Spreadsheet prompt tool

Claude Spreadsheet Formula Helper

Describe a Sheets or Excel formula task with structured fields, then get a Claude prompt plus common formula patterns to compare.

Updated 2026-07-06No signupClient-side only

Key facts

Before you use this tool

FreeNo signup, no backend, no paywall.

InputsSpreadsheet app, Formula scenario, Columns or ranges, Goal, Blank/error handling, Example rows

OutputsGenerated Claude formula prompt, Sheets pattern, Excel pattern, Formula review checklist

Targetai spreadsheet formula help

Formula prompt builder

Describe the spreadsheet task

Generated prompt

Formula patterns

Common patterns to compare

Lookup or match values

Lookup by key

You have an ID, email, SKU, or name in one table and need a matching value from another table.

Sheets: =XLOOKUP(A2, lookup_table!A:A, lookup_table!D:D, "not found")
Excel: =XLOOKUP(A2, lookup_table[ID], lookup_table[Status], "not found")

Tell Claude which column is the unique key and what to do when there are duplicate or missing matches.

Sum or count with conditions

Conditional total

You need totals by category, date range, owner, region, or status.

Sheets: =SUMIFS(amount_range, status_range, "Paid", date_range, ">="&DATE(2026,1,1))
Excel: =SUMIFS(Table1[Amount], Table1[Status], "Paid", Table1[Date], ">="&DATE(2026,1,1))

Include the exact conditions and whether blanks, refunds, or negative numbers should count.

Clean or combine text

Normalize text

Names, addresses, categories, or notes have extra spaces, inconsistent case, or pieces to combine.

Sheets: =PROPER(TRIM(A2))
Excel: =PROPER(TRIM(A2))

Give Claude two or three messy examples and the exact clean result you want.

Dates, age, or elapsed time

Elapsed days

You need days open, age, due status, renewal windows, or time since last contact.

Sheets: =IF(ISBLANK(B2), "", TODAY()-B2)
Excel: =IF(ISBLANK([@StartDate]), "", TODAY()-[@StartDate])

Specify whether dates include weekends, business days, time zones, or blank-date behavior.

Categorize rows

Rule-based category

Rows should be grouped as high/medium/low, overdue/current, priority tiers, or named segments.

Sheets: =IFS(C2>=90, "High", C2>=60, "Medium", TRUE, "Low")
Excel: =IFS([@Score]>=90, "High", [@Score]>=60, "Medium", TRUE, "Low")

List the rules in priority order and tell Claude what should happen when more than one rule matches.

Find duplicates

Duplicate flag

You need to flag repeated emails, invoice numbers, customer IDs, or composite keys.

Sheets: =COUNTIF($A:$A, A2)>1
Excel: =COUNTIF(Table1[Email], [@Email])>1

Say whether case, spaces, punctuation, or multiple columns should be treated as the same key.

Percent change or variance

Change from baseline

You are comparing actual vs budget, this month vs last month, or old value vs new value.

Sheets: =IFERROR((C2-B2)/B2, "")
Excel: =IFERROR(([@Actual]-[@Budget]) / [@Budget], "")

Tell Claude how to handle zero baselines and whether the result should display as a percentage.

Filter or sort results

Filtered view

You need a live list of rows matching criteria, sorted by date, amount, priority, or owner.

Sheets: =SORT(FILTER(A2:F, E2:E="Open"), 3, TRUE)
Excel: =SORT(FILTER(Table1, Table1[Status]="Open"), 3, 1)

Specify whether the output should be a dynamic formula, pivot table, or manual filter steps.

Split names or fields

Split combined text

A single column contains full names, comma-separated values, or codes that need separate columns.

Sheets: =SPLIT(A2, " ")
Excel: =TEXTSPLIT(A2, " ")

Provide examples with edge cases such as middle names, hyphenated names, or missing separators.

Make a formula safer

Error handling wrapper

A formula works for normal rows but breaks on blanks, missing matches, or divide-by-zero cases.

Sheets: =IFERROR(existing_formula, "check input")
Excel: =IFERROR(existing_formula, "check input")

Ask Claude to explain every failure case before giving a shorter final formula.

How to use it

A short workflow

Select the spreadsheet app and closest formula scenario.
Describe your columns, ranges, and desired result.
Add blank, duplicate, date, or error rules so Claude does not guess.
Copy the generated prompt and compare Claude output against the pattern examples.

FAQ

Questions about this tool

Does this calculate my spreadsheet automatically?

No. It creates a stronger prompt for Claude and shows formula patterns to inspect. You still test the final formula in your sheet.

Should I include sample rows?

Yes. A few representative rows help Claude understand blanks, dates, categories, and edge cases without needing the whole file.

Can it help with both Excel and Google Sheets?

Yes. The helper asks which app you use and shows common patterns for both, because function names and behavior can differ.