
sheets-terminal-spreadsheet
Terminal-based spreadsheet TUI tool written in Go for editing CSV files in the terminal with vim-like keybindings
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Install
Works with every agent the skills CLI supports.
npx skills add https://github.com/reason-machines/trending-skills --skill sheets-terminal-spreadsheet- 01
Install
Run the command in your project. The CLI asks which agents to install for.
- 02
Describe the task
Ask your agent for something this skill covers. It loads sheets-terminal-spreadsheet automatically when relevant.
- 03
Review the result
The agent follows the SKILL.md steps, scripts and references bundled with the skill.
SKILL.md
The instructions your agent reads when the skill is triggered.
Sheets Terminal Spreadsheet
Skill by ara.so — Daily 2026 Skills collection.
Sheets is a terminal-based spreadsheet TUI (Terminal User Interface) for viewing and editing CSV files directly in your terminal. It features vim-style navigation, formula support, visual selection, search, undo/redo, and a command mode — all without leaving the terminal.
Installation
Using Go
go install github.com/maaslalani/sheets@main
Download Binary
Download a prebuilt binary from GitHub Releases.
Verify Installation
sheets --help
CLI Usage
Launch the TUI
sheets budget.csv
Read from stdin
sheets <<< "ID,Name,Age
1,Alice,24
2,Bob,32
3,Charlie,26"
Or pipe from another command:
cat data.csv | sheets
Read a Specific Cell
sheets budget.csv B9
# Output: 2760
Read a Cell Range
sheets budget.csv B1:B3
# Output:
# 1200
# 950
# 810
Modify Cells (Non-Interactive)
# Set one cell
sheets budget.csv B7=10
# Set multiple cells
sheets budget.csv B7=10 B8=20
Navigation Keybindings
Basic Movement
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
h, j, k, l | Move left, down, up, right |
gg | Jump to top |
G | Jump to bottom |
5G | Jump to row 5 |
gB9 | Jump to cell B9 |
0 | Jump to first column |
^ | Jump to first non-empty column in row |
$ | Jump to last non-empty column in row |
H / M / L | Jump to top / middle / bottom visible row |
ctrl+u / ctrl+d | Move half page up / down |
View Alignment
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
zt | Align current row to top of window |
zz | Align current row to middle of window |
zb | Align current row to bottom of window |
Search
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
/ | Search forward |
? | Search backward |
n | Repeat last search (forward) |
N | Repeat last search (backward) |
Marks & Jump List
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
ma | Set mark a at current cell |
'a | Jump to mark a |
ctrl+o | Move backward through jump list |
ctrl+i | Move forward through jump list |
Editing Keybindings
Insert Mode
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
i | Edit current cell |
I | Edit from start of cell |
c | Clear cell and start editing |
ESC | Leave insert / visual / command mode |
enter | Commit and move down |
tab | Commit and move right |
shift+tab | Commit and move left |
ctrl+n | Commit and move down |
ctrl+p | Commit and move up |
Row Operations
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
o | Insert row below and start editing |
O | Insert row above and start editing |
dd | Delete current row |
Copy / Cut / Paste
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
y | Yank (copy) current cell |
yy | Yank current row(s) |
x | Cut current cell or selection |
p | Paste current register |
Undo / Redo
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
u | Undo |
ctrl+r | Redo |
U | Undo all changes |
. | Repeat last change |
Visual Mode
Enter visual mode with v (cell selection) or V (row selection).
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
v | Start visual cell selection |
V | Start visual row selection |
= | Insert formula after selected range (e.g., =|(B1:B8)) |
Command Mode
Press : to open the command prompt.
| Command | Action |
|---|---|
:w | Save file |
:w path.csv | Save to a new file |
:e path.csv | Open another CSV file |
:q | Quit |
:wq | Save and quit |
:goto B9 | Jump to cell B9 |
:B9 | Jump to cell B9 (shorthand) |
Common Patterns
Create a New CSV and Edit It
# Create a CSV with headers
echo "Name,Amount,Category" > budget.csv
sheets budget.csv
Pipe CSV Data and Edit
# Generate CSV from a database query and edit in sheets
psql -c "COPY (SELECT * FROM sales) TO STDOUT WITH CSV HEADER" | sheets
Script: Update a Cell Programmatically
#!/bin/bash
# Update Q4 value in financial report
sheets report.csv D4=95000 D5=102000 D6=88000
echo "Updated Q4 values in report.csv"
Script: Extract a Range for Processing
#!/bin/bash
# Extract column B rows 1-10 and sum them in bash
values=$(sheets data.csv B1:B10)
total=0
while IFS= read -r line; do
total=$((total + line))
done <<< "$values"
echo "Total: $total"
Script: Read a Specific Cell in a Shell Script
#!/bin/bash
# Get current budget total from spreadsheet
budget_total=$(sheets budget.csv C15)
if [ "$budget_total" -gt 10000 ]; then
echo "Budget exceeded!"
