=HT.CLAUDE() — Claude in a cell, without the names
Hidden Tokens · Excel add-in · your own Anthropic API key · preview
Write =HT.CLAUDE("who should we chase first, and why?"; A1:D40) in a cell. Before anything leaves your computer, the range is coded by the Hidden Tokens sentinel — the same engine, key and firm policy as the browser extension. Claude answers on codes. The add-in puts the real names back in the cell, on your computer.
What Claude receives who should we chase first, and why? Client Overdue Days COMPANY-001 18,400 62 COMPANY-002 9,900 35 COMPANY-003 27,150 91 What the cell shows Sophatel: the largest overdue amount and 91 days late.
Install (sideload, three steps)
- Save the manifest: manifest.xml. Mac: copy it into
~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.Excel/Data/Documents/wef/and restart Excel. Windows: put it in a shared folder declared as a trusted add-in catalog (File › Options › Trust Center › Trusted Add-in Catalogs). - Pair the sentinel: Home › Hidden Tokens opens the pane. Paste the pairing token from the Hidden Tokens app (the same one the browser extension uses) and pick the protected folder whose key will be used.
- Allow the call with your key: paste your Anthropic API key, tick the consent box, save.
=HT.STATUS()confirms: sentinel version, folder, key ✓.
What actually goes where
| Who | To | What |
|---|---|---|
| Excel (the add-in) | 127.0.0.1 (the sentinel) | your clear text — it never leaves the computer |
| Excel (the add-in), after your consent | api.anthropic.com | the coded text only, with your key |
| Hidden Tokens sentinel and connector | — | no network request, as always |
Fail closed: no sentinel, no token, no consent or no key → the cell shows #HIDDEN_TOKENS or #CLE_API and nothing is sent. A message held back by your organisation's policy shows #RETENU with the rule. A recalculation does not bill twice: the same coded text gives the same answer for the session.
What we don’t claim
This is reversible pseudonymisation, to be reviewed by a human — not anonymisation, not compliance. Claude answers on codes and can be wrong, as anywhere else. Amounts in the range are sent as typed, like a message from the extension. Not yet tested in the Office Store; the add-in is a preview you sideload.