Excel Generator

⚠️ IMPORTANT: Exec Tool Configuration

When calling the exec tool to run Python scripts for this skill, use timeout: 1500 to allow sufficient time for complex Excel tasks:

{
  "tool": "exec",
  "command": "python scripts/excel_api_client.py ...",
  "timeout": 1500
}

• timeout: 1500 — Excel tasks can take 5-25 minutes for complex operations (PDF parsing, web search, chart generation)

A professional skill for generating and updating high-quality Excel files using a sophisticated backend service with AI-powered data analysis, charting, formula validation, and report generation capabilities.

Authentication (Required First)

Before using this skill, authentication must be completed. Run the auth script first:

# Authenticate: checks env token / cached token / browser login
python3 <skill-dir>/scripts/skywork_auth.py || exit 1

Token priority:

1. Environment variable SKYBOT_TOKEN → if set, use directly
2. Cached token file ~/.skywork_token → validate via API, if valid, use it
3. No valid token → opens browser for login, polls until complete, saves token

IMPORTANT - Login URL handling: If script output contains a line starting with [LOGIN_URL], you MUST immediately send that URL to the user in a clickable message (e.g. "Please open this link to log in: <url>"). The user may be in an environment where the browser cannot open automatically, so always surface the login URL.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when the user wants to:

• Create Excel files from scratch with data, formulas, charts, and professional formatting
• Analyze existing data files (Excel, CSV, PDF) and generate summary reports or visualizations
• Update or transform Excel files (add calculations, charts, pivot tables, formatting)
• Generate data-driven reports - outputs can be Excel (.xlsx) or professional HTML reports for viewing/sharing
• Perform complex data analysis requiring pandas, numpy, or statistical operations
• Create dashboards or visualizations with charts, conditional formatting, and styled tables
• Extract and structure data from uploaded documents into Excel format
• Search the web for data - the agent can search for real-time information to include in generated outputs (no external search tools required from your side)

Output Format

The agent supports multiple output formats:

• Excel (.xlsx) - for data manipulation and editing
• HTML reports - for viewing and sharing

The backend agent automatically chooses the appropriate format based on the user's request. Just pass the user's natural language request directly.

The backend service is particularly powerful for tasks that benefit from specialized Excel knowledge, formula validation, and visual quality assurance.

How It Works

The skill uses a ReAct agent loop that:

1. Accepts user requests via natural language (in English or Chinese)
2. Processes uploaded files (Excel, CSV, PDF) if provided
3. Streams real-time progress showing LLM reasoning and tool execution
4. Executes specialized tools like jupyter_execute for data manipulation, validate_excel_formulas, validate_excel_charts, etc.
5. Produces output files in /workspace/output/ (automatically registered for download)
6. Supports multi-turn conversations for iterative refinement

⚠️ IMPORTANT: Preserve User's Original Query (Strict No-Rewrite Policy)

When sending requests to the Excel Agent:

• Keep the user's original query exactly as-is - do NOT rewrite, expand, or reinterpret the query
• Pass the query as-is to the backend agent, which has its own understanding capabilities
• Only TWO modifications are allowed:
  1. Time info: For time-sensitive queries (e.g., "latest data", "this year", "this quarter"), prepend current time. Only add if you can reliably obtain the real time:

     [Current time: 2026-03-14] User request: Get Xiaomi stock price this week...
     

  2. File paths: Replace absolute paths with filenames only (e.g., /Users/xxx/report.xlsx → report.xlsx)
• All files mentioned in the query MUST be uploaded - use upload_file() for each file before calling run_agent(). If you cannot find the file at the specified path, ask the user to provide the correct file path before proceeding. Pass the returned file_ids to run_agent() so the backend can access the uploaded files
• DO NOT read file contents to modify the query - just upload the files directly. The backend agent will read and process the files itself. In your query, only provide the mapping between file_id and filename (e.g., "file_id abc123 is sales_data.xlsx")
• NO other modifications allowed - do not add extra instructions, do not expand requirements, do not "optimize" user's wording

Core Workflow

Step 1: Health Check (Required)

Always start by checking if the backend service is healthy:

from excel_api_client import ExcelAgentClient

# Auto-login: will prompt browser login if no token available
client = ExcelAgentClient()

if not client.health_check():
    print("Service unavailable or authentication failed")
    exit(1)

print("Service is ready!")

Step 2: Upload Files (If Needed)

If the user mentions existing files or you have files to analyze, upload them first:

from excel_api_client import ExcelAgentClient

client = ExcelAgentClient()  # Auto-login

# Upload file
file_id = client.upload_file("/path/to/data.xlsx")
print(f"Uploaded: {file_id}")

Step 3: Call the Excel Agent

Send the user's request to the backend via SSE streaming endpoint:

from excel_api_client import ExcelAgentClient

client = ExcelAgentClient()  # Auto-login

# Run agent with streaming progress
output_files = client.run_agent(
    message="Create a sales report with charts",
    file_ids=["uploaded_file_id"],  # Optional
    language="zh-CN"  # or "en-US"
)

# output_files contains: [{"file_id": "...", "name": "...", "size": ...}, ...]

The client handles all SSE streaming internally and displays progress to stdout.

