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Let's talk about AI

Meet your Wingman

xlwings Lite has an AI assistant built in. It can write your Python, explain it, and help you fix it, all inside the editor.

Why learn it all by hand first?

Everything so far, you wrote yourself. That was on purpose. The basics are what turn AI into a helper instead of a black box.

Ask

You can ask the right thing

You know the words and what is possible, so you can tell the AI exactly what you want.

Check

You can judge the answer

You can read the Python it gives back, spot when it is wrong, and fix it.

Three jobs you can hand to AI

Two help you automate, right in the editor. The third is a formula you type in a cell.

In the editor

Debug

Something breaks? Paste the error in and it explains the fix.

In the editor

Write code

Describe a task in plain English and it writes the Python for you.

In a cell

=WINGMAN() formula

Point it at a question and some cells, get the answer back in the grid.

A few things to keep in mind

xlwings Lite has been local and free this whole time. Wingman is the one part that reaches outside, so know this before you switch it on.

Your data leaves your computer

Until now it all ran locally. With Wingman, your request goes to an online provider, so keep confidential data out.

It costs money

You pay the provider per request, usually just pennies. The bill depends on the model and how much you use it.

Your choice of model

OpenAI, Gemini, and Claude work out of the box with your own API key. Custom models too.

Your API key sits in the browser

It is saved in your browser, not encrypted. Anyone who can use your computer could read it, so treat it like a password. Learn more

AI can be wrong

Do not get frustrated if it misses what you wanted, or even throws an error. Read it over and ask again.

Your code stays yours

Only the request goes out. The Python it writes runs on your machine, and you can rerun it any time.