Imagine a spreadsheet that generates formulas with AI, is easily extendable with HTML & JavaScript, debuggable right in your browser, and sharable instantly with anyone, no installation required.
Welcome to Spreadsheets-are-all-you-need Notebooks. They’re what happens when a spreadsheet and a python notebook have an AI powered baby in browser land.
A self-propagating, runnable HTML fIle
A Spreadsheets-are-all-you-need Notebook is a runnable HTML file. That’s right. You can send this file to anyone, they double-click it, and it runs. No local server, no software installation, no headaches. Recipients can adjust and modify the notebook, hit the export button, and get a new version with their changes. It’s like a file format that includes its own application code.
Step-based organization
Instead formulas, a Spreadsheets-are-all-you-need Notebook processes data in JavaScript. Notebooks consist of “steps” (similar to a Jupyter cell) containing data tables and code that you can create, delete, or rearrange. When you tap “run all steps,” embedded JavaScript in each step calculates the results.
The exact “formula” you need, on demand
But you don’t write JavaScript; you simply describe what you want in natural language. The system uses AI to generate the code for you. For example, you can prompt: “Create a table from the product_orders[] that matches the format of revenue_by_product[]”. The brackets tell the system you’re referencing a table in the notebook, and it automatically passes table information like column names to the AI.
By placing prompting front and center, you can “vibe code” your notebook to use precisely the “formulas” you need for your task. No more, no less.
Zero-Dependency Sharing
Once you’ve finalized your workflow, colleagues can run it on their data without needing AI tokens or API keys. All data processing is self-contained in the notebook file itself. Simply pass in a CSV with your data, and get instant results.
Easy to extend
Because it’s just a web page, extending functionality is straightforward. Want to add interactive controls? Simply embed HTML elements. API Integration? Call any API that supports CORS or JSONP directly from your notebook.
Built-in Debugging
When was the last time you struggled with a spreadsheet issue and wished it had a debugger? Open your browser DevTools/Inspector and type console or debugger commands to debug your data processing using familiar browser dev tools without ever leaving your browser.
Give it a whirl
Visit Spreadsheets-are-all-you-need/notebooks to build your own notebook.
Have an existing spreadsheet or workflow you’d like to convert? Reach out! Join the Discord server and visit the #notebooks room or file an issue on Github. Thanks!