# XLSX > Use xlsx binary for Excel file manipulation including viewing, SQL-like filtering, cell editing, conversion to/from CSV, and data analysis operations. Use this instead of Python (openpyxl, pandas, xlrd) or Node.js libraries for ALL .xlsx file operations — reading, writing, filtering, conversion, and analysis. Trigger on any request involving .xlsx or Excel files. - Skill: `lanej/xlsx` (Agent Skill) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add lanej/xlsx` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/lanej/xlsx/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Data & Analytics - Author: lanej (https://skillmd.com/u/lanej) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/lanej/xlsx --- # XLSX Skill The `xlsx` binary covers the full Excel manipulation surface without Python or Node.js. ## Commands ``` xlsx sheets list sheets in workbook xlsx view [--sheet S] [--limit N] [--format table|json|csv|tsv] xlsx headers [--sheet S] show column headers xlsx select "A,C,E" [--sheet S] extract columns by letter or range A-E xlsx slice [--start N] [--end N] [--sheet S] row range (1-indexed, inclusive) xlsx search [--ignore-case] [--regex] [--sheet S] xlsx filter --where [--columns "Name,Email"] [--format json] [--limit N] [--offset N] [--sheet S] [--output file] xlsx count [--sheet S] row and column count xlsx stats [--sheet S] statistics for one column (letter or name) xlsx get-formula [--sheet S] xlsx eval "" evaluate formula expression xlsx set [--value-type auto|string|number|bool|date|formula] [--sheet S] [--no-backup] xlsx insert row|column [--sheet S] xlsx delete row|column [--sheet S] xlsx copy [--sheet S] xlsx to-csv [--sheet S] [--date-format iso8601] xlsx from-csv [--sheet S] xlsx format ... apply cell formatting xlsx validate ... data validation rules xlsx names ... named range management xlsx pivot ... pivot table operations xlsx chart ... chart operations ``` ## Filter WHERE Clause SQL-like syntax, case-insensitive by default. ```bash # Column names with spaces use brackets xlsx filter data.xlsx --where "[First Name] = 'John'" xlsx filter data.xlsx --where "[Job Title] LIKE '%Engineer%'" # Operators: =, !=, <>, >, <, >=, <=, LIKE, IN, BETWEEN, IS NULL, IS NOT NULL xlsx filter data.xlsx --where "Status IN ('Active', 'Pending')" xlsx filter data.xlsx --where "Age BETWEEN 25 AND 35" xlsx filter data.xlsx --where "Manager IS NULL" xlsx filter data.xlsx --where "(Status = 'Active' OR Status = 'Pending') AND Age > 25" # Column selection, format, pagination, output file xlsx filter data.xlsx --where "Dept = 'Sales'" --columns "Name,Email" --format csv --output out.csv xlsx filter data.xlsx --where "Status = 'Active'" --limit 10 --offset 20 # Sheet by name or 0-based index xlsx filter data.xlsx --where "Total > 1000" --sheet "Q4 Sales" xlsx filter data.xlsx --where "Total > 1000" --sheet 2 # Case-sensitive matching xlsx filter data.xlsx --where "Name = 'Bob'" --case-sensitive ``` ## Editing ```bash # Set single cell xlsx set file.xlsx B5 42 xlsx set file.xlsx C1 "2025-01-15" --value-type date xlsx set file.xlsx D1 "=SUM(A1:A10)" --value-type formula # Set range — broadcasts same value to all cells; formulas adjust relative references xlsx set file.xlsx B5:B10 "Pending" xlsx set file.xlsx F2:F100 "=D2+E2" --value-type formula # Insert / delete xlsx insert file.xlsx row 5 xlsx insert file.xlsx column C xlsx delete file.xlsx row 5:10 xlsx delete file.xlsx column C:E ``` ## Date Formatting Presets for `--date-format`: `iso8601` (default), `mdy`, `us-padded`, `us-time`, `unix`, `excel-serial`, `excel`. Custom: `"%Y-%m-%d"`. ## jq Integration ```bash # Process JSON output with jq xlsx view data.xlsx --format json | jq '.[] | select(.age > 30)' xlsx filter data.xlsx --where "Status = 'Active'" --format json | jq 'length' ``` ## Gotchas - **`--limit 0` means zero rows, not unlimited** — `xlsx view --format json --limit 0` returns an empty array; `--format tsv` similarly returns nothing. Use `--limit N` with a large N (e.g. `--limit 9999`) for in-process viewing, or `xlsx to-csv` for full extraction. The default cap is 100 rows. - **`stats` requires a column argument** — `xlsx stats file.xlsx Amount` not `xlsx stats file.xlsx`. Works on one column at a time. - **`slice` uses flags, not positional args** — `xlsx slice file.xlsx --start 10 --end 20`, not `xlsx slice file.xlsx 10 20`. - **`filter --sheet` is 0-based for integer index** — `--sheet 2` is the third sheet. Use the sheet name to avoid off-by-one. - **Editing creates a backup by default** — use `--no-backup` to skip when running in a loop or script. - **Filter string comparisons are case-insensitive by default** — use `--case-sensitive` to change. - **`set` on a range with a formula adjusts references** — `=D2+E2` set over `F2:F100` produces `=D3+E3` in F3, etc. - **`filter --where "1=1"` throws a parse error** — tautology clauses are not supported (`Parsing Error: Error { input: "1=1", code: Tag }`). To select all rows, omit `--where` entirely, or use `xlsx to-csv`. - **Full-file extraction: use `xlsx to-csv`, not `view`** — for all rows and all columns, `xlsx to-csv file.xlsx out.csv --date-format iso8601` is reliable; downstream tooling is `duckdb` (`read_csv_auto()`) or Python `csv.DictReader`. `xlsx view --format json` with large limits is unreliable on big sheets. ## Quick Reference ```bash xlsx sheets file.xlsx # list sheets xlsx view file.xlsx --limit 9999 # view all rows (--limit 0 = zero rows) xlsx headers file.xlsx # show headers xlsx filter file.xlsx --where "A = 'x'" # SQL filter xlsx filter file.xlsx --where "A = 'x'" --format json | jq ... xlsx stats file.xlsx Amount # stats for column xlsx count file.xlsx # row/col count xlsx set file.xlsx A1 "value" # set cell xlsx to-csv file.xlsx out.csv # export to CSV xlsx from-csv in.csv file.xlsx # import from CSV ```