Parse Certificate -> Map to Spec -> Check Rules -> Draft Release Note

Incoming Certificate-to-Spec Reconciliation

This agent reads each supplier Certificate of Analysis, maps every parameter to your internal raw material specification, and marks each one pass or fail against the reduced-testing rules. It lists what still needs in-house testing, drafts a release justification, and flags anything it could not match so a QC reviewer sees the gaps at a glance.

The Problem

The COA is in the inbox. The spec is in ERP. A chemist retypes both to compare.

A drum of raw material arrives with a supplier Certificate of Analysis, sometimes a clean PDF, sometimes a scan, sometimes a CSV. A QC chemist opens the internal spec in a second window and checks each parameter by eye, mapping supplier names and units to the house ones as they go. Miss a line, or read a unit wrong, and either good material sits waiting or off-spec material moves to production. On a busy receiving day this is dozens of certificates against dozens of specs.

What Changes

The COA is in the inbox. The agent maps it to the spec and drafts the release note.

The agent parses the incoming supplier certificate whatever the format, maps each parameter to your spec table by name and unit, and marks it pass or fail against the reduced-testing rules. It lists the parameters that still need in-house testing, drafts a release justification, and flags any line it could not match so the reviewer knows exactly where to look.

Humans stay in control: the agent drafts the comparison and the release note, the QC reviewer signs the release.

HOW THE AGENT WORKS

TRIGGERLLMAPIDECISIONACTIONWAIT

TRIGGERCertificate arrivesFires when a supplier Certificate of Analysis lands in the inbox or receiving folder.

APIParse certificate documentExtracts parameters, values, and units from the PDF, scan, or CSV.

APIPull spec and rulesReads the internal spec table and the reduced-testing rules for the material.

LLMMap parameters to specMatches supplier names and units to the house spec parameters.

LLMCheck each parameter against specMarks each mapped parameter pass or fail and lists what needs in-house testing.

DECISIONAny parameter unmatched?

LLMDraft release justificationWrites a release note covering results, pending tests, and any unmatched lines.

ACTIONSend comparison for reviewRoutes the comparison and draft note to the QC reviewer queue for signature.

The agent does not release material. Your QC reviewer does. The agent removes the line-by-line retyping and unit mapping so the reviewer checks a drafted comparison instead of building it.

HOW TO BUILD IT

Three levels of depth. Pick the one that matches where you are.

For the ops person who needs to understand what's involved and brief their team.

Supplier certificates and specCOA plus internal spec table

The AgentWorkflow engine + LLM

QC reviewer queueComparison and draft note

WHAT YOUR TEAM PROVIDES ONCE

Per-parameter result - each COA line marked pass or fail against the spec
Name and unit mapping - supplier terms matched to your house names and units
In-house testing list - parameters the reduced-testing rules still require you to test
Draft release justification - a note the reviewer edits and signs
Unmatched flag - any certificate line the agent could not map to the spec

What happens day-to-day: a supplier certificate lands, the agent reads it whatever the format, maps every parameter to the spec, marks pass or fail, drafts the release note, and puts it in the reviewer's queue with unmatched lines flagged.

For the IT person or technical lead who needs to scope the integration.

INQUIRY SOURCES

Supplier Certificate of Analysis (PDF, scan, or CSV from the incoming shipment)

Internal raw material spec table (parameter, limit, unit per material)

Reduced-testing rules (which parameters accept on the COA versus retest in house)

WORKFLOW ENGINE (N8N)

New certificate received

Parse certificate to text

Pull spec and rules

Map parameters and units

Compare against spec and draft note

Any line unmatched

Send comparison to review queue

CONNECTS TO

Document parsing (AWS Textract / Azure Document Intelligence / Google Document AI)Read: certificate PDF, scan, or CSV. Write: none

Spec master (ERP / LIMS - SAP QM / LabWare / STARLIMS)Read: material spec parameters, limits, units. Write: none

Rules table (LIMS / spreadsheet)Read: reduced-testing rules per material. Write: none

Notification (Slack / Teams / Email)Read: none. Write: comparison, draft release note

WITHOUT PMS API

Without API access, save certificates to a watched folder and export the spec and rules tables to CSV. The agent still parses and compares, but someone keeps the spec export current and files the finished note by hand.

WITH PMS API

With API access the agent pulls the spec and rules straight from LIMS and reads the certificate the moment receiving uploads it, so the comparison is ready before the material moves off quarantine. Units and names map against the live master. Best experience.

