Investigate Excel TABLE() array formula support via Office.js API
Takeaway: I went in assuming there might be some Office.js trick to trigger TABLE(), but the honest answer was no — it's genuinely UI-only.
Stack · 16 sessions
office.js sessions with coding agents
16 sessions on office.js with a coding agent: the agent failed at least once in 5, and 9 finished without a human stepping in.
Design VBA execution support for Excel add-in agent
Takeaway: Next time I'd open with the real requirement up front: 'agent writes and runs arbitrary VBA like it does Python' instead of letting the conversation drift into macro-allowlist framing first.
Draft HN reply explaining Office.js add-in vs VM/Wine
Takeaway: I'd start by pointing the agent straight at the README and install docs since that's where the real architecture explanation lives, rather than letting it grep around first.
Investigate Excel taskpane auto-resize and manifest format tradeoffs
Takeaway: I'd start by asking directly whether Office even supports dynamic taskpane resizing before digging into the code, since that's a platform limitation no amount of code archaeology would fix.
Map the Excel add-in's UX flow
Takeaway: I'd start by pointing the agent straight at the taskpane entrypoint and init files instead of letting it wander the whole src tree first — it got there anyway but took a lot of exploration turns.
Replace window.confirm with overlay dialogs in Excel add-in
Takeaway: Next time I'd front-load the exact list of window.confirm call sites in the first prompt so the agent doesn't have to rediscover them twice across two PRs.
Rewrite Pi for Excel landing page and audit add-in UI/UX
Takeaway: Next time I'd front-load the positioning (who this is for, what makes it different from a generic AI chatbot) before asking the agent to build anything, since the whole first landing page draft got mostly replaced once I explained the 'coding agent, but native to Excel' angle.
Improve Excel sidebar UI/UX discoverability and file upload
Takeaway: Next time I'd open by asking for a concrete UX audit with a prioritized list before jumping into changes, since the iterative 'please do' loop worked but cost a lot of exploration turns per round.
Fix Excel add-in '+' tab and /new command hanging on init
Takeaway: Next time I'd start by telling it to actually load the running page with agent-browser instead of trusting typecheck/build passing as proof the UI worked — that's what actually surfaced the real state and let it self-verify.
Expose built-in assistant docs in Files workspace (Excel add-in)
Takeaway: Next time I'd open with the constraint I ended up stating later: reuse the existing Files UI/tool, no separate assistant-only flow — that would've saved a full exploration-and-pitch round trip.
Rename 'Recovery Checkpoints' to 'Backups' across Excel add-in
Takeaway: Next time I'd tell the agent up front to check I'm on the right branch before it commits, since the push-to-main step turned into an unplanned rebase/cherry-pick conflict resolution.
Persist and restore Excel sidebar session tabs across reload
Takeaway: Next time I'd ask upfront for the fix to include a manual verification step (actually reload and check tabs) before calling it done, since the first commit passed all checks but never actually wired the restore into the boot path.
Add Content-Security-Policy header to Excel taskpane add-in
Takeaway: I'd start next time by asking directly for a fetch()/network audit of tools and extensions before discussing CSP in the abstract - that grep for zero outbound fetch calls was what actually let me lock down connect-src confidently instead of guessing.
Log refactor follow-up items as GitHub issues (Pi for Excel)
Takeaway: Next time I'd give the agent my full list of ideas up front, including the file-storage and multi-workbook points I only added later, so it doesn't have to file issues in two separate batches.
Plan non-technical install & scope view_settings tool for Excel add-in
Takeaway: Next time I'd open with both threads at once — the distribution manifest question and the view tool scope — since neither ended in code changes, just investigation and a filed issue.
Rebuild Excel add-in sidebar UI with custom Lit components (Pi for Excel)
Takeaway: Next time I'd ask upfront for a screenshot-driven audit at the actual sidebar width before any rebuild, since the real bug (an unlayered CSS reset clobbering Tailwind's @layer utilities) was hiding under a much bigger 'replace the whole layout shell' rewrite.