Questions, answered plainly.
59 questions across 8 topics: setup, the Chat Agent, AI formulas, scraping, privacy, troubleshooting and billing. If yours is not here, the contact page reaches a person.
Topic
Getting Started questions
- How do I set up SheetMagic?
- Install SheetMagic from the Google Workspace Marketplace, open a sheet, then choose Extensions → SheetMagic → Activate. That starts your free trial, and
=AITEXT()works right away. No card needed. On a paid plan you can also use your own AI keys from Extensions → SheetMagic → Manage AI API Keys. The first-run walkthrough shows each step. - What AI models does SheetMagic use?
- SheetMagic supports the major AI models, including GPT-5.5, GPT-4o, Claude Opus 5, Claude Sonnet 5, Gemini 3.1 Pro and Gemini 3.5 Flash. For image generation, GPT Image 2, Gemini 3 Pro Image and Gemini 3.1 Flash Image are available. Which models you can pick depends on your provider: OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Mistral, OpenRouter or Perplexity.
- Do I need my own API key?
- Not on Free, Solo, Team, Business or the Lifetime plan: they run on our keys, so AI works right away. Lifetime deal codes from AppSumo and Dealify run AI on your own key, added from Extensions → SheetMagic → Manage AI API Keys. On any paid plan you can also turn on BYOK (Bring Your Own Key) to use your own keys from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Mistral, OpenRouter or Perplexity for unlimited usage at provider rates.
- Can I use my existing AI subscription (ChatGPT Plus, Claude Pro, etc.)?
- No. Consumer subscriptions such as ChatGPT Plus and Claude Pro cover their chat apps and do not include API access. To bring your own key, create an API key on each provider's developer platform, where you are billed on actual usage.
- Does SheetMagic work on mobile?
- No. SheetMagic works in Google Sheets on desktop web browsers only. The Google Sheets mobile app does not support add-ons or custom functions. Use Chrome, Firefox, Safari or Edge on a computer.
- Does SheetMagic work with Excel?
- No. SheetMagic is built for Google Sheets on Google Apps Script and does not work with Microsoft Excel.
- Can collaborators use SheetMagic on shared sheets?
- Each person who runs SheetMagic functions needs their own SheetMagic subscription and API key. Collaborators on a shared sheet see the results of your formulas but cannot run SheetMagic functions without their own subscription.
- How much will API calls cost me?
- With your own key, cost depends on the model and how much text you send and receive. Each provider publishes its rates on its pricing page. For an estimate in SheetMagic terms, use the cost calculator.
- Which API provider should I choose?
- OpenAI is the simplest to set up and includes GPT-4o with web search. Anthropic gives you Claude models with web search support. Google offers Gemini models and native image generation through Gemini 3 Pro and Flash Image. OpenRouter gives you many models from multiple providers behind one key. Perplexity suits research tasks with built-in web search. Most people start with OpenAI or Anthropic.
AI Chat Agent questions
- What is the AI Chat Agent?
- A chat sidebar inside Google Sheets. Describe what you want in plain English: the Chat Agent reads your data, writes cells and formulas, scrapes the web, and builds charts. Anything that writes to your sheet or spends credits asks for confirmation first.
- Which plans include the AI Chat Agent?
- The Chat Agent is included on every paid plan: Solo, Team, Business and the Lifetime plan. AppSumo and Dealify lifetime deal codes include it too, running on your own AI key. The Free plan includes all custom functions with a one-time allowance of 20,000 AI tokens and 100 integration credits.
- Does the Chat Agent cost extra?
- No. It uses the same AI tokens and integration credits as your formulas. A scrape costs the same whether you run it as a formula or ask the Chat Agent to do it.
AI Features questions
- How do I use AI text generation?
- Use the
=aitext()function. For example:=aitext("Write a product description for: " & A1). Link to cells with the & operator to build dynamic prompts. - How do I generate AI images?
