Excel Model

---
name: excel-model
description: "Build a real, formula-driven Excel (.xlsx) model — not a static table. Use when asked to build an Excel model, a financial model, a budget/forecast spreadsheet, or any .xlsx with live formulas a user can edit. Produces an actual .xlsx file via a generated openpyxl script: an inputs/assumptions sheet, calculation sheets with real cell formulas, and formatting — so changing an input recalculates the model. Requires a code-execution environment (Claude Code, the API code tool, or Claude.ai)."
---

# Excel Model Skill

A model is only useful if it's *live* — change an assumption and everything recalculates. A markdown
table can't do that; a real `.xlsx` with cell formulas can. This skill builds an actual Excel workbook by
**writing and running an `openpyxl` script**: a clean inputs sheet, calculation sheets that reference
those inputs with real `=` formulas, and sensible formatting — so the user gets a file they can drive,
not a snapshot.

> **Environment:** this produces a binary file, so it needs a place to run code — **Claude Code**, the
> **Anthropic API code-execution tool**, or **Claude.ai** (with the analysis/code tool). In the
> browser playground (no code execution), use the markdown output as the spec instead.

## Required Inputs

Ask for these only if they aren't already provided:

- **What the model is** — financial model, budget, forecast, pricing model, scenario planner, etc.
- **The inputs/assumptions** — the driver variables (and rough values) the user will change.
- **The outputs** — what it should compute (revenue, burn, margins, totals, a P&L, etc.).
- **Structure** — periods (months/years), tiers/segments, and any required layout.

## Process

1. **Design before coding** — lay out the sheets (Inputs · Calculations · Output/Summary), and which cells are inputs vs. formulas. Confirm the calculation logic with the user if non-trivial.
2. **Write an `openpyxl` script** that:
   - Puts all driver assumptions on an **Inputs** sheet (one source of truth), labelled and formatted.
   - Builds calculation cells as **real formulas referencing the input cells** (e.g. `=Inputs!B2*Inputs!B3`), never hard-coded results — so the model is live.
   - Adds formatting: headers, number/currency/percent formats, column widths, and light cell styling for readability.
   - Saves to a clearly named `.xlsx`.
3. **Run it**, then **state the formulas used** and tell the user which cells to change to flex the model.

## Output Format

- The **generated `.xlsx` file** (the deliverable).
- A short **README of the model**: the sheets, the input cells to change, the key formulas in plain English, and any assumptions.

## Quality Checks

- [ ] Calculations are **live cell formulas**, not pasted static values
- [ ] All driver assumptions live on one Inputs sheet and are referenced, not duplicated
- [ ] Numbers are formatted (currency/percent/thousands) and sheets are readable
- [ ] The script runs cleanly and the file opens in Excel/Sheets/Numbers
- [ ] The user is told exactly which cells to change to drive the model

## Anti-Patterns

- [ ] Do not write computed results as static numbers — the whole point is that inputs recalculate
- [ ] Do not hard-code an assumption inside a formula — put it on the Inputs sheet and reference it
- [ ] Do not scatter inputs across sheets — one assumptions sheet, single source of truth
- [ ] Do not skip formatting — an unformatted grid of numbers is hard to trust or use
- [ ] Do not claim a file was produced if there was no code execution — fall back to a clear spec instead

## Based On

Financial-modelling best practice (separate inputs from calculations, formula-driven, no hard-codes) implemented with openpyxl.

## Programmatic Helper

This skill ships `scripts/xlsx_tool.py` — a **zero-dependency** (stdlib zip+XML) tool that produces real `.xlsx` files, so the model you design can be delivered as a working workbook, not a markdown table:

```bash
# Build a workbook from JSON (numbers stay numbers, "=B2*C2" becomes a live formula)
python3 scripts/xlsx_tool.py create model.xlsx --data '{"Model": [["Item","Qty","Price","Total"],["Widget",4,9.5,"=B2*C2"]]}'

# Fill {{placeholders}} in an existing template workbook
python3 scripts/xlsx_tool.py fill template.xlsx out.xlsx --values '{"month":"July","revenue":21000}'
```

Design the model first (per this skill), then emit the JSON and run `create`. Honest limits: default styling only, no charts — for formatted finals, open the generated file and style it, or use the playground's Excel export.