excel-sheet

Skill Paths

Workspace skills:
```
.github/skills/
```
Global skills:
```
C:/Users/LOQ/.agents/skills/
```

Comprehensive skill for working with Microsoft Excel spreadsheets using MCP servers.

When to Use This Skill

Any task where .xlsx is an input, output, or transformation target
Creating, editing, formatting, or analyzing Excel files
Building workbooks from data or templates
Applying consistent formatting and formulas
Automating Excel workflows via MCP tools

Typical Activation Triggers

.xlsx work: spreadsheets, workbooks, worksheets, data analysis
Cell operations: read, write, format, merge/unmerge
Worksheet management: create, copy, delete, rename
Analysis: charts, pivot tables, formulas

Part 1: Excel Spreadsheets (.xlsx) via MCP

Quick Reference

Task	Activation / Tool
Create workbook; create/copy/delete/rename worksheets; add charts; add pivot tables	`activate_worksheet_management_tools`
Copy/delete/format/merge/unmerge cells; delete rows	`activate_cell_management_tools`
Insert/delete columns	`activate_column_management_tools`

Note: There is no
activate_workbook_management
— workbook creation is part of
activate_worksheet_management_tools
.

Tool Activation Order

javascript

activate_worksheet_management_tools();  // workbook + sheet management, charts, pivot tables
activate_cell_management_tools();        // cell CRUD, formatting, merge/unmerge, delete rows
activate_column_management_tools();      // insert/delete columns

Workbook and Worksheet Operations

javascript

// Create a new workbook
mcp_excel_create_workbook({ filename: "report.xlsx" })

// Create worksheets (call per sheet needed)
mcp_excel_create_worksheet({ filename: "report.xlsx", sheet_name: "Summary" })
mcp_excel_create_worksheet({ filename: "report.xlsx", sheet_name: "Raw Data" })
mcp_excel_create_worksheet({ filename: "report.xlsx", sheet_name: "Charts" })

// Copy a worksheet (good for applying template structure)
mcp_excel_copy_worksheet({ filename: "report.xlsx", source_sheet: "Summary", destination_sheet: "Summary_Q2" })

// Rename a worksheet
mcp_excel_rename_worksheet({ filename: "report.xlsx", old_name: "Sheet1", new_name: "Dashboard" })

// Delete a worksheet
mcp_excel_delete_worksheet({ filename: "report.xlsx", sheet_name: "Sheet1" })

Cell Content: Write, Copy, Delete

Activate:

activate_cell_management_tools()

javascript

// Write a value or formula to a cell
mcp_excel_write_cell({ filename: "report.xlsx", sheet_name: "Summary", cell: "B2", value: "Revenue" })
mcp_excel_write_cell({ filename: "report.xlsx", sheet_name: "Summary", cell: "C2", value: 1800000 })
// Write a formula
mcp_excel_write_cell({ filename: "report.xlsx", sheet_name: "Summary", cell: "D2", value: "=C2-B2" })

// Copy a cell range to another location (e.g. duplicate template rows)
mcp_excel_copy_range({
  filename: "report.xlsx",
  sheet_name: "Raw Data",
  source_range: "A1:F1",           // header row
  destination_cell: "A100"          // paste starting cell
})

// Delete a cell range (clear content)
mcp_excel_delete_range({ filename: "report.xlsx", sheet_name: "Raw Data", range: "G2:G50" })

// Delete an entire row (rows shift up)
mcp_excel_delete_row({ filename: "report.xlsx", sheet_name: "Raw Data", row_index: 5 })

Cell Formatting

javascript

// Format a single cell (header style)
mcp_excel_format_cell({
  filename: "report.xlsx",
  sheet_name: "Summary",
  cell: "A1",
  bold: true,
  font_size: 12,
  font_color: "FFFFFF",
  bg_color: "1B3A5C",
  alignment: "center",
  border: "thin"
})

// Format a range (apply consistent styling across headers)
mcp_excel_format_range({
  filename: "report.xlsx",
  sheet_name: "Summary",
  range: "A1:F1",
  bold: true,
  font_color: "FFFFFF",
  bg_color: "1B3A5C",
  alignment: "center"
})

// Format data rows (alternate shading — apply to even rows manually or via range loop)
mcp_excel_format_range({
  filename: "report.xlsx",
  sheet_name: "Summary",
  range: "A2:F2",
  bg_color: "D6EAF8"
})

