Excel Automation

Automate spreadsheet operations including creating workbooks, writing data, formatting cells, upserting rows, and managing worksheets. Works with Microsoft Excel (OneDrive) and Google Sheets.

Toolkit docs: composio.dev/toolkits/excel

Setup

This skill requires the Rube MCP server connected at https://rube.app/mcp.

Before executing any tools, ensure an active connection exists for the excel (and optionally googlesheets) toolkit. If no connection is active, initiate one via RUBE_MANAGE_CONNECTIONS.

Core Workflows

1. Create a New Excel Workbook

Use EXCEL_CREATE_WORKBOOK to generate a new .xlsx file and upload it to OneDrive.

Tool: EXCEL_CREATE_WORKBOOK

Steps:

Call EXCEL_CREATE_WORKBOOK with worksheet names and data

The tool creates a .xlsx file and uploads it to OneDrive

Use the returned file path/URL for subsequent operations

2. Write Data to a Spreadsheet

Use GOOGLESHEETS_BATCH_UPDATE to write values to a specific range or append rows.

Tool: GOOGLESHEETS_BATCH_UPDATE

Key Parameters:

spreadsheet_id (required) -- The spreadsheet ID from the URL (44-char alphanumeric string)

sheet_name (required) -- Tab name, e.g., "Sheet1", "Sales Data"

values (required) -- 2D array of cell values, e.g., [["Name","Amount"],["Alice",100]]

first_cell_location -- Starting cell in A1 notation (e.g., "A1", "D3"). Omit to append rows

valueInputOption -- "USER_ENTERED" (default, parses formulas) or "RAW" (stores as-is)

Example:

Tool: GOOGLESHEETS_BATCH_UPDATE
Arguments:
  spreadsheet_id: "1BxiMVs0XRA5nFMdKvBdBZjgmUUqptlbs74OgvE2upms"
  sheet_name: "Sheet1"
  values: [["Item","Cost","Stocked"],["Wheel",20.50,true],["Screw",0.50,true]]
  first_cell_location: "A1"

3. Upsert Rows by Key Column

Use GOOGLESHEETS_UPSERT_ROWS to update existing rows by matching a key column, or append new rows if no match is found. Ideal for CRM syncs, inventory updates, and deduplication.

Tool: GOOGLESHEETS_UPSERT_ROWS

Key Parameters:

spreadsheetId (required) -- The spreadsheet ID

sheetName (required) -- Tab name

rows (required) -- 2D array of data rows (min 1 row). If headers is omitted, the first row is treated as headers

headers -- Column names for the data, e.g., ["Email","Phone","Status"]

keyColumn -- Column header to match on, e.g., "Email", "SKU", "Lead ID"

strictMode -- true (default) errors on mismatched columns; false truncates silently

Example:

Tool: GOOGLESHEETS_UPSERT_ROWS
Arguments:
  spreadsheetId: "1BxiMVs0XRA5nFMdKvBdBZjgmUUqptlbs74OgvE2upms"
  sheetName: "Contacts"
  keyColumn: "Email"
  headers: ["Email","Phone","Status"]
  rows: [["john@example.com","555-0101","Active"],["jane@example.com","555-0102","Pending"]]

4. Format Cells

Use GOOGLESHEETS_FORMAT_CELL to apply bold, italic, font size, and background colors to ranges.

Tool: GOOGLESHEETS_FORMAT_CELL

Key Parameters:

spreadsheet_id (required) -- The spreadsheet ID

range -- Cell range in A1 notation, e.g., "A1:D1", "B2:B10" (recommended over index-based)

sheet_name -- Worksheet name, e.g., "Sheet1"

bold -- true/false

italic -- true/false

fontSize -- Font size in points, e.g., 12

red, green, blue -- Background color components (0.0--1.0 float scale, NOT 0--255)

Example (bold header row with blue background):

Tool: GOOGLESHEETS_FORMAT_CELL
Arguments:
  spreadsheet_id: "1BxiMVs0XRA5nFMdKvBdBZjgmUUqptlbs74OgvE2upms"
  range: "A1:D1"
  sheet_name: "Sheet1"
  bold: true
  fontSize: 12
  red: 0.2
  green: 0.4
  blue: 0.9

5. Add New Worksheet Tabs

Use GOOGLESHEETS_ADD_SHEET to create new tabs within an existing spreadsheet.