- Use the
=aiimage()function. For example:=aiimage("A professional photo of a coffee shop"). The image URL is returned in the cell. SheetMagic supports GPT Image 2, Gemini 3 Pro Image and Gemini 3.1 Flash Image. With the Gemini image models you can also edit and refine images through multi-turn prompts. - What is unlimited usage?
- With BYOK (Bring Your Own Key) on any paid plan, AI usage is unlimited. You pay your provider directly, at their rates. Without BYOK, AI usage draws from your plan's monthly token allowance.
- Can I use AI on existing data in my sheet?
- Yes. Link cells into your prompt with the & operator. For example, =aitext("Summarize this: " & A1) uses the content of cell A1 in the prompt.
- How do I use a specific model like Claude or GPT-4?
- Open the SheetMagic sidebar (Extensions → SheetMagic → Open AI Settings) and pick a model from the dropdown. For Claude models, select Anthropic as your provider. Claude, OpenAI and Perplexity models support real-time web search through
=AITEXT(prompt, context, TRUE). The selected model applies to every AI function in that sheet. - Can I use AI to analyze or categorize existing data?
- Yes, and it is one of the most common uses. For example:
=aitext("Categorize this product as Electronics, Clothing, or Home: " & A1)or=aitext("Rate the sentiment of this review as Positive, Neutral, or Negative: " & A1) - How do I create structured outputs like JSON or tables?
- Put the format instruction in the prompt. For example:
=aitext("Extract the name, email, and company from this text. Return as JSON: " & A1). For tabular data, use=ailist()to spill results across multiple cells. - What is the difference between =aitext() and =ailist()?
=aitext()returns a single cell.=ailist()returns multiple items that spill down rows;=ailisth()spills across columns. Use ailist for lists, bullet points or any set of items.- What does the Keep Formula setting do?
- Keep Formula controls what happens after your formula runs. On (default): the formula is preserved as text in the original cell, with a leading apostrophe, and the result appears in the cell to the right, so you can see and edit the prompt later. Off: the result replaces the formula and the original is not preserved. To re-run a kept formula, delete the apostrophe at the start of the cell.
Web Scraping questions
- What custom functions are available?
- SheetMagic has 64 custom functions across AI, web scraping and page data. AI:
=AITEXT(),=AILIST(),=AIIMAGE(),=AIVIDEO(),=AISPEECH(),=AITRANSLATE(),=GPTV()(vision). Scraping and page data:=VISIT(),=SERP(),=GETSELECTOR(),=GETMETATITLE(),=PAGEDATA()and more, plus 43 platform scrapers such as=AMAZONSEARCH()and=GSEARCH(). See the full function reference. - How many search results can I get?
=SERP()returns up to 20 results per query as rows of title, snippet and URL.=BULKSERP()returns them horizontally. Both take region and time filter parameters.- Are there any scraping limits?
- Scraping runs on your plan's monthly integration credits. Each scrape has a published credit cost, so you always know what you are spending. SERP and BULKSERP cost 1 credit per search. DOMAINCHECK is free and never touches your credits. Google Sheets also applies its own daily URL-fetch quota per account.
- Can I scrape any website?
- SheetMagic can scrape most publicly accessible pages. Some sites block automated requests or need JavaScript rendering. Respect robots.txt and avoid aggressive scraping rates. Scraped data comes from public pages only.
- How do I extract specific elements from a page?
- Use
=GETSELECTOR(url, selector)with a CSS selector. For example:=GETSELECTOR("https://example.com", ".product-price")returns every element matching that class. - Can I scrape JavaScript-rendered content?
- Basic scraping fetches the initial HTML, which may not include JavaScript-rendered content. For dynamic sites, =visit() uses a headless browser that renders JavaScript. Results vary by site.
Use Cases questions
- Can I use SheetMagic for SEO and keyword research?
- Yes. Use
=serp()to analyze search results,=GETMETATITLE()and=GETMETADESCRIPTION()to audit competitor meta tags, and=aitext()to write optimized content and meta descriptions at scale. - Can I use SheetMagic for lead generation and enrichment?