Step 4: Download Generated Files

After the agent completes, download the output files for the user:

from excel_api_client import ExcelAgentClient

client = ExcelAgentClient()  # Auto-login

# Download all output files
for f in output_files:
    client.download_file(f["file_id"], f"./{f['name']}")

Important Implementation Notes

Progress Streaming

The SSE endpoint returns real-time progress updates. Always display these to the user so they understand what's happening:

• progress events: Show the agent's reasoning and thought process
• tool_start events: Indicate when tools like jupyter_execute start running
• tool_result events: Show whether tools succeeded and their output summaries

This transparency is crucial because Excel generation can take 30-120 seconds for complex tasks.

Multi-Turn Conversations (IMPORTANT)

The backend fully supports multi-turn sessions via session_id. This is critical for iterative refinement tasks.

How Multi-Turn Works

1. Generate a unique session_id at the start of a conversation (e.g., uuid.uuid4()[:12])
2. Pass the same session_id to ALL subsequent run_agent() calls in the same conversation
3. The agent automatically:
   • Remembers previous conversation history (up to 40 messages)
   • Preserves Python variables in the Jupyter namespace
   • Keeps output files in the same /workspace/<session_id>/output/ directory

Multi-Turn Example (Recommended: Let Server Generate session_id)

from excel_api_client import ExcelAgentClient

client = ExcelAgentClient()

# First turn: don't pass session_id, server generates one and returns it
output_files, session_id = client.run_agent(
    message="Create a sales report with Q1 data"
)
# session_id is now available, e.g., "a1b2c3d4e5f6"

# Second turn: pass the returned session_id
output_files, _ = client.run_agent(
    message="Add a pie chart showing product category breakdown",
    session_id=session_id  # ← Use the returned session_id
)

# Third turn: continue with same session_id
output_files, _ = client.run_agent(
    message="Change the chart colors to blue theme",
    session_id=session_id
)

Multi-Turn Example (Alternative: Pre-generate session_id)

import uuid

# Generate session_id upfront
session_id = str(uuid.uuid4())[:12]

# All calls use the same session_id
client.run_agent(message="Create a report", session_id=session_id)
client.run_agent(message="Add charts", session_id=session_id)

CLI Multi-Turn Example

# First turn (no --session, server generates one)
python scripts/excel_api_client.py "Create a sales report"
# Output: 💡 To continue this conversation, use: --session abc123def456

# Second turn (use the printed session_id)
python scripts/excel_api_client.py "Add charts to the report" --session abc123def456

Clear Session (Start Fresh)

To clear conversation history and start fresh with the same session_id:

# Option 1: Use new_session=True (clears history but keeps session_id)
output_files, _ = client.run_agent(message="...", session_id=session_id, new_session=True)

# Option 2: Don't pass session_id to get a fresh one
output_files, new_session_id = client.run_agent(message="...")

⚠️ Common Mistakes

• Using different session_id values: Agent treats each call as independent
• Not capturing the returned session_id: If you don't pass one, capture the returned value for subsequent calls

Error Handling

Common issues and how to handle them:

1. Authentication failed (401): Token is invalid or expired - ask user to provide a valid token
2. File upload fails: Ensure file paths are correct, check file size limits
3. Agent timeout: Complex tasks may hit the 300s timeout - inform user and suggest breaking into smaller steps
4. Clarification needed: When clarification_needed event fires, pause and get user input before continuing
5. Insufficient benefit: Script or log may show e.g. Insufficient benefit. Please upgrade your account at {url} — reply per "How to reply when benefit is insufficient" below

How to reply when benefit is insufficient

When you detect the above, reply in the user's current language — do not echo the English message. Use this pattern:

• Convey: "Sorry, Excel/report generation failed. This skill requires upgrading your Skywork membership to use." then a single call-to-action link.
• Format: One short sentence in the user's language + a link like [Upgrade now →](url) or the equivalent in their language.
• URL: Extract the upgrade URL from the log/script output (e.g. the at https://... part).

Language Selection

The backend supports both Chinese and English:

• "language": "zh-CN" - Chinese prompts and output (default)
• "language": "en-US" - English prompts and output

Choose based on the user's language or their explicit preference.