Merge and Unmerge Cells

javascript

// Merge cells for a section header spanning columns
mcp_excel_merge_cells({ filename: "report.xlsx", sheet_name: "Summary", range: "A1:F1" })

// Unmerge if editing is needed
mcp_excel_unmerge_cells({ filename: "report.xlsx", sheet_name: "Summary", range: "A1:F1" })

Column Management

Activate:

activate_column_management_tools()

javascript

// Insert a blank column before column C (index 2, 0-based)
mcp_excel_insert_column({ filename: "report.xlsx", sheet_name: "Summary", column_index: 2 })

// Delete a column (e.g. remove a scratch column)
mcp_excel_delete_column({ filename: "report.xlsx", sheet_name: "Summary", column_index: 6 })

Charts

Activate:

activate_worksheet_management_tools()

javascript

// Add a chart to a worksheet
mcp_excel_create_chart({
  filename: "report.xlsx",
  sheet_name: "Charts",
  chart_type: "bar",         // bar | line | pie | column | area
  data_sheet: "Summary",
  data_range: "A1:D5",
  title: "Revenue by Quarter",
  position: { left: 1, top: 1, width: 8, height: 5 }  // inches
})

Pivot Tables

javascript

// Create a pivot table from raw data
mcp_excel_create_pivot_table({
  filename: "report.xlsx",
  source_sheet: "Raw Data",
  source_range: "A1:F200",
  destination_sheet: "Pivot",
  destination_cell: "A3",
  rows: ["Region", "Product"],
  columns: ["Quarter"],
  values: [{ field: "Revenue", aggregation: "sum" }]
})

End-to-End Excel Workbook Workflow

javascript

// ── 1. Activate ──────────────────────────────────────────────────
activate_worksheet_management_tools();
activate_cell_management_tools();
activate_column_management_tools();

// ── 2. Create workbook and sheets ────────────────────────────────
mcp_excel_create_workbook({ filename: "q3_report.xlsx" })
mcp_excel_rename_worksheet({ filename: "q3_report.xlsx", old_name: "Sheet1", new_name: "Summary" })
mcp_excel_create_worksheet({ filename: "q3_report.xlsx", sheet_name: "Raw Data" })
mcp_excel_create_worksheet({ filename: "q3_report.xlsx", sheet_name: "Charts" })

// ── 3. Write headers (Summary sheet) ─────────────────────────────
const headers = [["Region","Q1","Q2","Q3","Total","Change%"]]
// write each header cell then format the range
mcp_excel_write_cell({ filename:"q3_report.xlsx", sheet_name:"Summary", cell:"A1", value:"Region" })
mcp_excel_write_cell({ filename:"q3_report.xlsx", sheet_name:"Summary", cell:"F1", value:"Change%" })
mcp_excel_format_range({ filename:"q3_report.xlsx", sheet_name:"Summary", range:"A1:F1",
  bold:true, font_color:"FFFFFF", bg_color:"1B3A5C", alignment:"center" })

// ── 4. Write data rows + formulas ────────────────────────────────
mcp_excel_write_cell({ filename:"q3_report.xlsx", sheet_name:"Summary", cell:"A2", value:"APAC" })
mcp_excel_write_cell({ filename:"q3_report.xlsx", sheet_name:"Summary", cell:"B2", value:1200000 })
mcp_excel_write_cell({ filename:"q3_report.xlsx", sheet_name:"Summary", cell:"E2", value:"=SUM(B2:D2)" })
mcp_excel_write_cell({ filename:"q3_report.xlsx", sheet_name:"Summary", cell:"F2", value:"=(D2-B2)/B2" })

// ── 5. Style data rows (alternating) ─────────────────────────────
mcp_excel_format_range({ filename:"q3_report.xlsx", sheet_name:"Summary", range:"A2:F2", bg_color:"D6EAF8" })
mcp_excel_format_range({ filename:"q3_report.xlsx", sheet_name:"Summary", range:"A3:F3", bg_color:"FFFFFF" })

// ── 6. Add chart ─────────────────────────────────────────────────
mcp_excel_create_chart({ filename:"q3_report.xlsx", sheet_name:"Charts",
  chart_type:"column", data_sheet:"Summary", data_range:"A1:D5",
  title:"Revenue by Region & Quarter", position:{ left:1, top:1, width:9, height:5 } })

// ── 7. Pivot table ───────────────────────────────────────────────
mcp_excel_create_pivot_table({ filename:"q3_report.xlsx",
  source_sheet:"Raw Data", source_range:"A1:F200",
  destination_sheet:"Summary", destination_cell:"A20",
  rows:["Region"], columns:["Quarter"], values:[{ field:"Revenue", aggregation:"sum" }] })

