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Spreadsheet Formula Explainer

Paste a scary spreadsheet formula and get it explained step by step.

Beginner6h1 person16/20 fit
TL;DR

Build Spreadsheet Formula Explainer for office workers and students in ~6h with 1 person. Stack: LLM + Next.js.

Why it wins: A tiny build that helps millions of spreadsheet users.

Build flow

01 · Problem
Inherited spreadsheets contain formulas nobody understands or dares to change.
02 · Solution
Parse the formula into a tree, explain each function in order and let an LLM suggest a simpler equivalent.
03 · Build
  1. 1Tokenise the formula
  2. 2Render a tree
  3. 3Explain each node
  4. 4Suggest a rewrite
04 · Demo
Paste a nested formula and show the step-by-step tree.

MVP checklist

  • Formula tree
  • Step explanations
  • Simpler rewrite
  • Write formula from words

Tech stack

TechRole
LLMLanguage model
Next.jsFrontend + API routes

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