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Finance · project costs

A cost-control agent that matches every total to the cent and reports only what changed

In use since August 2026, on a partner's building projectWorking case · under NDA

It checks a shared register of payments between two co-investors. We don't name the project. Code does the matching, the agent explains the changes, and it writes nothing to the sheet.

A walkthrough with sound. It's a reconstruction with invented figures, because these are real payments. The agent ran every Monday from August to October 2026 and now runs on request. The checks are the real ones.

In numbers

Payment rows checked in each run
1,700+
Reports published
12
Totals that must match before any report
4

August to October 2026, from the agent's own records.

What it produces

  • Four totals recalculated by code and compared with the sheet's own formulas, each matching to the cent. Invented figures.
    Illustration · invented figuresTotals matchedFour totals recalculated by code and compared with the sheet's own formulas.
  • New rows explain 9,700, the total grew by 10,340, and row 412 changed from 3,180 to 3,820, found by comparing with last week's copy. Invented figures.
    Illustration · invented figuresAn old amount changedNew rows explain 9,700. The total grew by 10,340. The agent finds the row.
  • Two bars: 40,000 left to pay in the plan against 310,000 in unpaid items. Invented figures.
    Illustration · invented figuresPlan against realityWhat the plan says is left against the unpaid items it lists.
  • A short report on a phone, opening with a critical line about the gap between the parties. Invented figures.
    Illustration · invented figuresSummaryA few lines. Anything critical comes first.

How it works

  1. Step 1: Fresh copy

    Code takes a read-only copy of the sheet and the exchange rate.

  2. Step 2: Match to the cent

    Code recalculates four totals. If one differs from the sheet's formula, the run stops.

  3. Step 3: Compare and flag

    Code finds new rows, moved dates and changed amounts, and applies fixed limits.

  4. Step 4: Explain and report

    The agent writes what changed, and says so when the sheet doesn't show why.

Works with

  • Payment register
  • Project plan
  • Public exchange rate
  • Private dashboard

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