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Agent skill

Excel Unmerge Before Write

by HKUDS in HKUDS/OpenSpace

Unmerge merged cells in openpyxl worksheets before writing values to avoid AttributeError

MITAuto-check passedDocuments & Office

Install Excel Unmerge Before Write

skills CLI
$ npx skills add HKUDS/OpenSpace --skill excel-unmerge-before-write -a claude-code

Project install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install HKUDS/OpenSpace excel-unmerge-before-write --agent claude-code

Project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

Manual copy
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/HKUDS/OpenSpace.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/benchmarks/gdpval/skills/excel-unmerge-before-write .claude/skills/excel-unmerge-before-write && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.

Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/

Facts

Skill name
excel-unmerge-before-write
GitHub stars
7.8k
Token cost
~820 tokens
SKILL.md length
222 words
Files
2
Skills in repo
199
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
MIT

At a glance

Unmerge merged cells in openpyxl worksheets before writing values to avoid AttributeError

  • Works in 4 steps: Identify merged ranges in your target… → Unmerge relevant ranges before writing… → Write your data to the now-unmerged cells → …
  • Tasks that involve Excel spreadsheets
  • SKILL.md covers When to Use, Core Pattern, Step-by-Step Instructions and Handling Multiple Worksheets, plus 3 more sections
  • Instructions only: no scripts, shell commands, URLs or credentials in SKILL.md

What it does

Excel Unmerge Before Write is an agent skill from HKUDS/OpenSpace. Unmerge merged cells in openpyxl worksheets before writing values to avoid AttributeError

Its SKILL.md is about 820 tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. The skill folder holds 1 other file.

It sits in Documents & Office, covering Excel spreadsheets and Educational content. It works with Microsoft Excel and openpyxl. The repository describes itself as: "OpenSpace: The Skill Management Layer for AI Agents" -- https://open-space.cloud/. The licence is MIT.

When your agent uses it

  • Tasks that involve Excel spreadsheets
  • Tasks that involve Educational content

Example prompts

  • “/excel-unmerge-before-write”

Requirements

  • Python 3

Workflow steps

4 steps, taken from the first numbered list in SKILL.md.

  1. Identify merged ranges in your target worksheet
  2. Unmerge relevant ranges before writing any data to those areas
  3. Write your data to the now-unmerged cells
  4. Save the workbook

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 3827781. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

  • Tool permissions

    Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.

    From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.

  • Runs code

    No scripts in the folder and no shell commands in SKILL.md (its code samples are python).

    From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.

  • Network

    No URLs in SKILL.md.

    From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.

  • Credentials

    Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.

    From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.

Context cost

Excel Unmerge Before Write loads about 820 tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 29 tokens; SKILL.md has 222 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~29
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~820

Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.

Safety

Auto-check passed

The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.

Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.

SKILL.md

The full file from HKUDS/OpenSpace at commit 3827781, republished under its MIT licence (© HKUDS). 222 words, ~820 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/excel-unmerge-before-write/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder). This skill also uses 1 other file; get the full folder from GitHub.
name
excel-unmerge-before-write
description
Unmerge merged cells in openpyxl worksheets before writing values to avoid AttributeError

Excel Unmerge Before Write

When automating Excel file population with openpyxl, merged cells in templates can cause write failures. This skill provides the pattern to safely handle merged ranges before populating data.

When to Use

  • Working with Excel templates that have pre-existing merged cells
  • Getting AttributeError when trying to write values to certain cells
  • Needing to populate data in areas that may contain merged ranges

Core Pattern

Before writing values to cells in a worksheet, identify and unmerge any overlapping ranges:

python
from openpyxl import load_workbook

# Load the workbook
wb = load_workbook('template.xlsx')
ws = wb.active

# Unmerge specific ranges before writing
ws.unmerge_cells('A46:C46')
ws.unmerge_cells('E46:F46')
ws.unmerge_cells('I46:K46')

# Now safely write values
ws['A46'] = 'Value 1'
ws['E46'] = 'Value 2'
ws['I46'] = 'Value 3'

wb.save('output.xlsx')

Step-by-Step Instructions

  1. Identify merged ranges in your target worksheet:

    python
    print(ws.merged_cells.ranges)

  2. Unmerge relevant ranges before writing any data to those areas:

    python
    for merged_range in ws.merged_cells.ranges:
    # Optionally filter by area if you only need specific ranges
    ws.unmerge_cells(str(merged_range))

  3. Write your data to the now-unmerged cells:

    python
    ws.cell(row=46, column=1, value='Your data')