- Yes. Scrape company websites with
=visit()to pull contact info, then use=aitext()to summarize what each company does, categorize leads by industry, or write personalized outreach from the scraped data. - Can I use SheetMagic to write content at scale?
- Yes. Put a column of topics or product names in the sheet, then use
=aitext()to write descriptions, outlines, social posts or any other content. Drag the formula down to process hundreds of rows. - Can I use SheetMagic for competitor analysis?
- Yes. Combine scraping and AI:
=visit()pulls competitor page content,=serp()shows who ranks for your keywords, and=aitext()summarizes and analyzes the result. - What are some common workflows?
- Bulk product descriptions from titles. SEO audits that scrape meta tags across hundreds of URLs. Lead enrichment that scrapes and summarizes company websites. Content ideation that turns keywords into blog topics. Data categorization that tags existing rows with AI.
- Can I use SheetMagic for data cleaning and transformation?
- Yes. Use AI to standardize messy data. For example:
=aitext("Standardize this address to proper format: " & A1)or=aitext("Extract just the company name from: " & A1)
Privacy & Security questions
- Where does my data go when I use SheetMagic?
- Your prompts go directly to your chosen AI provider (OpenAI, OpenRouter, Anthropic, Google, Mistral or Perplexity) using your own API key. SheetMagic does not store, log or have access to your prompts or responses. It is a bridge between Google Sheets and your provider.
- Is my data used to train AI models?
- SheetMagic does not use your data for any purpose. API usage at OpenAI, Anthropic and Google is generally not used for training under their API policies. Check your provider's data policy for details.
- Is SheetMagic SOC 2 or GDPR compliant?
- SheetMagic processes minimal data: it does not store your prompts, responses or spreadsheet content. Your data flows directly between Google Sheets and your AI provider. For enterprise compliance requirements, contact us to discuss your needs.
- Can SheetMagic access all my Google Sheets?
- SheetMagic can only access the spreadsheet where you run its functions. It cannot access other files in your Google Drive. The extension requests the minimum permissions needed to work in the active sheet.
- How are my API keys stored?
- Your API keys are stored in Google Apps Script's Properties Service, which is encrypted and tied to your Google account. Keys are never sent to SheetMagic servers; they go from your browser to your AI provider.
- What data does SheetMagic collect?
- Your email for license validation, and basic usage analytics (function calls, not content). SheetMagic does not collect, store or have access to your spreadsheet data, prompts or AI responses.
Troubleshooting questions
- Why is my formula showing as text instead of running?
- This happens when Keep Formula is on. The original formula is preserved as text, with a leading apostrophe, and the result appears in the cell to the right, so your prompt stays visible. To re-run it, delete the apostrophe at the start of the cell. To change the behavior, turn Keep Formula off in the sidebar.
- Where did my formula result go? I only see the formula text.
- If Keep Formula is on (the default), the result is in the cell to the right of the formula. The original cell shows the formula as text so you can edit the prompt later. If you prefer the result to replace the formula, turn Keep Formula off in the sidebar.
- How do I re-run a formula when Keep Formula is enabled?
- Kept formulas are stored as text with a leading apostrophe (
'). Click the cell, delete the apostrophe at the very start in the formula bar, and press Enter. The formula runs again and updates the result in the adjacent cell. - Why is my function returning an error?
- Common causes: an invalid or missing API key if you use your own keys (check Extensions → SheetMagic → Manage AI API Keys), an exceeded quota at your provider (check its dashboard), or a malformed formula (text needs quotes). Documentation with specific error codes is in the dashboard.
- Why are my results not updating?
- SheetMagic caches results to save API cost and time. If the input has not changed, you get the cached result. To force a refresh, change the prompt slightly or clear the cell and re-enter the formula.
- How do I refresh cached results?
- Make any small change to the prompt, even a space, to trigger a new request, or clear the cell and re-enter the formula. The cache exists to prevent accidental API charges from repeated recalculation.
- Why is my API key not working?
- Check that you copied the full key without extra spaces, that it belongs to the right provider (OpenAI keys start with "sk-"), that the API account has credit or a payment method, and that the key has not been revoked. If in doubt, generate a new key in your provider's dashboard.