Part 2: Workbook Structure Standards

Excel Workbook Structure

Summary Sheet: Key metrics and insights
Data Source Sheet: Raw data
Calculations Sheet: Formulas and logic
Analysis Sheets: Pivot tables, charts
Documentation Sheet: Assumptions and notes

Formatting Standards

Fonts

Headings: Bold, larger (12-14pt)
Body: Readable size (10-11pt)
Consistency: Use same font families throughout

Colors

Headers: Brand color background, white text
Data rows: Alternating colors for readability
Highlights: Use for key metrics or alerts

Spacing

Consistent column widths: Auto-fit or standard widths
Row heights: appropriate for content
Alignment: Left for text, right for numbers

Part 3: Quality Checklist

markdown

## Excel Quality Checklist

### Structure
- [ ] Separate sheets: Summary | Raw Data | Charts | (Pivot)
- [ ] Sheet 1 renamed from "Sheet1" to "Summary" or "Dashboard"
- [ ] Header row formatted (bold, brand color bg, white text)
- [ ] Header row frozen (row 1) where needed

### Data Integrity
- [ ] Formulas used for totals/ratios (never hardcoded)
- [ ] No merged cells inside data ranges (only in header/title areas)
- [ ] Consistent column data types (all numbers, all dates, etc.)
- [ ] Empty rows/columns cleaned up (delete_row / delete_column)

### Analysis
- [ ] Chart added to Charts sheet with clear title and labeled axes
- [ ] Pivot table added for large datasets
- [ ] Alternating row shading applied for readability

### Validation
- [ ] Formulas reference correct sheet and range (test with sample values)
- [ ] Pivot table source range includes all data rows
- [ ] Chart data range verified to match actual data

Part 4: Common Excel Formulas

Lookup Formulas

VLOOKUP

=VLOOKUP(lookup_value, table_array, col_index_num, [range_lookup])

Examples:

=VLOOKUP("SKU-100", A2:D50, 3, FALSE)
  → Find SKU-100 in column A, return value from column C

=VLOOKUP(B2, Products!A:E, 4, FALSE)
  → Cross-sheet lookup; find B2's value in Products sheet column A, return column D

XLOOKUP

=XLOOKUP(lookup_value, lookup_array, return_array, [if_not_found], [match_mode], [search_mode])

Examples:

=XLOOKUP("Widget", B2:B100, E2:E100, "Not found")
  → Search B column for "Widget", return corresponding E value

=XLOOKUP(TODAY(), A2:A100, B2:B100, , -1)
  → Find today's date or nearest earlier date, return column B

Math Formulas

SUM

=SUM(A1:A100)                    → Sum a range
=SUM(A1:A100, C1:C100)           → Sum multiple ranges

SUMIF / SUMIFS

=SUMIF(range, criteria, [sum_range])
=SUMIFS(sum_range, criteria_range1, criteria1, [criteria_range2, criteria2, ...])

Examples:

=SUMIF(B2:B100, "Electronics", D2:D100)
  → Sum column D where column B = "Electronics"

=SUMIFS(E2:E100, B2:B100, "West", C2:C100, ">=2025-01-01")
  → Sum E where region is "West" AND date ≥ Jan 1 2025

Text Formulas

CONCATENATE / CONCAT / TEXTJOIN

=CONCATENATE(A1, " ", B1)          → "John Smith" (legacy)
=CONCAT(A1, " ", B1)               → Same, modern
=A1 & " " & B1                     → Operator shorthand

=TEXTJOIN(", ", TRUE, A1:A10)
  → Join non-empty cells with comma+space: "Alpha, Beta, Gamma"

Date Formulas

TODAY / NOW

=TODAY()          → Current date (no time)
=NOW()            → Current date and time
=TODAY() + 30     → 30 days from today

DATEDIF

=DATEDIF(start_date, end_date, unit)

Unit	Returns
"Y"	Complete years
"M"	Complete months
"D"	Days

Examples:

=DATEDIF(A1, TODAY(), "Y")         → Years since date in A1
=DATEDIF(A1, A2, "M")             → Months between two dates

Statistical Formulas

AVERAGE / MEDIAN

=AVERAGE(A1:A100)                → Arithmetic mean
=AVERAGEIF(B1:B100, ">0")       → Average of positive values only
=MEDIAN(A1:A100)                 → Middle value

