Vexcel

Excel-style keyboard shortcuts for Google Sheets on macOS.
Built for people who live in spreadsheets and do not want Chrome or Sheets fighting their hands.

What Vexcel Does

Vexcel is a Manifest V3 Chrome extension that remaps Google Sheets around fast Excel-like workflows. It intercepts keystrokes before Sheets or Chrome can steal them, drives the Sheets UI when needed, and adds a lightweight accelerator system for power users who want ribbon-style access without touching the mouse.

The repo is especially focused on:

• fast fill behavior for Cmd+D and Cmd+R
• browser-conflicting shortcut overrides that are actually usable
• finance-friendly format and color cycles
• an Option-triggered accelerator overlay for high-speed actions
• lightweight local debug/perf tooling for hardening flaky Sheets behavior

Highlights

• Cmd+D fill down, including Excel-style single-cell behavior from the cell above
• Cmd+R fill right, including Excel-style single-cell behavior from the cell to the left
• Ctrl+Option+F format cycle for common spreadsheet formats
• Ctrl+Option+C font color cycle
• Ctrl+Option+A auto-color selection for hardcodes, formulas, and cross-sheet formulas
• Option accelerator overlay for menu-like command access
• popup controls for enable/disable, debug mode, and opt-in browser overrides

Install

1. Clone or download this repo.
2. Open chrome://extensions.
3. Turn on Developer mode.
4. Click Load unpacked.
5. Select this folder: Vexcel.
6. Open Google Sheets and start using the shortcuts.

Direct Codex <> Google Sheets Workflow

This repo now includes a direct Google Sheets bridge so Codex can edit live Sheets ranges without exporting .xlsx files back and forth.

Use it for workflows like:

• read formulas from a live Google Sheet into Codex
• update a model range in place with USER_ENTERED formulas
• append raw data rows directly to a sheet
• clear or rewrite scratch tabs without download/upload loops

Core files:

• ./scripts/gsheets
• ./scripts/gsheets_cli.py
• ./scripts/requirements-gsheets.txt
• ./about/codex-google-sheets.md

Typical setup:

1. Install the Python dependencies in a repo venv.
2. Configure either a service account or an OAuth desktop client.
3. Run ./scripts/gsheets auth once if you are using OAuth.
4. Add friendly spreadsheet aliases in vexcel-sheets.json.

Then Codex can work directly against a live spreadsheet instead of round-tripping through local files.

There is also a popup-driven sync flow for workbook iteration:

1. generate or update an .xlsx locally
2. copy its path to the clipboard with ./scripts/copy-path ...
3. start ./scripts/gsheets-sync-server
4. open the destination tab in Google Sheets
5. press Sync Active Sheet From Clipboard in the Vexcel popup

That replaces the active Google Sheets tab with the workbook sheet data without making you manually export, upload, and re-import every iteration.

Recommended Workflows

Fill Faster

• Select a range and press Cmd+D to fill downward from the top row.
• Select a range and press Cmd+R to fill rightward from the leftmost column.
• Select a single cell and press:
  • Cmd+D to pull from the cell above
  • Cmd+R to pull from the cell on the left

Stay in the Grid

• Tap Option to open the accelerator overlay.
• Use shortcut overrides for actions Chrome normally steals.
• Use format and color cycles for fast model cleanup without hunting through menus.

Debug Hard Cases

• Turn on Debug Mode in the popup to see rolling command timings.
• Use the built-in perf summaries to spot slow Sheets flows quickly.

Project Map

• about/README.md: package overview
• about/architecture.md: runtime and execution model
• about/shortcuts.md: shortcut inventory
• about/file-map.md: folder-by-folder guide
• about/codex-google-sheets.md: direct Codex-to-Sheets bridge

Tech Notes

• Chrome Extension Manifest V3
• Injected into Google Sheets at document_start
• Works across top-frame UI plus iframe-based grid editing
• Uses a mix of direct DOM control, tool-finder automation, toolbar actions, and targeted fallbacks where Sheets is inconsistent

Status

Vexcel is actively tuned for real spreadsheet use, especially finance-heavy workflows where latency and shortcut fidelity matter. The codebase is optimized for day-to-day use in Google Sheets on Mac, and the sharp edges are mostly around whatever DOM changes Google ships next.