Excel (pywin32) Skill

This skill is for interactive pair work where the user already has:

• •Microsoft Excel running
• •The target workbook already open

The harness attaches to the running Excel session and executes agent-provided Python code with these variables pre-bound:

• •excel: Excel Application COM object
• •wb: target Workbook COM object
• •win32c: win32com.client.constants

Where is the Python harness script?

In this skills repo, each skill lives in its own folder. For this skill, the entrypoint Python script is:

• •excel/scripts/excel_harness.py

All example commands below assume you run them from the skills directory root (so that relative path resolves). The skills directory is typically at ~/.pi/agent/skills/.

Path note (Windows + bash): Use forward slashes (/) in paths when writing commands (e.g. excel/scripts/excel_harness.py). Windows may show paths with backslashes (C:\\...), but the agent runs commands in a bash-like shell where / is the expected separator.

Run (uv one-liners)

List open workbooks:

uv run excel/scripts/excel_harness.py --list-workbooks

Run inline code against an open workbook:

uv run excel/scripts/excel_harness.py --workbook 'Budget.xlsx' --code 'wb.Worksheets(1).Range("A1").Value="Hi"'

Quoting note (bash): Prefer single quotes around CLI argument values (e.g. --code '...', --script '...'). This avoids bash interpreting characters like $ (common in Excel formulas and some code snippets) as variable expansions.

Run a snippet file:

uv run excel/scripts/excel_harness.py --workbook 'Budget.xlsx' --script /path/to/snippet.py

Snippet pattern

Write snippets assuming excel and wb exist:

ws = wb.Worksheets("Sheet1")
ws.Range("A1").Value = "Hello"
ws.Range("A2").Value = 123
ws.Range("A3").Formula = "=A2*2"
wb.Save()

__result__ = {
  "sheet": ws.Name,
  "a1": ws.Range("A1").Value,
  "a3": ws.Range("A3").Value,
}

The harness will print __RESULT__=<json> if __result__ is set.

Agent workflow

1. •Ask the user which workbook is open (usually the .xlsx file name).
2. •If uncertain, run --list-workbooks and pick from the output.
3. •Generate a small, incremental snippet to perform the requested action.
4. •Execute via uv run ... --code (tiny changes) or --script (multi-step).

Safety notes

• •The harness will not open Excel or open files; it only manipulates what’s already open.
• •Do not save automatically. Avoid calling wb.Save() / wb.SaveAs(...) unless the user explicitly asks to persist changes. The user should have a chance to verify the workbook looks correct before saving.
• •Avoid destructive operations unless explicitly requested.
• •Prefer incremental edits and frequent saves/exports when asked.