Excel X-Ray 🩻

Understand and de-risk any Excel workbook in seconds. Point X-Ray at a .xlsx and it produces a beautiful HTML report that finds the hidden problems spreadsheets are famous for — with a Health Score and a ranked list of issues.

Studies have found the vast majority of business spreadsheets contain errors, and spreadsheet mistakes have caused real, headline-making losses. Most of those bugs are invisible until it's too late. X-Ray shines a light on them.

Think of it as a spell-checker — or an X-ray — for your spreadsheets.

🌐 Prefer no install? Use the free in-browser version — drop a workbook and get an instant report, with nothing uploaded (it runs entirely on your device): Audit Any Spreadsheet for Hidden Errors on ExcelGuru.io.

What it detects

Check	Why it matters
🔴 Formula errors (#REF!, #DIV/0!, #VALUE!, #N/A, …)	Broken results hiding in cells
🟠 Inconsistent formulas	A cell that breaks its column's pattern — the #1 source of silent bugs
🟠 Broken references (#REF! in a formula)	Points at a range that no longer exists
🟡 External links	Formulas linking to other files that break when they move
🟡 Volatile functions (INDIRECT, OFFSET, NOW, RAND…)	Instability and slow, unpredictable recalcs
🔵 Hidden / very-hidden sheets	Where forgotten (and risky) logic likes to live

Everything rolls up into a Health Score (0–100) and a letter grade.

The star feature: inconsistent-formula detection

X-Ray normalizes each formula to a relative pattern (an R1C1-style fingerprint) and flags any cell that doesn't match the pattern of the column around it. That's how it catches the classic disaster — one cell in a "total" column that quietly does something different from all its neighbours.

Installation

git clone https://github.com/Synth88Labs/excel-xray.git
cd excel-xray
pip install -r requirements.txt

Requires Python 3.9+.

Usage

python xray.py <workbook.xlsx> [-o report.html]

Example

python xray.py budget.xlsx -o budget_xray.html

Console output:

Excel X-Ray — budget.xlsx
  Health Score: 76/100  (Grade B — Low-moderate risk)
  Sheets: 2   Formula cells: 11   Findings: 6
    - Volatile function: 2
    - Broken reference: 1
    - External link: 1
    - Inconsistent formula: 1
    - Hidden sheet: 1

Report saved: .../budget_xray.html

…plus a self-contained HTML report (opens offline, easy to share) with the Health Score ring, overview cards, and a severity-ranked findings table.

How it works (and its limits)

• Reads formulas and cached values via openpyxl — no Excel install needed, and your file never leaves your machine.
• Inconsistency detection is heuristic: it compares formulas within contiguous runs in each column. It's excellent at catching the common "one odd cell" bug, but it won't understand every intentional exception — treat findings as leads to review.
• Cached-error detection depends on the values Excel last saved in the file.

Roadmap

• Row-pattern (horizontal) inconsistency detection
• Dependency / precedent maps between sheets
• A drag-and-drop web version on ExcelGuru.io — audit a workbook in your browser, nothing uploaded

Running the tests

pip install pytest
python -m pytest

📚 Learn More — Free Excel Tutorials

Level up your Excel and automation skills with free, practical guides at ExcelGuru.io.

License

MIT — see LICENSE.