Sheets AI Assistant for Google Sheets

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Overview

The Sheets AI Assistant is an intelligent data management advisor and task execution engine built into Flookup Data Wrangler. It has three modes that you switch between using the Mode dropdown at the top of the sidebar:

For a practical walkthrough of both modes, see the Sheets AI Assistant guide on the blog.

The assistant is not a general chatbot. It is purpose-built for Google Sheets data operations and draws from deep knowledge of:

It can recommend a pure Flookup solution, a pure native formula approach or a hybrid workflow combining both and it explains the reasoning for its recommendations. In Execution Mode, it goes further by running those solutions directly on your sheet.


How to Open It

In Google Sheets, go to Extensions > Flookup Data Wrangler > Sheets AI Assistant .

Before opening the sidebar, select the data range you are working with. The assistant reads your active sheet name, active range and a small sample of your data to give you advice that references your actual column layout. If you do not select anything, it will still work but the suggestions will be more generic.


How to Use It

The sidebar has a Mode dropdown, a description field and a submit button. A live counter below the description field shows how many characters you have used: up to 300 in Recommendation Mode and 2,000 in Execution Mode. Start by choosing your mode:

Recommendation Mode

  1. Describe your problem. In the text field, explain what you want to accomplish. For example: "I need to find matching vendor names in column A against a master list in column D and return the category from column E."
  2. Click Get solutions. The assistant analyses your request and your spreadsheet context. It returns one or more solutions in the results area below. Each solution includes a descriptive title, the exact formula or function to use and a brief explanation. Click Copy to copy any formula to your clipboard.

If you need more detail or a variation, type a follow-up request. The assistant remembers your conversation during the session.

Execution Mode

  1. Select your data range first. Highlight the relevant cells on your sheet before describing your task. The assistant uses your active range to construct accurate A1 notation references for each step.
  2. Describe your multi-step task. For example: "Profile column A for issues, standardise names in column A, then fuzzy match against column C at 85 percent threshold."
  3. Click Run task. The assistant plans your workflow and executes each step sequentially on your sheet. A progress indicator shows each step as it completes. Success steps appear in green; failures appear in red with an error message.

Execution Mode chains all ten Data Processing Functions. You can describe any combination of profiling, standardisation, fuzzy matching, deduplication, enrichment and comparison in a single sentence.


AI Enrichment Mode

AI Enrichment adds context to a column that the built-in reference tables do not cover. You describe what you want to know and the AI writes a matching value next to each input row. It is a dedicated AI Enrichment Mode in the Sheets AI Assistant and costs a flat 10 credits per run.

How to Enrich a Column

  1. Select the AI Enrichment Mode from the Mode dropdown.
  2. Enter the column to enrich. Type the range (for example 'Sheet1'!A2:A100 ) or click Grab selected range after highlighting the column on your sheet.
  3. Describe what you want to know. For example, Industry , Stock ticker or Product category .
  4. Click Enrich column. The AI processes your column in a single batch and writes the enrichment next to your input.

Example Use Cases

Input Column Description Example Output
Company names Industry Acme Corp → Manufacturing
Company names Stock ticker Apple Inc. → AAPL
Product names Product category Ergonomic Chair → Furniture
Job titles Seniority level Senior VP of Sales → Executive

Each value is cached for 24 hours, so re-enriching the same column with the same description does not consume additional AI resources.

AI Enrichment Mode is also available as a step within Execution Mode , which can chain enrichment with profiling, standardisation and fuzzy matching in a single automated workflow. Each AI Enrichment step costs a flat 10 credits.


What the Assistant Knows

When you submit a request, the assistant automatically gathers relevant context from your spreadsheet:

This context allows the assistant to give you advice like "In your 'Orders' sheet, use Fuzzy Match Data with column D as the table range" rather than generic instructions.

The assistant also knows when to recommend a sidebar function over a formula approach. It understands that Data Processing Functions handle fuzzy matching at scale without formulas and that Schedule Functions are the right choice for recurring jobs. It will guide you toward the most appropriate tool for your task.


Session Memory

The assistant remembers your recent conversation during an active session. This means you can ask follow-up questions naturally:

The assistant keeps track of the last few exchanges to provide coherent follow-ups without you needing to re-state the original problem. The session memory is cleared when you close the sidebar or after a period of inactivity.


Data Privacy

Your data privacy is a priority:


Usage and Limits

The Sheets AI Assistant is included in the Data Nova plan. Each request you submit (or follow-up question) consumes one AI credit. AI Enrichment Mode costs a flat 10 credits per run.

Plan Monthly AI Credits
Data Nova 100,000

Credits never expire. If your credits are exhausted, you will see a notification in the sidebar. Credits are not shared with or consumed by any other Flookup feature.


The Sheets AI Assistant is included in the Data Nova plan.

100,000 AI credits included with Data Nova. Credits never expire and are not consumed by any other Flookup feature.

View pricing options


Best Practices

  1. Select your data first. Highlight the relevant table or columns before opening the assistant. This gives it access to your actual column headers and sample values.
  2. Be specific. Instead of "clean my data", try "I want to remove punctuation from column A and then fuzzy match it against column C, returning the best match from column D."
  3. Iterate. If the first suggestion is close but not quite right, tell the assistant what to adjust. It remembers your previous messages and refines its answers.
  4. Test on a sample. Always verify AI-generated formulas on a small sample of your data before applying them to your entire dataset.
  5. Close and reopen for a fresh start. If you are switching to a completely different task, close the sidebar and reopen it. This clears the session memory so the old conversation does not influence the new one.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the assistant edit my sheet directly?

In Recommendation Mode, no. The assistant provides formulas and instructions; you apply them yourself. In Execution Mode, yes. The assistant runs each cleaning step directly on your sheet and writes the results. You can cancel a running workflow at any time and partial results are preserved.

How is Recommendation Mode different from Execution Mode?

Recommendation Mode advises you by returning formula suggestions that you apply manually. Execution Mode executes multi-step cleaning pipelines directly on your sheet. Describe a workflow like "profile, standardise, then fuzzy match" and watch all steps run sequentially without further input.

What kind of questions can I ask?

Anything related to Google Sheets data operations: fuzzy matching, deduplication, text standardisation, formula construction, workflow design and data cleaning strategy. Questions outside this scope are declined with a brief message.

Can I ask about Google Apps Script?

Yes. The assistant can help draft script snippets for custom spreadsheet automation tasks.

How many follow-up questions can I ask?

The assistant remembers your last few exchanges. You can ask multiple follow-up questions in a row and it will maintain context. Each exchange consumes one credit.

What is the difference between AI Enrichment Mode and Enrich Data?

Enrich Data (in Data Processing Functions) matches against built-in reference tables for countries, US states, company suffixes and domain TLDs. No credits are consumed for those lookups. AI Enrichment Mode lives in the Sheets AI Assistant and adds any other information you describe with AI, at a flat cost of 10 credits per run.