Sheets AI Assistant for Google Sheets

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:

• Recommendation Mode: Describe your spreadsheet problem in plain language and the assistant returns structured solutions. Each suggestion includes a clear title, the precise formula or function to use and a context-aware explanation.
• Execution Mode: Describe a multi-step data cleaning task in plain language and the assistant plans and runs each step on your sheet automatically. It chains profiling, standardisation, fuzzy matching, deduplication, enrichment and more from a single description.
• AI Enrichment Mode: Add AI-generated context to a column - industry, stock tickers, product categories, seniority levels - at a flat cost of 10 credits per run.

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:

• All Flookup Data Processing Functions and their parameters
• All Flookup Schedule Functions and their scheduling options
• Native Google Sheets formulas and functions
• Best practices for data cleaning, matching and deduplication workflows

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

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:

• Your active sheet name and the active range you have selected
• A sample of your data from the selected range so it can reference your actual values and column layout
• All sheet names in your workbook and any named ranges you have defined

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:

• "Can you make that case-insensitive?"
• "What if I need to return two columns instead of one?"
• "Would a scheduled function work better for this?"

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:

• Minimal data sharing: Only column headers and a small sample of rows are sent to the AI service. Your full dataset never leaves your spreadsheet.
• No model training: Your data is used solely to generate your requested solutions. It is not stored or used to train or improve AI models.
• Purpose-limited: The assistant only processes requests related to Google Sheets data operations. Requests unrelated to data cleaning, formula construction or spreadsheet management are declined.

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.

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.

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