Real Agent Cases

Turn six months of receipts into a categorized spreadsheet with Claude Cowork

Posted
by Afro Chuck (@ChuckYouSuck)
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Evidence: Shown on videoThe source includes a video or screen recording of the agent doing the task.

Outcome

Pointed at a folder, Claude Cowork organized 6 months of receipts into a categorized spreadsheet with monthly breakdowns.

Agent

Claude Cowork

Prompt Recreated prompt

The source didn't share its exact prompt, so we wrote this from what it describes.

Here's a task I'd like your help with. Read it all the way through before you start.

Goal: Turn the receipts in this folder into a spreadsheet, sorted into categories with a monthly breakdown.

Check with me first: Do I have categories I already use, or should you suggest some?

What I'll give you:
- The folder with my receipts
- Any categories I want you to use

Rules:
- Read each receipt and record the date, merchant, amount and category.
- If a receipt is unreadable or unclear, list it and ask me rather than guessing.
- Don't move or change the original receipt files.

Output: A spreadsheet with every receipt, a category for each, and totals per month.

You'll know it worked when: each month's spending is broken down by category and every receipt appears once.

Try this in:

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Optional stronger version

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Here's a task I'd like your help with. Read it all the way through before you start.

Goal: Turn six months of receipts into a categorized spreadsheet with a monthly breakdown.

Quick check first: tell me if anything below is missing or unclear.

Inputs (fill in or confirm):
- Receipts folder
- Categories to use (or ask me to suggest)
- Currency and whether to split VAT/tax
- Date range
- Business vs personal split, if any

Rules:
- Record date, merchant, amount, tax and category for each receipt; one row each.
- Use my categories; suggest new ones only as a list for my OK.
- Flag duplicates (same merchant, date, amount) rather than deleting.
- Add a pivot or summary tab: totals per category per month.
- Keep a column with the receipt file name for traceability.

If you get stuck: If a receipt is unreadable, add it to a 'check' tab with the file name. If a login, CAPTCHA or two-step code appears, stop and ask me to handle it; never guess or store passwords.

Verify before you finish: Check the grand total equals the sum of all receipt amounts.

Output: Spreadsheet with data, monthly summary and check tabs.

Done when: every receipt is in the sheet once and the monthly totals reconcile.

Source

https://x.com/ChuckYouSuck/status/2014502869336989810

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