
xlsx-author
✓ Official★ 33,000by anthropic · part of anthropics/financial-services
Produce a .xlsx file on disk (headless) instead of driving a live Excel workbook — for managed-agent sessions with no open Office app.
Produce a .xlsx file on disk (headless) instead of driving a live Excel workbook — for managed-agent sessions with no open Office app.
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This is the exact playbook injected into your agent when the skill activates — shown here so you can audit it before installing. You don't need to read it to use the skill.
name: xlsx-author description: Produce a .xlsx file on disk (headless) instead of driving a live Excel workbook — for managed-agent sessions with no open Office app.
xlsx-author
Use this skill when running headless (managed-agent / CMA mode) and you need to deliver an Excel workbook as a file artifact rather than editing a live workbook via mcp__office__excel_*.
Output contract
- Write to
./out/<name>.xlsx. Create./out/if it does not exist. - Return the relative path in your final message so the orchestration layer can collect it.
How to build the workbook
Write a short Python script and run it with Bash. Use openpyxl:
from openpyxl import Workbook
from openpyxl.styles import Font, PatternFill
wb = Workbook()
ws = wb.active; ws.title = "Inputs"
ws["B2"] = "Revenue"; ws["C2"] = 1_250_000_000
ws["C2"].font = Font(color="0000FF") # blue = hardcoded input
calc = wb.create_sheet("DCF")
calc["C5"] = "=Inputs!C2*(1+Inputs!C3)" # black = formula
wb.save("./out/model.xlsx")Conventions (mirror audit-xls)
- Blue / black / green. Blue = hardcoded input, black = formula, green = link to another sheet/file.
- No hardcodes in calc cells. Every calculation cell is a formula; every input lives on an Inputs tab.
- Named ranges for any value referenced from a deck or memo.
- Balance checks. Include a Checks tab that ties (BS balances, CF ties to cash, etc.) and surfaces TRUE/FALSE.
- One model per file. Do not append to an existing workbook unless explicitly asked.
When NOT to use
If mcp__office__excel_* tools are available (Cowork plugin mode), use those instead — they drive the user's live workbook with review checkpoints. This skill is the file-producing fallback for headless runs.
npx skills add https://github.com/anthropics/financial-services --skill xlsx-authorRun this in your project — your agent picks the skill up automatically.
No common issues documented yet. If you hit a problem, the repository's GitHub Issues page is the best place to look.