  4. Save the workbook:

    python
    wb.save('output.xlsx')

Handling Multiple Worksheets

If your workbook has multiple sheets with merged cells:

python
for sheet_name in wb.sheetnames:
    ws = wb[sheet_name]
    for merged_range in list(ws.merged_cells.ranges):
        ws.unmerge_cells(str(merged_range))

Common Errors

ErrorCauseSolution
AttributeError on cell writeWriting to merged cellCall unmerge_cells() first
KeyError on rangeInvalid range stringUse exact range format like 'A1:B2'
Data overwrites neighborsUnmerged too broadlyUnmerge only needed ranges

Best Practices

  • Unmerge early: Call unmerge_cells() immediately after loading the worksheet, before any write operations
  • List before unmerging: Capture ws.merged_cells.ranges before unmerging if you need to know what was merged
  • Preserve formatting: If merge was for visual formatting, consider re-applying merges after data population if needed
  • Test ranges: Verify unmerged ranges don't break template layout expectations

Complete Example

python
from openpyxl import load_workbook

def populate_excel_template(template_path, output_path, data_dict):
    """Populate an Excel template, handling merged cells safely."""
    wb = load_workbook(template_path)
    ws = wb.active
    
    # Unmerge all cells that might conflict with data writes
    for merged_range in list(ws.merged_cells.ranges):
        ws.unmerge_cells(str(merged_range))
    
    # Populate data
    for cell_ref, value in data_dict.items():
        ws[cell_ref] = value
    
    wb.save(output_path)
    return output_path

© HKUDS, MIT. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file

Files

SKILL.md and 1 other file in benchmarks/gdpval/skills/excel-unmerge-before-write of HKUDS/OpenSpace.

  • SKILL.md
  • .skill_id

Open the folder on GitHubat commit 3827781

Compare with similar skills

Excel Unmerge Before Write next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.

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XLSXprapaa-ai/agav168—~486Automated safety check: PassApache-2.0
XLSXjjyaoao/HelloAgents3.2k—~5kAutomated safety check: PassProprietary

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Works with

Categories

Questions about Excel Unmerge Before Write

What does Excel Unmerge Before Write do?

Unmerge merged cells in openpyxl worksheets before writing values to avoid AttributeError. Excel Unmerge Before Write is an agent skill from HKUDS/OpenSpace.

When should I use Excel Unmerge Before Write?

Excel Unmerge Before Write fits situations like: tasks that involve Excel spreadsheets; tasks that involve Educational content.

How do I install Excel Unmerge Before Write in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add HKUDS/OpenSpace --skill excel-unmerge-before-write -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (benchmarks/gdpval/skills/excel-unmerge-before-write in HKUDS/OpenSpace) into .claude/skills/excel-unmerge-before-write in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Excel Unmerge Before Write in Codex?

Run `npx skills add HKUDS/OpenSpace --skill excel-unmerge-before-write -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (benchmarks/gdpval/skills/excel-unmerge-before-write in HKUDS/OpenSpace) into .agents/skills/excel-unmerge-before-write in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Excel Unmerge Before Write in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?

Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add HKUDS/OpenSpace --skill excel-unmerge-before-write -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/excel-unmerge-before-write, .gemini/skills/excel-unmerge-before-write, .github/skills/excel-unmerge-before-write and .opencode/skills/excel-unmerge-before-write in your project.

What does Excel Unmerge Before Write need to run?

SKILL.md names no scripts, command-line tools or credentials: Excel Unmerge Before Write is instructions for the agent only. Our summary lists: Python 3.

Does Excel Unmerge Before Write access the network?

SKILL.md contains no URLs. Any network use would come from the scripts or tools the agent runs. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is Excel Unmerge Before Write safe to install?

Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.

What licence does Excel Unmerge Before Write use?

Excel Unmerge Before Write is published under the MIT licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.

How many tokens does Excel Unmerge Before Write use?

About 820 tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 3.3k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full.

What are the alternatives to Excel Unmerge Before Write?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Excel Unmerge Before Write: XLSX (NousResearch/hermes-agent, 252k stars), Z Md Excel (tjxj/z-skills, 548 stars), Sn Da Large File Analysis (MichaelYang-lyx/AIDABench, 111 stars) and XLSX (prapaa-ai/agav, 168 stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Excel Unmerge Before Write?

HKUDS (a GitHub organization) maintains it in HKUDS/OpenSpace, which has 7,754 GitHub stars. The repository holds 199 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on August 12, 2026.

Source: HKUDS/OpenSpace on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.