Live Python-in-Excel systems - built with xlwings Lite
Published: May 9, 2025
AI, Scraping, APIs, EDA, DB, Charts, PDFs, Automations
xlwings Lite turns Excel into a live Python app - from simple automations to complex API based workflows. Just a lightweight add-in, no Python install needed. Built-in code editor, console, environment variables, and deep Excel integration. Built by Felix Zumstein - creator of original xlwings.
Here's a quick roundup of apps I've built with xlwings Lite across a range of use cases. Links include files, code, and setup docs. These are live working apps - while the examples shown are around representative use cases, the architecture supports complex, production-grade workflows. Adapt as needed for your own use cases.
1. AI Web Scraper - Input URLs, define columns, set rules. API calls behind the scenes: Jina AI pulls pages, Gemini extracts structured data. Output goes straight into Excel tables. tigzig.com/web-scraper
2. AI Technical Analyst - Pulls Yahoo Finance data, builds charts and indicators, then sends to Gemini Vision for analysis. Output: clean PDF and web reports. Useful base for API based workflows, FastAPI backends, AI analysis and formatted reports. tigzig.com/technical-analysis-report
3. AI Schema Detection and Automation - Handles data with varying columns and types. Uses Gemini API for schema detection, then feeds it into the next automation step. tigzig.com/xlwings-llm-api
4. Database Connector - Connect to any remote DB via an API layer. Built on a FastAPI server - just pass query params….pull schema, browse tables, fetch records, or run custom queries. All inside Excel. tigzig.com/xlwings-api-db
5. EDA + ML Workflow - Builds on schema detection to run dynamic EDA plots and summary tables. Includes an XGBoost response model with evals, decile tables, and gains chart. tigzig.com/xlwings-llm-api
6. Yahoo Finance Extractor - Punch in a symbol - get price, profile and financials directly in Excel. Powered by a FastAPI backend (also doubles as an MCP server). Great starter for getting into FastAPI backends. tigzig.com/yahoo-finance-analyzer
xlwings Lite official site: lite.xlwings.org