tracker sheets

You probably keep a tracker by hand: a workout log, a habit grid, a reading list. It has its own quirks: no header row, blank lines between days, labels that change every month, names with trailing spaces. Claude can edit Google Sheets now, but generic edits quietly break these sheets, and you notice weeks later.

This skill makes Claude learn your sheet first and then follow its rules.

Setup (once per sheet)

• Claude asks if you already have a sheet. If you do, it reads the layout, date format, item names and notation (like 80x8x3 or ||) and checks its reading with you.
• If you don't, it builds a new tracker from a template: session log, habit grid or simple table.
• It saves the rules in a _tracker_profile tab in the sheet, so any new chat on any device picks them up. It asks before adding the tab.

Logging

• Reads before writing and appends after the last entry. It never overwrites a filled cell without asking.
• Reuses your exact names, including spacing. It also matches what you say to existing names across plurals and typos.
• Asks before structural changes like a new month block or column.
• Re-reads after writing and tells you the exact range and values.

Any language Your sheet can be in any language. You can even write to Claude in one language and it matches the names already in your sheet in another.

Analysis

• Workouts: progress, personal records, volume, frequency.
• Habits: totals, averages, streaks, month vs month.
• Tables: sums and counts by category or date range.
• Numbers are computed from the sheet, with the method stated. If one item is spelled several ways, it asks whether to merge them first.

Tested on a real, years-old workout log with no header row, blank-row blocks and inconsistent spelling.

Requirements

• Claude with the Google Sheets connector enabled, with edit access.
• No server, API keys or install beyond this skill.

Limits This is guidance for Claude, not code, so Claude can still make mistakes. For sheets where errors are costly, check its report after each write.

Want more?

This skill is guidance for Claude, not code, so Claude can still make mistakes. If you need guaranteed behavior, there's sheets-mcp, my open-source MCP server that enforces the same rules in code: exact-name reuse, append-only writes, dry runs and verified writes. It's free, but you host it yourself (Google service account plus a server like Render).

What's next This is v1. If people find it useful, I'll keep updating it: more templates, better handling of unusual layouts, and later a hosted version of sheets-mcp, so you get guaranteed behavior without any setup. If something breaks on your sheet or you want a feature, leave a review or message me. I read everything.