For the person who wants to build this agent step by step. Each node below maps to an n8n workflow node.

TRIGGERNode 1

Trigger - certificate lands

Email or folder watch trigger that fires on a new certificate attachment.

Output: A run event with the certificate file and the material it belongs to.

APINode 2

API - parse certificate document

Document parsing call with OCR for scans, returning parameters, values, and units.

Output: A structured list of certificate lines from any input format.

LLMNode 3

LLM - map parameters to spec

Model node fed the parsed lines and the spec table, low temperature.

Output: Each COA line matched to a spec parameter with units converted, plus unmatched lines.

You are a QC data mapper. Map each parameter on the supplier certificate to the matching parameter in the internal spec, aligning names and converting units to the spec unit. If a certificate line has no clear match in the spec, mark it unmatched. Certificate: {coa_lines} Spec: {spec_table} Respond ONLY with valid JSON. No explanation.

INPUT

{"coa_lines": [{"name": "Assay", "value": 99.5, "unit": "%"}, {"name": "Water content", "value": 500, "unit": "ppm"}], "spec_table": [{"parameter": "Purity", "unit": "%"}, {"parameter": "Moisture", "unit": "%"}]}

OUTPUT

{"mapped": [{"coa_name": "Assay", "spec_parameter": "Purity", "value": 99.5, "unit": "%"}, {"coa_name": "Water content", "spec_parameter": "Moisture", "value": 0.05, "unit": "%"}], "unmatched": []}

LLMNode 4

LLM - compare and draft note

Model node fed the mapped values, spec limits, and reduced-testing rules.

Output: Pass or fail per parameter, an in-house testing list, and a draft release note.

You are a QC reconciliation assistant. For each mapped parameter, compare the value to the spec limit and mark pass or fail. Apply the reduced-testing rules to list which parameters still need in-house testing. Then draft a short release justification note that states which parameters meet spec, names any pending tests, and notes any unmatched lines. Do not state a release decision. Mapped: {mapped} Spec: {spec_limits} Rules: {rules} Respond ONLY with valid JSON. No explanation.

INPUT

{"mapped": [{"spec_parameter": "Purity", "value": 99.5, "unit": "%"}], "spec_limits": [{"parameter": "Purity", "min": 99.0, "unit": "%"}], "rules": [{"parameter": "Purity", "accept_on_coa": true}]}

OUTPUT

{"results": [{"parameter": "Purity", "value": 99.5, "limit": "min 99.0", "status": "pass"}], "needs_in_house_testing": [], "draft_note": "All certificate parameters map to the internal spec and meet their limits. No parameters remain for in-house testing and no lines were unmatched. Submitted for QC review and signature."}

ACTIONNode 5

Action - post to review queue

Notification node that files the comparison and draft note to the QC reviewer queue.

Output: A queued item the reviewer opens, edits, and signs.

MVP vs Advanced — Where To Start

MVP — START HERE

Start with one supplier and one material so the spec and rules stay simple.
Drop certificates in a watched folder and export the spec table to CSV.
Parse the certificate to text with an OCR step for scans.
Map supplier parameter names and units to the spec, flagging anything unmatched.
Mark each parameter pass or fail and list what still needs in-house testing.
Draft the release note and route it to a QC reviewer to sign.

ADVANCED — ADD LATER

=+ Connect LIMS so specs and rules load live instead of from a CSV.
=+ Add a document parser that handles multi-page and mixed-language certificates.
=+ Build a unit-conversion library so ppm, percent, and mg per kg reconcile automatically.
=+ Keep a per-supplier mapping memory so recurring name quirks map on the first pass.
=+ Attach the signed note back to the lot record in LIMS after the reviewer signs.
=+ Track pass rates and unmatched lines per supplier to spot certificate quality drift.

Full Video Walkthrough Coming Soon

Watch the agent turn a scanned supplier COA into a parameter-by-parameter comparison against your spec.

Everything on this page is free to learn.

When you're ready to build — do it yourself or bring us in.

Book a call to scope this

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Frequently asked questions

Incoming Certificate-to-Spec Reconciliation is an AI agent that matches supplier certificates to your raw material spec, drafts the release note.

The COA is in the inbox. The spec is in ERP. A chemist retypes both to compare. The Incoming Certificate-to-Spec Reconciliation addresses this: matches supplier certificates to your raw material spec, drafts the release note.

No. Your team stays in control. The agent does not release material. Your QC reviewer does. The agent removes the line-by-line retyping and unit mapping so the reviewer checks a drafted comparison instead of building it.

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