Native vs Xero mirror mode
After importing from Xero, every organisation runs in one of two books modes, set under Organisation settings → Books mode. The mode answers one question: which system is the book of record — the single source of truth your GST and reports are filed from?
Native — Nightbooks is the book of record
Nightbooks keeps the ledger. Accepting a reconcile suggestion posts a real journal, invoices are created and approved here, GST returns are prepared and filed from here. Xero becomes history.
Reconcile actions book to the ledger immediately.
Invoices are created, approved and sent from Nightbooks.
GST, reports and year-end all run from Nightbooks’ own ledger.
Xero mirror — Xero stays the book of record
Nightbooks mirrors your Xero organisation: it syncs changes from Xero and shows your books read-only, with AI suggestions offered for review. Nothing you accept in Nightbooks books anything — Xero remains the source of truth until you switch.
Reconcile shows suggestions for review only; accepting them does not post journals.
Invoices are created in Xero and appear here read-only.
Reports reflect the mirrored Xero data, so you can compare Nightbooks’ view with Xero’s side by side.
Why mirror mode exists
It lets you trial Nightbooks in parallel with real data and zero risk. You keep working in Xero as normal, watch how Nightbooks would have handled the same books — the coding suggestions, the GST return, the reports — and switch only when you trust it.
Making the switch
Re-sync from Xero and check the import verification is green (see Verifying the import).
Pick a clean moment — a GST period boundary is ideal.
Under Organisation settings → Books mode, switch to native.
From that point, work in Nightbooks: reconcile here, invoice here, file GST here — and stop maintaining the books in Xero.
The switch does not touch your imported history — everything already in Nightbooks stays exactly as it is. And amber banners around the app (on Sales, Reconcile and elsewhere) remind you whenever you are in mirror mode, so read-only behaviour never comes as a surprise.
Mirror mode is a waiting room, not a destination — the AI suggestions only start doing real work once you switch to native.