---
name: excel-cli-report-formatting
description: >-
  Apply optional presentation conventions when the user requests Excel report
  formatting or a new reader-facing report through excelcli. Use for readable
  headers, meaningful number formats, financial-model colours, and report layout.
  Do not load for ordinary reads, raw exports, targeted data updates, Power Query
  or Data Model work, or failure recovery without a report-formatting request.
compatibility: Windows with desktop Excel and excelcli.
---

# Report formatting with excelcli

Use the user's requested style first, the existing template second, and the
optional conventions in the [formatting guide](references/report-formatting.md)
only when neither specifies a style. Read that guide for the requested report,
not unrelated workbook work.

Discover exact actions and flags with `excelcli <command> --help`.
Preserve values, formulas, units, identifiers, existing layouts, and unrelated
sheets. Formatting is not permission to refresh data or rebuild workbook objects.
Use Table styles for Tables and the owning chart/PivotTable controls for those
objects; plain-cell formatting is not interchangeable with their style systems.

Inspect the affected formats and calculated outputs before saving the authorized
result. Financial-model colours and dashboard visuals are optional, not a
requirement for every report. Screenshots are optional and need a desktop.

General workflow and recovery documentation is available on the
[website](https://excelmcpserver.dev/reference/); it is not another required skill.