fi
Go Integration Example
If building a Go application that generates CSV for use with sheets:
package main
import (
"encoding/csv"
"fmt"
"os"
"os/exec"
)
func createAndOpenSpreadsheet(data [][]string, filename string) error {
// Write CSV data
f, err := os.Create(filename)
if err != nil {
return fmt.Errorf("creating file: %w", err)
}
defer f.Close()
w := csv.NewWriter(f)
if err := w.WriteAll(data); err != nil {
return fmt.Errorf("writing CSV: %w", err)
}
w.Flush()
// Open in sheets TUI
cmd := exec.Command("sheets", filename)
cmd.Stdin = os.Stdin
cmd.Stdout = os.Stdout
cmd.Stderr = os.Stderr
return cmd.Run()
}
func main() {
data := [][]string{
{"Month", "Revenue", "Expenses", "Profit"},
{"January", "12000", "8500", "3500"},
{"February", "13500", "9200", "4300"},
{"March", "11800", "8900", "2900"},
}
if err := createAndOpenSpreadsheet(data, "monthly_report.csv"); err != nil {
fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "Error: %v\n", err)
os.Exit(1)
}
}
Go: Read a Cell Non-Interactively
package main
import (
"fmt"
"os/exec"
"strings"
)
func readCell(csvFile, cell string) (string, error) {
out, err := exec.Command("sheets", csvFile, cell).Output()
if err != nil {
return "", fmt.Errorf("reading cell %s: %w", cell, err)
}
return strings.TrimSpace(string(out)), nil
}
func readRange(csvFile, cellRange string) ([]string, error) {
out, err := exec.Command("sheets", csvFile, cellRange).Output()
if err != nil {
return nil, fmt.Errorf("reading range %s: %w", cellRange, err)
}
lines := strings.Split(strings.TrimSpace(string(out)), "\n")
return lines, nil
}
func main() {
total, err := readCell("budget.csv", "B9")
if err != nil {
fmt.Println("Error:", err)
return
}
fmt.Println("Budget total:", total)
values, err := readRange("budget.csv", "B1:B6")
if err != nil {
fmt.Println("Error:", err)
return
}
fmt.Println("Monthly values:", values)
}
Tips for AI Agents
Suggesting Sheets for CSV Tasks
When a user wants to view or edit CSV files in the terminal, suggest sheets:
# Instead of cat data.csv
sheets data.csv
# Instead of awk/sed edits for simple changes
sheets data.csv B3=new_value
Formula Insertion Workflow
- Navigate to the column where you want the formula
- Enter visual mode with
v - Select the range (e.g., B1:B8)
- Press
=to insert formula after the selection:=|(B1:B8)
Efficient Navigation (Vim Users)
Sheets uses vim-style navigation — users familiar with vim can be productive immediately:
gg/Gfor top/bottomhjklfor movementi/cfor insert modesddto delete rowsu/ctrl+rfor undo/redo/for search
Troubleshooting
sheets command not found
# Ensure Go bin directory is in PATH
export PATH=$PATH:$(go env GOPATH)/bin
# Or install again and verify
go install github.com/maaslalani/sheets@main
which sheets
File Not Saved After Editing
Use :w in command mode to save, or :wq to save and quit. Just pressing q or ctrl+c quits without saving.
TUI Rendering Issues
Sheets relies on terminal capabilities. If the display looks broken:
- Ensure your terminal supports 256 colors or truecolor
- Try a different terminal emulator (iTerm2, Alacritty, Ghostty, WezTerm)
- Check
TERMenvironment variable:echo $TERM
Reading Non-CSV Files
Sheets is designed for CSV format. Convert other formats first:
# Excel to CSV (using Python)
python3 -c "import pandas as pd; pd.read_excel('data.xlsx').to_csv('data.csv', index=False)"
sheets data.csv
Large Files Performance
For very large CSV files, navigate directly to specific cells rather than scrolling:
:goto A1000
or press 5G to jump to row 5 directly.
FAQ
What does the sheets-terminal-spreadsheet skill do?
Terminal-based spreadsheet TUI tool written in Go for editing CSV files in the terminal with vim-like keybindings
How do I install sheets-terminal-spreadsheet?
Run npx skills add https://github.com/reason-machines/trending-skills --skill sheets-terminal-spreadsheet in your project. The skills CLI detects the agents you use and copies the skill into the right folder. For Claude Code you can also place the skill folder at ~/.claude/skills/sheets-terminal-spreadsheet/ (personal) or .claude/skills/sheets-terminal-spreadsheet/ (project).
Which AI agents can use sheets-terminal-spreadsheet?
Any agent that supports the open Agent Skills format (a folder with a SKILL.md file), including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Windsurf, Cline, OpenCode and more.
Is sheets-terminal-spreadsheet safe to install?
No partner security audit is available yet. Skills can run commands and scripts, so read the SKILL.md and any bundled files before installing.
Who maintains sheets-terminal-spreadsheet?
It is published by reason-machines in reason-machines/trending-skills. It has 727 recorded installs.
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