Flash Warehouse Stocktake Tutorial: From Task Creation to Discrepancy Confirmation

Inventory stocktake is one of the most fundamental -- and error-prone -- tasks in warehouse management. Discrepancies between recorded and actual stock levels, if left unchecked, cascade into flawed purchasing decisions, broken delivery promises, and inaccurate financial statements. Flash Warehouse WMS provides a structured stocktake workflow that ensures every count is traceable and well-documented.

Stocktake Workflow Overview

The stocktake feature in Flash Warehouse is built around the concept of a check task. The entire process follows four stages:

1. Select a warehouse -- Choose the target warehouse from your list
2. Create the stocktake task -- Enter the task name, creator, and confirm warehouse details
3. Check items one by one -- Verify each product and mark its status
4. Confirm and finish -- Review pending items and complete the task

Each item in a stocktake task can have one of four statuses:

• Pending (待盘) -- Not yet checked (initial state)
• Balanced (盘平) -- Actual quantity matches the system record, discrepancy is 0
• Surplus (盘盈) -- Actual quantity exceeds the system record
• Shortage (盘亏) -- Actual quantity is less than the system record

Stocktake on the PC Interface

Step 1: Select a Warehouse

After logging into the PC management console, navigate to Warehouse Management > Inventory Stocktake. Click "Create Stocktake Task" to see a table of all warehouses with their IDs, types, names, and managers. Select one warehouse, then click "Next".

Step 2: Create the Task

Fill in the required fields:

• Task name -- Use a descriptive name like "June Main Warehouse Monthly Count"
• Creator -- The person responsible for conducting the stocktake
• Description (optional) -- Reason for the count or special instructions

The system displays the selected warehouse details for verification. After confirming, click "Confirm and Create". The system auto-generates a task ID prefixed with "PD" followed by a timestamp (e.g., PD2026614153045) and automatically imports all goods from the selected warehouse as check items.

Step 3: Check Items

This is the core of the stocktake. The system presents all goods in a detailed table showing product name, ID, quantity, unit price, storage location, and more. Each row has three action buttons:

• Balanced -- The physical count matches the records. Discrepancy is automatically set to 0.
• Surplus -- More items found than recorded. You must first enter the surplus quantity in the "Discrepancy Quantity" column before clicking.
• Shortage -- Fewer items found than recorded. Enter the shortage quantity first, then click.

The "Discrepancy Quantity" column supports inline editing -- click the value to modify it directly. For surplus and shortage entries, the system requires a discrepancy quantity before accepting the status change.

Step 4: Confirm and Finish

After checking all items, the final step shows how many items still have "Pending" status. Once you confirm that all items have been addressed, click "Confirm Completed". The task status changes to "Completed" and you are returned to the task list.

Stocktake with the CLI Tool

The Flash Warehouse CLI tool fwh provides a complete set of stocktake commands, suited for batch operations and automation workflows. All write operations require confirmation.

Create a Stocktake Task

fwh check create \
  --id "PD20260601" \
  --name "June Main Warehouse Count" \
  --creator "John" \
  --warehouse-id "WH001" \
  --warehouse-name "Main Warehouse" \
  --description "Monthly routine stocktake"

Five parameters are required: --id, --name, --creator, --warehouse-id, and --warehouse-name. The --description flag is optional.

List and Search Tasks

# List all stocktake tasks
fwh check list --page 1 --page-size 25

# Search by filters
fwh check search --creator "John" --status "进行中"

# Get total task count
fwh check count

Search supports filtering by task ID, creator, task name, date range, and status.

View Items in a Task

# List all check items in a task
fwh check items PD20260601 --page 1 --page-size 25

# Get the total number of items
fwh check item-count PD20260601

Mark Check Results

# Balanced: physical count matches records
fwh check mark --task-id "PD20260601" --goods-id "G001" --status "盘平" --discrepancy 0

# Surplus: 5 extra items found
fwh check mark --task-id "PD20260601" --goods-id "G002" --status "盘盈" --discrepancy 5

# Shortage: 3 items missing
fwh check mark --task-id "PD20260601" --goods-id "G003" --status "盘亏" --discrepancy 3

The --status flag accepts three values: 盘平 (balanced), 盘盈 (surplus), and 盘亏 (shortage). The --discrepancy flag defaults to 0 and must be set to the actual difference for surplus and shortage cases.

Finish the Task

fwh check finish PD20260601

This operation is irreversible. The CLI will prompt for confirmation before proceeding.

Delete a Task

fwh check delete PD20260601

Permanently removes a stocktake task and all its item data. Requires confirmation.

AI-Assisted Stocktake via MCP Server

The Flash Warehouse MCP Server exposes stocktake tools that integrate with AI coding assistants like Claude Code and Cursor. The available tools include:

• check_task_create -- Create a stocktake task
• check_task_list / check_task_search -- Query and search tasks
• check_task_items / check_task_item_count -- View items within a task
• check_task_item_update -- Mark a single item's check result
• check_task_finish -- Complete a task
• check_task_delete -- Remove a task

With MCP integration, an AI assistant can execute stocktake operations from natural language instructions such as "create a stocktake task for the main warehouse" or "mark G001 as balanced".

Best Practices

Regular scheduling: Conduct a full stocktake at least monthly for primary warehouses. High-value inventory may warrant more frequent checks.

One warehouse per task: Each stocktake task is bound to a single warehouse. For multiple warehouses, create separate tasks to avoid cross-warehouse confusion.

Investigate discrepancies promptly: Surplus and shortage items should be investigated immediately after the count. Shortages may indicate shrinkage, theft, or receiving errors. Surpluses may point to unrecorded returns or shipping mistakes.

Retain records: Completed stocktake tasks remain in the system and can be searched by date range, providing an audit trail for financial reviews.

Flash Warehouse's stocktake feature is accessible through three interfaces -- the PC graphical console, the CLI command line, and the MCP AI integration -- so every team can find a workflow that fits their technical capabilities and operational habits.