Skip to content
Get packs

Guide · Agent skill

How to use the Financial Model Builder agent skill (officecli)

Updated · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data

The officecli-financial-model skill is an add-on for AI agents that builds financial models in Excel, such as 3-statement projections, DCF valuations, LBO models, SaaS unit economics and sensitivity or scenario analysis. It is aimed at founders and analysts preparing projections, finance students learning how these models are structured, and teams that want a formula-driven .xlsx instead of hardcoded numbers. After this guide you will know what the skill does, how to install it, how to phrase requests so it triggers, and what to check in the output.

Financial Model BuilderiOfficeAI/OfficeCLI · Apache-2.0

Quick start

  1. 1Install officecli. Run the curl script on macOS or Linux, or the PowerShell script on Windows, then check with officecli --version.
  2. 2Get the skill files. Download the skill ZIP from this page and unzip it so SKILL.md sits inside a folder under the skills directory.
  3. 3Install the xlsx base skill. Make sure officecli-xlsx is also present, since this skill requires it to be read first.
  4. 4Place the skill. Unzip into ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use, into a project's .claude/skills/ folder, or upload it under Settings → Capabilities → Skills in the Claude apps.
  5. 5Make a request. Ask for a specific model in Excel using finance terms, such as a DCF with WACC and terminal value, and state that you want a formula-driven .xlsx.
  6. 6Review the workbook. Ask the agent to confirm the zone layout, that balance sheets balance and that assumptions are in labeled cells, then check the numbers yourself.

What the skill makes the agent do

An agent skill is a folder of instructions that an AI agent reads when a task matches the skill's description. This skill covers financial models in Excel. Its output is a single formula-driven .xlsx file.

The skill separates the workbook into three zones: Inputs (assumptions), Calc (statements and derivations) and Outputs (summaries, sensitivity grids and returns). Assumptions are kept in labeled cells rather than buried inside formulas, and the agent is expected to check that balance sheets balance and that valuations trace back to their drivers.

The skill builds on the officecli-xlsx base skill. It inherits that skill's spreadsheet rules, such as the colour code, number formats and delivery checks, and adds model-specific recipes for 3-statement, DCF and LBO models, sensitivity tables and scenario switches.

  • Three-zone layout: Inputs, Calc and Outputs, with tab colours assigned to each.
  • Blue font for hardcoded inputs, black for same-sheet formulas, green for cross-sheet formulas.
  • Named ranges for assumptions used three or more times, such as WACC, TaxRate or TerminalGrowth.
  • Sensitivity grids and Base/Upside/Downside scenario switches built as manual grids.

Install the officecli command-line tool

The skill needs the officecli command-line tool. On macOS or Linux, install it with the curl command below. On Windows, use the PowerShell command. The skill's source also allows downloading a binary from the project's GitHub releases page if the script fails.

After installing, check that it works. If the command is not found, open a new terminal so the PATH setting is refreshed.

  • macOS / Linux: install with the curl script from d.officecli.ai
  • Windows (PowerShell): install with the irm script from d.officecli.ai
  • Fallback: download a binary from the iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI GitHub releases page
officecli --version

Install the skill files

Download the skill ZIP from this page and unzip it. The skill is a folder containing SKILL.md. Put that folder in one of two places: ~/.claude/skills/ for your user account, or the .claude/skills/ folder inside a specific project if you want the skill only there.

Alternatively, if you use the Claude apps, open Settings, go to Capabilities, then Skills, and upload the skill there.

Also install the officecli-xlsx base skill. This skill says the base skill must be present and read first.

  • Personal install: unzip into ~/.claude/skills/
  • Project install: unzip into .claude/skills/ inside the project folder
  • Claude apps: Settings → Capabilities → Skills → upload

Trigger the skill with natural requests

The agent loads the skill when your request matches its description. You do not need to name the skill. Use plain finance terms in your request, and mention Excel and the output you want.

