Multi-line editor with indentation
Read a 200-character formula on 12 lines instead of one. Indentation matches the nesting; matching parens highlight when you click them. The formula bar's biggest sin is finally fixed.
Use case
Audit a teammate's spreadsheetin a sitting, not a week.
You inherited the file. The formulas are 200 characters long, the logic is buried, and the analyst who wrote it left two quarters ago. Formula Foundry shows you what's actually happening — color coded, indented, broken into a visual tree — without you guessing.
Trial days only count when you actually open the add-on. No credit card.
How it works
From mystery formula to mental model in three steps.
Click the cell
Open Formula Foundry's sidebar; whatever cell is selected loads into the multi-line editor instantly. No copy-paste, no typing the cell reference.
Read the structure
Color-coded functions, ranges, and constants. Indentation that follows the nesting. The 200-char one-liner becomes 12 readable lines.
Ask the AI to explain
When the structure isn't enough, the AI assistant explains the formula in plain English — function by function, branch by branch. Useful for the SUMPRODUCT-disguised-as-an-array-formula trick.
What makes formulas readable
The four things the formula bar should have done.
Color coding by token type
Functions, ranges, constants, and named refs each get their own color. Mismatched argument count or a busted range jumps out instead of hiding in the middle of a wall of text.
Visual builder for the tangled bits
Click into a nested IF/SUMIFS/INDEX-MATCH and the visual builder renders the call tree as a form. You can see every argument named, every branch labeled — without rewriting the formula.
AI explain in plain English
Paste any formula, get a step-by-step breakdown. Useful when the original author optimized for cleverness instead of legibility. Especially helpful on an array-formula-wrapped lookup where the intent isn't obvious.
See it in action
A 200-character formula, made readable.
Got questions?
Audit FAQs
- Yes — the add-on reads whatever cell you have selected. There's no special permission setup beyond installing the add-on the same way you would on any sheet you opened. If you can edit the spreadsheet, Formula Foundry can read its formulas.
- Reading and rendering happen in your session. The AI explain feature sends the formula text to the AI provider when you click 'explain' — but only that text, and only when you ask. Color coding, indentation, and the visual builder run entirely client-side.
- Named ranges from the active workbook show up; named ranges from external workbooks appear as opaque tokens because Sheets / Excel don't expose their resolved values to add-ons. The editor flags them so you know to ask the original author what they pointed at.
- Yes — the AI assistant can suggest a refactored version. We recommend keeping the original alongside any rewrite (snippets are good for this) so you can verify outputs match before you replace the cell. Cleverness sometimes hides edge cases that matter.
Stop guessing what formulas do
Audit the next inherited sheet in an hour, not a week.
Install Formula Foundry, open the cell, and read the formula the way it should have been written.