Tool: GOOGLESHEETS_ADD_SHEET

Key Parameters:

spreadsheetId (required) -- The spreadsheet ID

title -- Name for the new tab, e.g., "Q4 Report"

forceUnique -- true (default) auto-appends suffix if name exists

Example:

Tool: GOOGLESHEETS_ADD_SHEET
Arguments:
  spreadsheetId: "1BxiMVs0XRA5nFMdKvBdBZjgmUUqptlbs74OgvE2upms"
  title: "Q4 Report"
  forceUnique: true

6. Read Data and Verify Content

Use GOOGLESHEETS_BATCH_GET to retrieve data from specified cell ranges for validation or further processing.

Tool: GOOGLESHEETS_BATCH_GET

Steps:

Call GOOGLESHEETS_BATCH_GET with the spreadsheet ID and target ranges

Validate headers and data alignment

Use results to inform subsequent write or update operations

Supporting Tools:

GOOGLESHEETS_GET_SHEET_NAMES -- List all tab names in a spreadsheet

GOOGLESHEETS_GET_SPREADSHEET_INFO -- Get metadata (sheet IDs, properties)

GOOGLESHEETS_FIND_WORKSHEET_BY_TITLE -- Check if a specific tab exists

Recommended Execution Plan

Create or locate the spreadsheet using GOOGLESHEETS_CREATE_GOOGLE_SHEET1 or reuse an existing spreadsheetId

Confirm the destination tab using GOOGLESHEETS_GET_SHEET_NAMES or GOOGLESHEETS_FIND_WORKSHEET_BY_TITLE; create it with GOOGLESHEETS_ADD_SHEET if missing

Read existing headers (optional) using GOOGLESHEETS_BATCH_GET to align columns

Write or upsert data using GOOGLESHEETS_BATCH_UPDATE or GOOGLESHEETS_UPSERT_ROWS

Apply formatting (optional) using GOOGLESHEETS_FORMAT_CELL

Verify results (optional) using GOOGLESHEETS_BATCH_GET

Fallback: If Google Sheets creation is blocked (HTTP 403), use EXCEL_CREATE_WORKBOOK for local .xlsx output

Known Pitfalls

Pitfall	Detail
HTTP 403 on sheet creation	`GOOGLESHEETS_CREATE_GOOGLE_SHEET1` fails when Drive create scope is missing. Reuse an existing `spreadsheetId` or fall back to `EXCEL_CREATE_WORKBOOK`.
Cell limit and rate throttling	Google Sheets has a ~5,000,000 cell limit per spreadsheet. Excessive write frequency triggers HTTP 429. Batch changes and chunk large writes (~500 rows/call).
Format range off-by-one	`GOOGLESHEETS_FORMAT_CELL` uses 0-based, endIndex-exclusive ranges when using index mode. Background color uses 0--1 float RGB, NOT 0--255 integer RGB.
Sheet title uniqueness	Sheet titles are not guaranteed unique across API responses. Prefer operating by numeric `sheetId` and verify the resolved tab before writing.
Upsert payload shape	`GOOGLESHEETS_UPSERT_ROWS` requires headers + 2D rows array. Sending list-of-dicts or empty `rows` causes validation errors. Ensure at least 1 data row.

Quick Reference

Tool Slug	Description
`EXCEL_CREATE_WORKBOOK`	Create a new `.xlsx` workbook and upload to OneDrive
`GOOGLESHEETS_BATCH_UPDATE`	Write values to a range or append new rows
`GOOGLESHEETS_UPSERT_ROWS`	Update existing rows by key or append new ones
`GOOGLESHEETS_FORMAT_CELL`	Apply text/background formatting to cell ranges
`GOOGLESHEETS_ADD_SHEET`	Add a new worksheet tab to a spreadsheet
`GOOGLESHEETS_CREATE_GOOGLE_SHEET1`	Create a new Google Spreadsheet in Drive
`GOOGLESHEETS_GET_SHEET_NAMES`	List all worksheet names in a spreadsheet
`GOOGLESHEETS_GET_SPREADSHEET_INFO`	Retrieve spreadsheet metadata
`GOOGLESHEETS_FIND_WORKSHEET_BY_TITLE`	Check if a worksheet exists by title
`GOOGLESHEETS_BATCH_GET`	Read data from specified cell ranges

Excel Automation

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