- I'm getting rate limited - what do I do?
- Rate limits come from your API provider, not SheetMagic. Wait a few minutes and retry, process fewer rows at once, or raise your API tier with the provider. New OpenAI accounts start with lower limits that increase over time.
- My formulas are very slow - how can I speed them up?
- AI and scraping functions make API calls, so they are slower than normal spreadsheet functions. Process data in batches, use a faster model such as GPT-4o mini for simple tasks, keep prompts short, and remember that results are cached so later views are instant.
- The function worked before but now shows an error?
- Usually one of: your API credit ran out (add payment at your provider), the site you are scraping changed or blocked requests, or Google's daily quota has not reset yet. Check your provider dashboard for account status.
Billing & Support questions
- What's included in every plan?
- Every plan, including Free, gives you every formula and every AI model: AI text, images, video, speech, web scraping, SERP and more. Paid plans add the AI Chat Agent and monthly allowances: Solo ($20/mo: 3.25M tokens, 10K credits), Team ($80/mo: 15M tokens, 50K credits, 5 licenses), Business ($200/mo: 37.5M tokens, 135K credits, 15 licenses). On Team and Business the allowance is one shared pool rather than a fixed slice per license; you set a spending cap for each license from the dashboard. Caps start split evenly and you can change them any time, so one busy license can draw more than the rest. Seats are an account-wide total: Team includes 100 and Business 500, spread across your licenses however you like. Free includes a one-time allowance of 20K tokens and 100 credits, which covers text and scraping formulas; video and most image models cost more than that.
- How much can I save with annual billing?
- A flat 30%. Solo $14/mo, Team $56/mo, Business $140/mo, billed yearly. Switch any time on the pricing page.
- Can I start for free?
- Yes, we call it your free trial. It is a one-time allowance of 20,000 AI tokens and 100 integration credits, enough to try text and scraping formulas on real work. Video and most image models cost more than it holds. No card, no account needed to start. On a very busy day, new free trials can pause until the next day. Upgrade whenever you need more.
- What is your refund policy?
- Subscriptions are non-refundable, because the product is digital. That is why the free tier exists: try it first to make sure it fits. Cancel any time to stop future charges.
- What is BYOK and how do I use it?
- BYOK (Bring Your Own Key) is included on every paid plan. Connect your own API keys from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google or another supported provider and AI becomes unlimited, billed by that provider at its rates.
- How do I get help when I need it?
- Every plan, including Free, gets email support at support@sheetmagic.ai. Visit the contact page or check the help docs.
- Can I upgrade, downgrade, or cancel anytime?
- Yes. Upgrade instantly for higher limits. Downgrade at your next billing cycle. Cancel any time, with no contracts or hidden fees. If you cancel, you keep access until the billing period ends.
- What happens if I reach my monthly limit?
- You are notified as you approach your limits. When you hit them, upgrade instantly for more capacity or wait for the monthly reset. Either way your data stays safe and your formulas stay in place.
- Does the integration credit limit affect my AI usage?
- No. AI usage (AITEXT, AIIMAGE, GPTV and the rest) is unaffected when you use BYOK (Bring Your Own Key). Integration credits apply to web scraping (VISIT, GETSELECTOR, PAGEDATA) and the Google and YouTube search formulas (GSEARCH, GNEWS, GMAPS, YTSEARCH). SERP and BULKSERP cost 1 credit per search. DOMAINCHECK is free: no credits and no tokens on any plan. With BYOK you get unlimited AI at provider cost.
- Can I buy additional tokens or credits?
- Yes. Paid subscribers (Solo, Team, Business) can buy Credit Packs for extra AI tokens and integration credits. Lifetime-deal users (AppSumo and Dealify) can buy integration-credit packs. Packs are one-time purchases valid for 12 months and do not reset with your billing cycle, which suits busy months or one-off projects. Buy them from the Billing page of the dashboard.
Still not sure? Try it on the free allowance.
20,000 AI tokens and 100 credits, no card, no expiry.