use case
One intake flow for Word, Excel, CSV, TSV, and PowerPoint.
Frenchie gives your agent one extraction tool for the Office and spreadsheet files that show up in real project work.
the problem
Why this is a pain.
A customer handoff folder rarely contains one perfect file type. It has a Word brief, an Excel forecast, a CSV export, and a deck. Your agent needs to read all of them before it can do useful work.
Without a shared extraction path, every format becomes a new integration decision. DOCX parser here, spreadsheet script there, deck workaround somewhere else. The workflow gets fragile before the real task starts.
the workflow
How Frenchie handles it.
- 1
Install Frenchie once in the project. Skills and MCP tools land together.
- 2
Ask your agent to loop over the intake folder and use `extract_to_markdown` for DOCX, XLSX, CSV, TSV, and PPTX files.
- 3
Frenchie saves one `.frenchie/<name>/result.md` folder per source file.
- 4
Your agent reads the extracted Markdown files and produces the combined artifact: a brief, plan, migration checklist, or customer summary.
example
What it looks like in practice.
Your prompt
Use Frenchie to extract every Office or spreadsheet file in ./handoff. Then write a customer onboarding brief from the results.
Agent response
Extracted 4 files: - discovery-notes.docx → 5 pages, 2.5 credits - usage-export.csv → 0.5 credits - migration-plan.xlsx → 4 sheets, 2 credits - kickoff-deck.pptx → 12 slides, 12 credits Onboarding brief drafted with risks, owners, milestones, and missing information.
What lands in your workspace
$frenchie extract forecast.xlsx
# Workbook: forecast.xlsx ## Sheet: Summary | Metric | Q3 | Q4 | | ------ | -- | -- | | ARR | 4.2M | 4.9M | | CAC | 820 | 780 | ## Sheet: Assumptions - Expansion motion starts in May - Partner channel adds 12 deals
tips
Things worth knowing.
- Use `ocr_to_markdown` for PDFs/images and `extract_to_markdown` for Office/spreadsheet formats.
- Credits are format-specific, but they all draw from the same balance.
- Keep sensitive source files in your workspace. Frenchie processes and deletes uploads; local Markdown copies are yours.
questions
Common questions.
Can my agent batch a folder?
Yes. Your agent loops over files and calls the right Frenchie tool for each supported format.
Is HTTP mode different?
Yes. Hosted agents upload each file first, pass the uploaded reference to `extract_to_markdown`, then persist the final Markdown locally.
Does Frenchie store the folder?
No. Files are processed and deleted. Result payloads expire 30 minutes after first delivery.
Try it with a real Office file of yours.
100 free credits on signup. No card. Drop a DOCX, XLSX, CSV, TSV, or PPTX file from your own workflow and see the Markdown your agent gets back.