Backend Capabilities (Tools Available to Agent)

The backend agent has access to these powerful tools:

• jupyter_execute: Run Python code with pandas, openpyxl, matplotlib, etc. for data manipulation and Excel generation
• validate_excel_formulas: Verify Excel formulas are syntactically correct before saving
• validate_excel_charts: Render charts as images to visually verify they look correct
• excel_data_llm_analysis: Perform semantic analysis on large datasets (translation, classification, summarization)
• grep_by_keyword: Search uploaded files for specific content
• read_document_pages: Extract text from PDF/DOCX files
• excel_visual_agent: Extract structured data from images/PDFs into Excel
• parallel_search_full: Search the web for data to include in reports
• browse_urls: Fetch content from specific URLs
• todo_write: Maintain task lists to prevent goal drift during complex multi-step tasks

You don't need to explicitly call these tools - the agent automatically decides which tools to use based on the user's request.

Example Usage Patterns

Common scenarios (see Core Workflow for full code):

Example requests:

• "Create a monthly expense tracker with Date, Category, Amount columns"
• "Analyze sales.xlsx, show top 10 customers by revenue with bar chart"
• "Generate an report summarizing the quarterly sales data"
• "Merge jan.csv, feb.csv, mar.csv into one workbook with summary sheet"

Output File Handling

All output files are saved to /workspace/<session_id>/output/ on the backend server. The agent automatically:

1. Registers each output file in the file registry
2. Uploads files to OSS for CDN access (xlsx, csv, html, pdf, png, jpg, zip)
3. Returns file metadata in the output_files event:

   {
     "file_id": "abc123xyz",
     "name": "report.xlsx",
     "size": 15360,
     "mime_type": "application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet",
     "path": "/tmp/excel_agent_workspace/session_123/output/report.xlsx",
     "oss_url": "https://xxx.oss-cn-xxx.aliyuncs.com/excel-agent/session_123/report.xlsx"
   }
   

4. Makes files available via /api/download/{file_id} (fallback if OSS unavailable)

⚠️ IMPORTANT: Present Download Links to User

After the agent completes, you MUST display the OSS download links to the user:

• Show the raw OSS URL directly (do NOT use sandbox:// or other formats)
• If the file was downloaded locally, also provide the local path
• Example response to user:

  ✅ Report generated successfully!
  
  📥 Download link:
  - report.xlsx: https://picture-search.skywork.ai/skills/upload/2026-03-14/xxx.xlsx
  
  💾 Local file: /Users/xxx/.openclaw/workspace/report.xlsx
  

• Do NOT use sandbox:// or [filename](sandbox://...) format - these are not clickable
• If oss_url is not available, inform user the file was saved locally and provide the full path

Tips for Best Results

1. Be specific in requests: The more detail you provide, the better the output

   • ❌ "Make a sales report"
   • ✅ "Create a sales report with columns: Date, Product, Quantity, Revenue. Include a pivot table summarizing by product category and a bar chart of top 5 products."

2. Use the helper script: For convenience, use scripts/excel_api_client.py which handles SSE streaming, file upload/download, and error handling

3. Monitor progress: Always display progress events to the user - Excel generation can take time for complex tasks

4. Handle clarifications: If the agent sends a clarification_needed event, pause and get user input before continuing

5. Session management: Use consistent session_ids for related tasks to maintain context

6. Verify outputs: After downloading files, inform the user of the file location and suggest they open it to verify results

Troubleshooting

"Unauthorized (401)"

• Token is missing, invalid, or expired
• Run python scripts/skywork_auth.py --login to re-authenticate

"Connection timeout"

• Complex tasks (especially PDF-to-Excel with AI reasoning models) can take 5-25 minutes
• Default timeout is now 900 seconds (15 minutes)
• Use --timeout 1500 for very complex tasks
• Consider breaking very large tasks into smaller steps

"File not found after download"

• Check that output_files event was received before attempting download
• Verify file_id is correct
• Try downloading directly with curl (requires valid token in header)

"Agent produces wrong output"

• Be more specific in the request (include column names, chart types, formatting details)
• Try multi-turn: generate a basic version first, then refine in follow-up messages

Script Reference

Use the bundled scripts/excel_api_client.py for streamlined integration:

from excel_api_client import ExcelAgentClient

# Initialize with auto-login (recommended)
client = ExcelAgentClient()

# Check if service is ready
if not client.health_check():
    print("Service unavailable or authentication failed.")
    exit(1)

# Upload files if needed
file_ids = [client.upload_file("data.xlsx")]

# Run agent with progress streaming
output_files = client.run_agent(
    message="Create a summary report with charts",
    file_ids=file_ids
)

# Download results
for f in output_files:
    client.download_file(f["file_id"], f"./{f['name']}")

Security Notes

⚠️ Important Security Practices:

• Never commit tokens to version control
• Never log full tokens - use masked format (e.g., qGXpDd6H...cv0)
• Token is stored in ~/.skywork_token (user home directory, not in project)
• Use environment variables for CI/CD pipelines
• Tokens expire - the client will auto-refresh when needed

See scripts/excel_api_client.py and scripts/skywork_auth.py for the full implementation.