Inspiration
Freelancers and small businesses spend valuable time turning completed work into invoices and checking payment status. PayPilot AI combines invoice drafting, management, client payment links, and financial insights in one focused workspace.
What it does
Google Gemini turns natural-language work descriptions into structured, editable invoice drafts. Owners review client details, due dates, quantities, and prices before saving or publishing. Centralized invoice management keeps drafts and published invoices together. Gemini insights summarize stored invoice activity.
Published invoices provide token-based client payment pages. The PayPal Orders API integration uses Sandbox approval and server-side capture verification. Only a matching completed capture may mark an invoice paid; a redirect alone does not prove payment.
How we built it
Next.js, React, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS, Google Gemini, PayPal Orders API (Sandbox), and Prisma power the prototype. SQLite supports local development. A separate PostgreSQL configuration supports Vercel with Neon. Provider credentials stay on the server. The production owner workspace requires authentication; client payment pages use confidential share tokens.
Challenges we ran into
AI output needs server validation and human review. Payments need consistent invoice amounts, duplicate-capture protections, and clear separation between approval and verified capture. Serverless hosting required a hosted database rather than local SQLite.
Accomplishments that we are proud of
Genuine application API checks verified Gemini invoice drafting and financial insights. Three hours at USD 20 produced the expected USD 60 draft. The automated suite passed 28 tests, skipped one opt-in live-provider test, and had no failures. An isolated PostgreSQL production build and TypeScript compilation passed.
What we learned
AI works well as a drafting assistant when people can review the result. Payment state must come from server verification. Authentication and durable storage belong in deployment design from the beginning.
What is next for PayPilot AI
Complete hosted production verification and a genuine end-to-end PayPal Sandbox buyer approval and capture, then improve multi-user access, invoice formats, and reconciliation tools.
Demo and prototype status
The linked 2:13 video is an animated product explainer with original graphics and computer-generated narration. It is not an application screen recording. A completed PayPal Sandbox payment has not been verified for this presentation. No live transaction or successful Sandbox capture is claimed.
Built With
- google-gemini
- next.js
- paypal
- prisma
- typescript
