Audit Xls
Have your agent audit Excel formulas and financial-model integrity on a selection, sheet, or whole workbook before you share models with clients or investment committee.
Overview
Audit XLS is an agent skill most often used in Ship (also Validate, Operate) that audits spreadsheet formulas and, at model scope, financial-model integrity before you rely on the numbers.
Install
npx skills add https://github.com/anthropics/financial-services-plugins --skill audit-xlsWhat is this skill?
- Scope ladder: selection, sheet, or full model audit with explicit user choice in Step 1
- Formula-level checks on all scopes: `#REF!`/`#VALUE!`, hardcodes in formulas, inconsistent fills
- Model scope adds financial integrity: balance sheet balance, cash tie-out, roll-forwards, logic sanity
- Tuned for DCF, LBO, 3-statement, merger, and comps-style integrated workbooks
- Trigger phrases include "audit this sheet", "model won't balance", and "something's off in my model"
- Three audit scopes: selection, sheet, and model
- Model scope targets integrated templates such as DCF, LBO, 3-statement, merger, and comps
Adoption & trust: 709 installs on skills.sh; 30.5k GitHub stars; 3/3 security scanners passed (skills.sh audits).
What problem does it solve?
Your spreadsheet might hide `#DIV/0!`, hardcoded assumptions, or a balance sheet that doesn’t tie—and you need a structured audit before anyone else sees the model.
Who is it for?
Solo builders maintaining DCF/LBO/three-statement models in Excel who want agent-driven QA on a range, tab, or entire workbook.
Skip if: Teams that don’t use spreadsheets for models, or users who need ISO medical QMS audits rather than formula and financial logic review.
When should I use this skill?
User says audit this sheet, check my formulas, find formula errors, QA this spreadsheet, sanity check this, debug model, model check, model won't balance, something's off in my model, or model review.
What do I get? / Deliverables
You get a scoped audit report across formula health and, when requested, integrated model checks so obvious errors and integrity failures are surfaced before delivery.
- Scoped audit findings table (errors, hardcodes, inconsistencies)
- Financial integrity notes when model scope is selected (BS balance, cash tie-out, logic sanity)
Recommended Skills
Journey fit
Spans multiple journey phases - primary shelf plus alternate fits below.
Canonical shelf is Ship/review because the skill is framed as QA, sanity checks, and pre-delivery model review—even though financial modeling often starts earlier. Review subphase matches triggers like "QA this spreadsheet", "model review", and formula-error hunting before external send.
Where it fits
Sanity-check assumption tabs and roll-forwards while narrowing deal scope before full build-out.
Run full model scope on a 3-statement file before attaching it to a client memo or data room.
Debug "something's off" after updating debt schedules or cap table links in a living forecast.
How it compares
Use instead of ad-hoc "scan my sheet" chat—this skill enforces scope and a repeatable formula vs model-integrity checklist.
Common Questions / FAQ
Who is audit-xls for?
Financial analysts, founders, and operators who build or maintain Excel models and want structured formula and integrity QA from their coding agent.
When should I use audit-xls?
Use it in Ship before sending a model externally; in Validate when scoping or pricing assumptions live in a workbook; in Operate when debugging "something's off" in a live forecast file.
Is audit-xls safe to install?
Check the Security Audits panel on this page; the skill implies read access to workbook content you point the agent at—avoid exposing unrelated sensitive tabs.
SKILL.md
READMESKILL.md - Audit Xls
# Audit Spreadsheet Audit formulas and data for accuracy and mistakes. Scope determines depth — from quick formula checks on a selection up to full financial-model integrity audits. ## Step 1: Determine scope If the user already gave a scope, use it. Otherwise **ask them**: > What scope do you want me to audit? > - **selection** — just the currently selected range > - **sheet** — the current active sheet only > - **model** — the whole workbook, including financial-model integrity checks (BS balance, cash tie-out, roll-forwards, logic sanity) The **model** scope is the deepest — use it for DCF, LBO, 3-statement, merger, comps, or any integrated financial model before sending to a client or IC. --- ## Step 2: Formula-level checks (ALL scopes) Run these regardless of scope: | Check | What to look for | |---|---| | Formula errors | `#REF!`, `#VALUE!`, `#N/A`, `#DIV/0!`, `#NAME?` | | Hardcodes inside formulas | `=A1*1.05` — the `1.05` should be a cell reference | | Inconsistent formulas | A formula that breaks the pattern of its neighbors in a row/column | | Off-by-one ranges | `SUM`/`AVERAGE` that misses the first or last row | | Pasted-over formulas | Cell that looks like a formula but is actually a hardcoded value | | Circular references | Intentional or accidental | | Broken cross-sheet links | References to cells that moved or were deleted | | Unit/scale mismatches | Thousands mixed with millions, % stored as whole numbers | | Hidden rows/tabs | Could contain overrides or stale calculations | --- ## Step 3: Model-integrity checks (MODEL scope only) If scope is **model**, identify the model type (DCF / LBO / 3-statement / merger / comps / custom) and run the appropriate integrity checks below. ### 3a. Structural review | Check | What to look for | |---|---| | Input/formula separation | Are inputs clearly separated from calculations? | | Color convention | Blue=input, black=formula, green=link — or whatever the model uses, applied consistently? | | Tab flow | Logical order (Assumptions → IS → BS → CF → Valuation)? | | Date headers | Consistent across all tabs? | | Units | Consistent (thousands vs millions vs actuals)? | ### 3b. Balance Sheet | Check | Test | |---|---| | BS balances | Total Assets = Total Liabilities + Equity (every period) | | RE rollforward | Prior RE + Net Income − Dividends = Current RE | | Goodwill/intangibles | Flow from acquisition assumptions (if M&A) | If BS doesn't balance, **quantify the gap per period and trace where it breaks** — nothing else matters until this is fixed. ### 3c. Cash Flow Statement | Check | Test | |---|---| | Cash tie-out | CF Ending Cash = BS Cash (every period) | | CF sums | CFO + CFI + CFF = Δ Cash | | D&A match | D&A on CF = D&A on IS | | CapEx match | CapEx on CF matches PP&E rollforward on BS | | WC changes | Signs match BS movements (ΔAR, ΔAP, ΔInventory) | ### 3d. Income Statement | Check | Test | |---|---| | Revenue build | Ties to segment/product detail | | Tax | Tax expense = Pre-tax income × tax rate (allow for deferred tax adj) | | Share count | Ties to dilution schedule (options, converts, buybacks) | ### 3e. Circular references - Interest → debt balance → cash → interest is a common intentional circ in LBO/3-stmt models - If intentional: verify iteration toggle exists and works - If unintentional: trace the loop and flag how to break it ### 3f. Logic & reasonableness | Check | Flag if | |---|---| | Growth rates | >100% revenue growth without explanation | | Margins