How do I install the XLSX Reader skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add tomevault-io/xlsx-reader in your terminal (requires Node.js), paste this page's agent-chat prompt into Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-connected agent, or download the SKILL.md file and copy it into your agent's skills directory.

Is XLSX Reader safe to use?

This skill has not completed SkillMD's automated safety review yet. Independent scanners report: SkillSpector: PASS, Skill Scanner: PASS. SkillMD never runs a skill's scripts for you; review the SKILL.md before installing.

Which AI agents work with XLSX Reader?

This skill is tagged as working with Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex. SKILL.md is an open format, so most agents that read a skills directory can load it too.

Is XLSX Reader free to use?

Yes. Installing skills from SkillMD is free, and the skill stays under its author's original license.

Who published XLSX Reader?

tomevault-io (@tomevault-io) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

XLSX Reader by tomevault-io — Agent Skill

Name: XLSX Reader
Author: tomevault-io

XLSX Reader

Read and extract data from Excel (.xlsx) files efficiently using Python. Use when opening, reading, analyzing, or inspecting xlsx/Excel spreadsheets, extracting tabular data to JSON, inspecting sheet structure or headers, converting spreadsheet data for processing, or any task involving .xlsx files. Triggers on references to xlsx, Excel, spreadsheet files, or data extraction from workbooks. Use when this capability is needed.

tomevault-io Updated Sep 17, 2026

File contents

Read xlsx files with scripts/read_xlsx.py. Uses uv run for automatic dependency management.

Quick Reference

# Get structure without data (always start here)
uv run ${SKILL_DIR}/scripts/read_xlsx.py file.xlsx --mode info

# Preview first 10 rows
uv run ${SKILL_DIR}/scripts/read_xlsx.py file.xlsx --rows 10

# Read specific sheet
uv run ${SKILL_DIR}/scripts/read_xlsx.py file.xlsx --sheet "Sheet2"

# Read cell range
uv run ${SKILL_DIR}/scripts/read_xlsx.py file.xlsx --mode range --range B2:D50

# Full data (avoid for large files)
uv run ${SKILL_DIR}/scripts/read_xlsx.py file.xlsx --mode full

# Force/disable header detection
uv run ${SKILL_DIR}/scripts/read_xlsx.py file.xlsx --headers
uv run ${SKILL_DIR}/scripts/read_xlsx.py file.xlsx --no-headers

Modes

Mode	Use Case	Output Size
`info`	Structure, sheets, dimensions, headers	Minimal
`preview`	First N rows (default 20)	Small
`range`	Specific cells (e.g., A1:C10)	Targeted
`full`	All data	Large - use sparingly

Workflow

Always start with --mode info to understand structure
Use --mode preview with appropriate --rows for context
Use --mode range for targeted extraction
Avoid --mode full on large files (>1000 rows)

Output Format

All modes return JSON. Preview/full modes with detected headers return data as objects:

{
  "mode": "preview",
  "sheet": "Sheet1",
  "headers": ["Name", "Value", "Status"],
  "data": [
    {"Name": "item_1", "Value": 10, "Status": "active"},
    {"Name": "item_2", "Value": 20, "Status": "inactive"}
  ],
  "total_rows": 500,
  "showing": 2,
  "has_more": true
}

Without headers (or --no-headers), data is arrays of arrays. Duplicate header names get _2, _3 suffixes automatically.

Error Handling

Errors return {"error": "message"} with exit code 1. Common cases:

Sheet not found → error includes available sheet names
Missing --range for range mode → clear error message
File not found → file path in error

Converted and distributed by TomeVault — claim your Tome and manage your conversions.

---name: xlsx-readerdescription: Read and extract data from Excel (.xlsx) files efficiently using Python. Use when opening, reading, analyzing, or inspecting xlsx/Excel spreadsheets, extracting tabular data to JSON, inspecting sheet structure or headers, converting spreadsheet data for processing, or any task involving .xlsx files. Triggers on references to xlsx, Excel, spreadsheet files, or data extraction from workbooks. Use when this capability is needed.---Read xlsx files with `scripts/read_xlsx.py`. Uses `uv run` for automatic dependency management.## Quick Reference```bash# Get structure without data (always start here)uv run ${SKILL_DIR}/scripts/read_xlsx.py file.xlsx --mode info# Preview first 10 rowsuv run ${SKILL_DIR}/scripts/read_xlsx.py file.xlsx --rows 10# Read specific sheetuv run ${SKILL_DIR}/scripts/read_xlsx.py file.xlsx --sheet "Sheet2"# Read cell rangeuv run ${SKILL_DIR}/scripts/read_xlsx.py file.xlsx --mode range --range B2:D50# Full data (avoid for large files)uv run ${SKILL_DIR}/scripts/read_xlsx.py file.xlsx --mode full# Force/disable header detectionuv run ${SKILL_DIR}/scripts/read_xlsx.py file.xlsx --headersuv run ${SKILL_DIR}/scripts/read_xlsx.py file.xlsx --no-headers```## Modes| Mode | Use Case | Output Size ||------|----------|-------------|| `info` | Structure, sheets, dimensions, headers | Minimal || `preview` | First N rows (default 20) | Small || `range` | Specific cells (e.g., A1:C10) | Targeted || `full` | All data | Large - use sparingly |## Workflow1. **Always start with `--mode info`** to understand structure2. Use `--mode preview` with appropriate `--rows` for context3. Use `--mode range` for targeted extraction4. Avoid `--mode full` on large files (>1000 rows)## Output FormatAll modes return JSON. Preview/full modes with detected headers return data as objects:```json{ "mode": "preview", "sheet": "Sheet1", "headers": ["Name", "Value", "Status"], "data": [ {"Name": "item_1", "Value": 10, "Status": "active"}, {"Name": "item_2", "Value": 20, "Status": "inactive"} ], "total_rows": 500, "showing": 2, "has_more": true}```Without headers (or `--no-headers`), `data` is arrays of arrays. Duplicate header names get `_2`, `_3` suffixes automatically.## Error HandlingErrors return `{"error": "message"}` with exit code 1. Common cases:- Sheet not found → error includes available sheet names- Missing `--range` for range mode → clear error message- File not found → file path in error---> Converted and distributed by [TomeVault](https://tomevault.io/claim/inromualdo) — claim your Tome and manage your conversions.

Frequently asked questions