> ## 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. # Document processing > What Mercora does with a document after it arrives, what each Inbox status means, and how to recover a document that fails. Every document, whether [uploaded](https://docs.mercora.io/documents/uploading.md) or [emailed](https://docs.mercora.io/documents/email-ingestion.md), is processed automatically and then waits in the [Inbox](https://docs.mercora.io/documents/inbox.md) for someone to approve it. Nothing it says reaches your trade records until then. This page explains the stages, the statuses you'll see, and what to do when a document fails. ## The stages 1. **Received.** The file is stored. A saved email is opened into its attachments, and Word files are shown as PDF (the original stays downloadable). 2. **Classified.** Mercora works out the [document type](#document-types), unless you chose one at upload. A [multi-document pack](https://docs.mercora.io/documents/uploading.md#multi-document-packs-bundles) is split first. Anything that isn't a trade document, such as a newsletter or meeting invite, goes to **Filtered**. 3. **Extracted.** Mercora reads the fields for that type and checks each against the page. This usually takes a minute or two, longer for long documents. 4. **Matched.** Mercora finds the trade the document belongs to, or recommends one. See [Matching](https://docs.mercora.io/documents/matching.md). 5. **Reconciled.** Mercora compares the document with its trade and flags differences. See [Discrepancies](https://docs.mercora.io/documents/discrepancies.md). 6. **Done.** The document moves to **Needs you** in the Inbox. Matching and reconciliation only run when your workspace uses the **Trades** module. Without it, documents complete on their own. While a document is processing, it sits under **Waiting** with its stage and progress, for example "Extracting · 5/11". There's nothing to do: it moves to **Needs you** by itself. ## Statuses you see in the Inbox | Status | Tab | What to do | | - | - | - | | Stage and progress, e.g. **Matching · 7/11** | Waiting | Nothing. Still processing. | | **Split review** | Needs you | Confirm how a pack is split. | | **Unmatched** | Needs you | [Match it](https://docs.mercora.io/documents/matching.md) to a trade, or to no trade. | | **N disc.** | Needs you | Review its N open [discrepancies](https://docs.mercora.io/documents/discrepancies.md), then approve. | | **Clean** | Needs you | Matched with no open discrepancies. Review and approve. | | **Failed** | Needs you | See [When processing fails](#when-processing-fails). | | **Approved**, **Closed**, **Dismissed** | Done | Nothing. Approved, an approved invoice that was [closed](https://docs.mercora.io/finance/financials.md), or rejected. | | **Filtered** | Filtered | Check it if you expected a trade document. | Invoices also show **AR** (receivable) or **AP** (payable), or **AR/AP?** and **Credit note?** until you set them. For example, when the twelve documents of sugar trade VCS-S-2026-0714 finish processing, eleven arrive **Clean** and purchase contract VCS-P-2026-0688 arrives **Unmatched**. ## Document types Mercora reads different fields for each type, including the references it uses for matching (trade reference, contract, B/L or L/C number). | Type | What it is | | - | - | | **Contract (Purchase or Sale)** | The signed agreement to buy or sell. | | **Trade Recap** | The summary of terms sent after a deal is struck. | | **Amendment** | A change to, or termination of, a contract. | | **Invoice** | Commercial, freight, demurrage and proforma invoices, debit and credit notes. | | **Bill of Lading** | The carrier's receipt for cargo shipped by sea (B/L). | | **Railway Bill of Lading** | The transport document for cargo shipped by rail. | | **Forwarder's Certificate of Receipt** | A forwarder's confirmation that it received the goods (FCR). | | **Vessel Nomination** | The notice naming the vessel. | | **Notice of Readiness** | The master's notice that the vessel is ready (NOR). | | **Statement of Facts** | The agent's timeline of the port call (SoF). | | **Letter of Credit** | The bank's payment undertaking (L/C). | | **Documentary Credit Advice** | The advising or confirming bank's notice of an L/C. | | **Insurance Certificate** | Proof of cargo insurance. | | **Certificate of Origin** | Where the goods come from. | | **Packing List** | How the goods are packed, or the cargo manifest. | | **Quantity Certificate** | A surveyor's weight or quantity certificate, such as a draft survey. | | **Inspection Certificate** | A quality analysis. | | **Compliance Certificate** | A yes-or-no certificate, such as phytosanitary or fumigation. Shown with its own name, for example "Fumigation Certificate". | | **Other Trade Document** | Anything else trade-related, such as a booking confirmation. | | **Not Trade Related** | Not a trade document. Set aside in **Filtered**. | ## Fix the type or reprocess Both are in the document's **⋯** menu and need permission to edit documents. * **Reclassify…** sets the right type (or a custom label). Mercora keeps your choice and processes the document again under that type. The confirmation usually offers **Undo**. * **Full Reprocess** runs every stage again, for example after a bad scan was replaced. Your field corrections are kept. > [!WARNING] > > Reprocessing an approved document sends it back for review. A closed invoice can't be reprocessed until you [reopen it](https://docs.mercora.io/trades/financials.md). ## When processing fails Mercora retries automatically. If a document still fails, it shows as **Failed** in **Needs you**, under **Recover**. Open it to see why, then: * **Force retry** to run the whole process again, if the problem looks temporary. * **⋯** › **Reclassify…** if it was treated as the wrong type. * **⋯** › **Delete from Record** if it shouldn't be in Mercora. This takes it off its trade and discards its discrepancies. The file is kept for recovery but hidden. ## Next steps * [The Inbox](https://docs.mercora.io/documents/inbox.md): review a processed document and approve it. * [Matching documents to trades](https://docs.mercora.io/documents/matching.md): how Mercora finds the trade, and how to settle it yourself. This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.