If your problem isn't listed, email support@histerling.com with the task or bill reference.
"Disconnected from [organisation]" — or Sterling suddenly stops filing
What's happening. Sterling's connection to Xero has been revoked. This can happen if:
A Xero admin removed Sterling from Xero → Connected apps.
The refresh token expired (typically after 60 days of no activity).
Sterling received a 401 / 403 from the Xero API and auto‑disconnected to stay safe.
How to fix it.
Go to Skills → Ledger Connections → Xero.
Click Add Organisation.
Complete the Xero authorisation flow.
Sterling recognises the organisation and restores its state. No data is lost — previously filed bills stay in Xero.
"Rate limit reached" or very slow syncing
What's happening. Sterling hit Xero's API rate limit. Usually this is a first‑time sync of a large Chart of Accounts or long transaction history.
How to fix it. Nothing — Sterling automatically waits for the Retry‑After window and resumes. Processing continues in the background. If it persists for more than an hour, email support.
An invoice didn't file
What's happening. Sterling won't create a bill when it isn't confident. Common reasons:
Duplicate detected — a bill with the same reference already exists in Xero.
Unreadable invoice — the PDF is scanned poorly or doesn't contain enough detail.
Missing tax information — Sterling can't map the invoice to a tax rate in your Xero organisation.
Archived / inactive accounts — the best‑fit GL account is archived in Xero.
Currency mismatch — the invoice currency isn't set up on the Xero organisation.
How to fix it.
Open the run in Sterling (Tasks → Runs).
Read the activity log — Sterling explains what it couldn't resolve.
Either reply in the run with the missing information, or file the invoice manually in Xero.
Bill appeared in Xero but looks wrong
What's happening. Sterling filed the bill as Draft — drafts are always editable.
How to fix it. Open the bill in Xero, edit the line items / accounts / tax rates, then approve. Sterling notes the correction and uses it for future bills from that supplier.
Wrong supplier contact created
What's happening. Sterling couldn't match the invoice to an existing Xero contact (different trading name, new supplier, or a typo) and created a new one.
How to fix it.
In Xero, open Contacts.
Select both the duplicate contacts, click Options, and choose Merge.
Keep the correct contact as the primary.
Sterling picks up the merged contact on its next sync and uses it for future bills.
Wrong GL account used
What's happening. Sterling made a reasonable but imperfect coding choice — usually because it lacked prior bills from this supplier, or because multiple accounts are plausible.
How to fix it. Either ask Sterling on the run to make the change, or edit the draft bill in Xero to use the correct account, then approve. Sterling records the correction and applies it to future bills from the same supplier.
Tax rate doesn't look right
What's happening. Sterling only uses tax rates that exist in your Xero organisation. If a rate doesn't match what you expected, either the rate isn't set up in Xero, or Sterling chose a close‑but‑not‑ideal match.
How to fix it.
Edit the bill in Xero to pick the correct tax rate.
If the rate you need doesn't exist in Xero, add it in Accounting → Advanced → Tax rates.
Sterling will use the new rate from that point on.
Payroll data isn't available
What's happening. Payroll scopes are requested only when you explicitly enable the Payroll skill.
How to fix it.
Go to Skills → All Skills → Payroll & HR.
Enable the skill.
Re‑authorise with the additional (read‑only) payroll scopes when prompted.
I can't sign in with Xero SSO
What's happening. Sign‑in with Xero requires your organisation to have Xero SSO enabled in Sterling.
How to fix it.
Ask your workspace Owner or Admin to go to Settings → Security.
Confirm Xero — Sign in with Xero accounts is selected.
Confirm your email domain is in the Allowed email domains list.
Still stuck?
Email support@histerling.com with:
Your Sterling workspace name
The Xero organisation name
A link to the Sterling run or Xero bill (if applicable)
What you expected to happen vs. what happened
A screenshot, if helpful
Most queries get a response within one business day.