> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.mercora.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Welcome to Mercora

> Mercora runs trade operations for physical commodity trading firms: documents, matching, reconciliation, invoices and the P&L, with you approving every decision.

Mercora is the back office for physical commodity trading. It reads the documents that come with every trade, matches each one to the right trade, checks them against each other and against the contract, and keeps the trade's financials and P\&L up to date. You stay in charge: Mercora prepares the work, and a person on your team approves it.

![Mercora Inbox with documents for trade VCS-S-2026-0714, a contract open beside its extracted fields, and the Match and Approve controls](https://mintcdn.com/placeholder-f4ffdeec/22McaegbdDRSI41b/images/documents/inbox-overview.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=22McaegbdDRSI41b\&q=85\&s=08a78a63d07bbb6434a97deae54c8349)

The Inbox: each document is read and matched to its trade, with the extracted fields beside the original, ready for you to review and approve.

> **[Quickstart](https://docs.mercora.io/getting-started/quickstart.md)**
>
> Accept your invite, sign in and upload your first document.

> **[Walk through one trade](https://docs.mercora.io/getting-started/walkthrough.md)**
>
> Follow a single trade from contract to P\&L.

## Start here by role

A single trade can carry dozens of documents. Mercora is designed so you spend your time on the decisions, not on retyping data into spreadsheets or a CTRM (commodity trading and risk management system). Pick the role closest to yours.

> **Operator**
>
> For back-office and trade operators who receive the recap, contract, B/L (bill of lading), certificates, invoices and the emails in between, and need each one filed against the right trade and checked.
>
> * [Work the Inbox](https://docs.mercora.io/documents/inbox.md)
> * [Upload documents](https://docs.mercora.io/documents/uploading.md)
> * [Match documents to trades](https://docs.mercora.io/documents/matching.md)
> * [Review discrepancies](https://docs.mercora.io/documents/discrepancies.md)
> * [Open a trade](https://docs.mercora.io/trades/overview.md)

> **Finance**
>
> For finance teams who need invoices, payments and margins that reflect what was actually billed.
>
> * [Find and track invoices](https://docs.mercora.io/finance/financials.md)
> * [Work a trade's financials](https://docs.mercora.io/trades/financials.md)
> * [Read the P\&L](https://docs.mercora.io/finance/pnl.md)
> * [Reports and cashflow](https://docs.mercora.io/finance/reports.md)
> * [Counterparties and statements](https://docs.mercora.io/records/counterparties.md)

> **Admin**
>
> For workspace admins who decide which parts of Mercora the team uses and who can see and change what.
>
> * [Invite and manage members](https://docs.mercora.io/admin/members.md)
> * [Roles and permissions](https://docs.mercora.io/concepts/roles-and-permissions.md)
> * [Turn modules on and off](https://docs.mercora.io/concepts/modules.md)
> * [Workspace settings](https://docs.mercora.io/admin/workspace-settings.md)
> * [Connect integrations](https://docs.mercora.io/integrations/overview.md)

> **Developer**
>
> For engineers connecting their own systems to Mercora with a workspace API key.
>
> * [API introduction](https://docs.mercora.io/api-reference/introduction.md)
> * [Create an API key](https://docs.mercora.io/admin/api-keys.md)
> * [Automations](https://docs.mercora.io/workflows/automations.md)
> * [External systems](https://docs.mercora.io/integrations/external-systems.md)

Not sure which fits? See [what each role does in Mercora](https://docs.mercora.io/getting-started/by-role.md).

## The core loop

Here is how a document moves through Mercora. Mercora does the reading and checking; a person makes the call.

**1. Documents arrive**

Upload documents yourself, or have them come in from email if your workspace has [email ingestion](https://docs.mercora.io/documents/email-ingestion.md) set up. Each one lands in your **Inbox**.

**2. Mercora reads and classifies them**

Mercora works out what each document is (an invoice, a B/L, a certificate of origin, and so on) and reads its key fields, such as quantities, weights, prices, dates and references.

**3. Documents are matched to trades**

Mercora links each document to the trade it belongs to, or recommends the most likely trade for you to confirm.

**4. Discrepancies are flagged**

Mercora compares the document with the trade and its other documents and flags anything that doesn't line up, like a weight that differs between the B/L and the invoice.

**5. You review and approve**

You check the result, correct anything that needs it, and approve. Nothing reaches your trade records until a person approves it.

To learn more about this flow and the trust model behind it, see [How Mercora works](https://docs.mercora.io/concepts/how-mercora-works.md).

## Popular tasks

**Documents and trades**

* [Upload documents](https://docs.mercora.io/documents/uploading.md)
* [Review and approve a document](https://docs.mercora.io/documents/inbox.md)
* [Move a document to another trade](https://docs.mercora.io/documents/matching.md)
* [Resolve a discrepancy](https://docs.mercora.io/documents/discrepancies.md)
* [Track a shipment](https://docs.mercora.io/trades/shipments.md)
* [Capture a deal from a recap](https://docs.mercora.io/workflows/deal-capture.md)

**Money and workspace**

* [Spot overdue invoices](https://docs.mercora.io/finance/financials.md)
* [Read realized and open margin](https://docs.mercora.io/finance/pnl.md)
* [Ask the Copilot about your book](https://docs.mercora.io/copilot/overview.md)
* [Invite a teammate](https://docs.mercora.io/admin/members.md)
* [Find your way around the app](https://docs.mercora.io/getting-started/navigating-mercora.md)
* [Create an API key](https://docs.mercora.io/admin/api-keys.md)


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