COUNT / COUNTA / COUNTIF / COUNTIFS

=COUNT(A1:A100)                                → Count numeric cells
=COUNTA(A1:A100)                               → Count non-empty cells
=COUNTIF(B1:B100, "Complete")                  → Count cells matching criteria
=COUNTIF(C1:C100, ">500")                      → Count cells > 500
=COUNTIFS(B1:B100, "East", C1:C100, ">1000")   → Multiple criteria

Conditional Formulas

IF

=IF(condition, value_if_true, value_if_false)

Examples:

=IF(A1>=90, "A", IF(A1>=80, "B", IF(A1>=70, "C", "F")))
  → Nested grade assignment

=IF(AND(B1>0, C1>0), B1*C1, 0)
  → Multiply only if both positive

IFS (Excel 2019+)

Evaluates multiple conditions in order — first TRUE wins.

=IFS(A1>=90, "A", A1>=80, "B", A1>=70, "C", TRUE, "F")
  → Cleaner than nested IF; TRUE acts as default/else

Part 5: MCP Tool Activation Guide

Activation Commands

When working with Excel spreadsheets, use these MCP activation patterns:

javascript

// Excel documents (no activate_workbook_management — worksheet tools cover workbook creation)
activate_worksheet_management_tools();  // create workbook, worksheets, charts, pivot tables
activate_cell_management_tools();        // write/copy/delete cells, formatting, merge/unmerge
activate_column_management_tools();      // insert/delete columns

Workflow Examples

Template-Based Workbook Generation

Start with template (Excel)
Copy template to new filename
Write data to appropriate cells
Apply formulas for calculations
Apply formatting consistently across sheets
Save final version

Part 6: Best Practices

MCP-Specific Best Practices

Activate tools as needed: Enable MCP tool groups only when required to avoid unnecessary overhead
Validate operations: Confirm operations completed successfully, especially for batch operations
Handle errors gracefully: Catch and report MCP tool errors with context for troubleshooting
Batch operations: Use array-based operations when available for efficiency
Document file paths: Use clear, relative paths and maintain documentation of file locations

Excel Best Practices

Use formulas: Never hardcode calculated values
Consistent formatting: Apply same styles across sheets
Clear naming: Use descriptive sheet and range names
Data validation: Use dropdown lists and constraints
Test formulas: Verify with sample data before distribution

References & Resources

Documentation

Excel Formulas Reference — Excel formula patterns and Power Query M basics

Examples

Excel Workbook Examples — Examples of creating workbooks programmatically

Scripts

CSV to XLSX Converter — Python script to convert CSV files to formatted Excel workbooks

Usage

bash

# Basic usage
python csv-to-xlsx.py input.csv

# Specify output file
python csv-to-xlsx.py input.csv -o output.xlsx

# Custom header colors
python csv-to-xlsx.py input.csv --header-color 2E74B5 --header-font-color FFFFFF

# Generate chart from numeric columns
python csv-to-xlsx.py input.csv --chart --chart-type bar

Requirements

bash

pip install openpyxl

excel-sheet

NPX Install

Tags

SKILL.md Content

Skill Paths

When to Use This Skill

Typical Activation Triggers

Part 1: Excel Spreadsheets (.xlsx) via MCP

Quick Reference

Tool Activation Order

Workbook and Worksheet Operations

Cell Content: Write, Copy, Delete

Cell Formatting

Merge and Unmerge Cells

Column Management

Charts

Pivot Tables

End-to-End Excel Workbook Workflow

Part 2: Workbook Structure Standards

Excel Workbook Structure

Formatting Standards

Fonts

Colors

Spacing

Part 3: Quality Checklist

Part 4: Common Excel Formulas

Lookup Formulas

VLOOKUP

XLOOKUP

Math Formulas

SUM

SUMIF / SUMIFS

Text Formulas

CONCATENATE / CONCAT / TEXTJOIN

Date Formulas

TODAY / NOW

DATEDIF

Statistical Formulas

AVERAGE / MEDIAN

COUNT / COUNTA / COUNTIF / COUNTIFS

Conditional Formulas

IF

IFS (Excel 2019+)

Part 5: MCP Tool Activation Guide

Activation Commands

Workflow Examples

Template-Based Workbook Generation

Part 6: Best Practices

MCP-Specific Best Practices

Excel Best Practices

References & Resources

Documentation

Examples

Scripts

Usage

Requirements