excel-auditor

The Excel Auditor skill is a specialized diagnostic tool designed for data analysts, engineers, and business professionals dealing with inherited or complex spreadsheet environments. It automates the tedious and error-prone process of auditing legacy Excel files, helping users map out the structural dependencies and logical flow of undocumented documents. By leveraging custom Python scripts, the agent performs deep inspection of structure, formulas, and data patterns, transforming opaque workbooks into readable, maintainable assets. This skill is particularly useful when someone has left an organization or a department is handed an Excel-based system that is business-critical yet entirely undocumented. It bridges the gap between raw file data and actionable intelligence.

• Performs automated structural extraction of sheets, named ranges, tables, and external links.

• Conducts formula dependency graphing to identify calculation chains and highlight complex or fragile logic.

• Classifies errors into hard errors (e.g., #REF!, #DIV/0!), soft errors (volatile functions, hardcoded inputs), and maintenance smells (excessive nesting).

• Generates structured audit reports in Markdown or document formats, detailing file purpose and maintainability risks.

• Utilizes pattern recognition to categorize files as financial models, operational trackers, or data transformation pipelines.

• Offers annotated feedback for users, including suggestions for refactoring and risk mitigation.

• Input requirements include standard .xlsx files; binary .xls files may require prior conversion.

• Large files (>10MB) are handled via intelligent sampling of the first 1000 formulas to ensure timely analysis.

• The tool notes the presence of VBA macros but does not execute or audit macro code logic directly.

• Outputs provide clear, prioritized issues, helping users distinguish between critical file-breaking errors and informative technical debt.

• Best used when keywords such as legacy, inherited, undocumented, spreadsheet risk, or formula audit are present in user requests.