The description lists trigger terms including 3-statement model, DCF, WACC, NPV, terminal value, LBO, debt schedule, cash sweep, MOIC, IRR / XIRR, sensitivity table, scenario analysis, ARR model, unit economics, CAC / LTV and cap table forecast. Requests that include these terms and ask for an Excel file are the best fit.

The skill says not to use it for a simple budget tracker, a CSV dump or an operational KPI sheet. Those go to the officecli-xlsx base skill.

  • "Build a 3-statement model in Excel for a seed-stage SaaS company, with P&L, balance sheet and cash flow linked."
  • "Create a DCF valuation in an .xlsx with WACC, terminal value and a sensitivity table on WACC and terminal growth."
  • "Make an LBO model with a debt schedule and a cash sweep, and show MOIC and IRR."
  • "Build a unit economics sheet with CAC, LTV and an ARR roll-forward."
  • Not a fit: "Make me a simple monthly budget tracker."

Check the output before you rely on it

The skill builds in a specific order: Assumptions first, then Calc, then Outputs. It runs audits that reject calc sheets containing typed-in numbers and checks that statements balance each period. Ask the agent to report these checks and to name each sheet it created.

If you want to inspect the CLI yourself, the skill points to its help system. When a command or property is uncertain, help is authoritative for your installed version.

  • Calc sheets should contain no hardcoded numbers; all inputs should sit on the Assumptions sheet.
  • Balance sheets should balance in every period, and cash on the cash flow statement should match the balance sheet.
  • Valuation outputs should show cached results so they display correctly in viewers that do not recalculate.
  • Excel Data Tables are not reliably supported, so sensitivity grids are built as manual grids.
officecli help xlsx [element] [--json]

What people use it for

  • A founder builds a 3-statement projection with P&L, balance sheet and cash flow linked for a fundraising deck.
  • A finance student builds a DCF with WACC, terminal value and a two-way sensitivity grid to learn how the pieces connect.
  • An analyst sets up an LBO with a debt schedule, cash sweep, MOIC and IRR, using a Base/Upside/Downside scenario switch.
  • A SaaS team models ARR roll-forward and CAC / LTV unit economics in one workbook with named assumptions.

Frequently asked questions

How do I install the financial model agent skill?

Download the skill ZIP from this page and unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/ for your user account, or into a project's .claude/skills/ folder. In the Claude apps you can instead upload it under Settings → Capabilities → Skills. You also need the officecli command-line tool and the officecli-xlsx base skill.

What does this skill require?

It requires the officecli command-line tool, installed by curl or PowerShell script from d.officecli.ai or downloaded from GitHub releases. It also requires the officecli-xlsx base skill, which must be present and read first. You need an Excel-compatible spreadsheet viewer to open the resulting .xlsx file.

Does this skill run scripts and use the network?

Yes. The source says it runs scripts and uses the network, mainly for installing officecli from d.officecli.ai or GitHub releases. Review the install commands before running them, and check the skill files you install.

Is the financial model skill free to use?

The source lists the skill under the Apache-2.0 licence. This page does not cover pricing for any related service, so check the licence text in the repository for terms.

What is the difference between this skill and the officecli-xlsx skill?

The xlsx skill covers basic spreadsheet work such as budget trackers, CSV reports and operational KPI sheets. This skill adds model-specific rules for 3-statement, DCF and LBO models, sensitivity tables and scenario switches, and it depends on the xlsx skill's rules.

Should I use this for real investment or accounting decisions?

Not without review by a qualified professional. The source says model outputs depend entirely on the assumptions you enter, so the workbook is a tool for structuring and checking projections, not a decision on its own.

New agent skills, repos and AI tools — every week

The best new skills and open-source projects, the fastest-growing repos, and one free prompt. Five minutes to read. Unsubscribe anytime.

Our verdict

Use this skill if you need a formula-driven Excel model for a fundraising projection, a 3-statement build, a DCF or an LBO, and you want the agent to keep assumptions separate and check the balance sheet. Pick a simpler spreadsheet skill, or build by hand, if you only need a budget tracker, a CSV report or an operational KPI sheet. Any model used for high-stakes decisions should be reviewed by a qualified professional.

Download the skill