ...”. Do not post until the user confirms the ledger mapping.
• Full XML templates for common bank transactions (NEFT, RTGS, UPI, charges)

Advanced reference#

• Reports and data export: reference/reports.md
• Voucher templates (including Debit/Credit Note, Contra, bill-wise allocations, alter/cancel): reference/vouchers.md
• Masters (ledgers/groups + GST/address, alteration): reference/masters.md
• Inventory (stock groups/items/UOM, item invoices): reference/inventory.md
• Error handling and troubleshooting: reference/errors.md