FAQ

No — it's a layer on top of Excel. Your workbooks are still standard .xlsx files, your formulas still work, your macros still run. HISAB adds an AI chat panel, a Python engine, ERP connectors, and an audit log — all callable from inside the spreadsheet.

No. Your .xlsx file never leaves your machine. When you chat with the AI, HISAB sends only the specific context the AI needs to answer (sheet names, ranges, sample rows) — typically a few KB per turn, never the full workbook.

Your choice of two modes, switchable any time in Settings. HISAB AI is built in and works with zero setup — pick a model and chat; usage is metered in simple credits (your trial includes 50). Own AI connects HISAB to your AI account instead: Anthropic's Claude (via Claude Code, the CLI build) or OpenAI's Codex, with a subscription (a Claude or ChatGPT plan — recommended, far more usage for the money) or a pay-as-you-go API key. In Own-AI mode usage is billed to you by Anthropic or OpenAI at their rates, with no AI charge or markup from HISAB.

Either works, and you can keep both installed. The Settings panel has a Claude Code / Codex radio (the active-provider picker) — switch any time and it takes effect on your next message; the choice persists across Excel restarts and the other engine stays installed for when you flip back.

Not yet — HISAB 360 is Windows-only today, because Excel on Mac doesn't support VSTO add-ins the way Windows does. A reduced-feature Mac companion is on our roadmap; email support@hisab360.net to register interest.

Run the signed installer — HISAB-360-Setup-64bit.exe (or -32bit.exe) with its MSI. It installs per-machine to C:\Program Files\HISAB and needs administrator rights once; the installer is Authenticode code-signed by the publisher's certificate. Requirements: Windows 10/11, Excel 2016+ or Microsoft 365 desktop, .NET Framework 4.8, and the Evergreen WebView2 runtime. Node.js 22 is bundled with the add-in, so there is no separate Node download.

No — the Claude Code and Codex engines install automatically when HISAB installs, and the built-in HISAB AI needs no engine at all. The Install Claude / Install Codex card in Settings is only a self-heal for the rare machine where endpoint security blocked the automatic setup; it shows a one-line command you run in your own terminal:

irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex     # Claude (the card's default; or via npm: npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code)
npm install -g @openai/codex                # Codex

Because Node is bundled, npm works out of the box. You run the command in your own shell on purpose — the install is parented by your terminal, not by Excel, so endpoint security (EDR) doesn't gate it. After it finishes, click Verify: detection is restart-free because HISAB reads the live PATH plus the bundled-Node location.

From the card, click Sign in — it runs the right login for your engine (sorting out Claude's PATH and pointing Codex at HISAB's isolated home) and opens your browser directly on the provider's authorization page. Approve with a subscription — a Claude or ChatGPT plan, recommended for far more usage per dollar — or with a pay-as-you-go API key, and the sign-in completes automatically; no codes to copy or paste. HISAB never sees the credential; it's stored by the CLI itself.

Click Sign in again, or use the card's Copy command button to run the same login from a terminal — it re-opens the browser and authorizes automatically. Only if you ran a login by hand in a terminal and it asks for a pasted code: that's the Windows console's QuickEdit mode blocking input — click once inside the window (or press Esc), then paste. The panel button avoids this entirely.

Yes — the license is a floating single session. You can sign in on any number of devices, but only one is active at a time. Signing in on a second machine takes over the session; the first machine drops back to its login screen on its next check-in. A signed offline grace window (about 7 days) keeps brief offline use working.

That's by design. Amber means the local MCP server is up and listening, but no AI client has connected in the last few minutes. Send a chat message — the pill flips to green within a few seconds of the AI actually connecting.

Open Settings and use the Claude Code / Codex radio toggle (the active-provider picker). The switch is instant, takes effect on your next message, and persists across Excel restarts. You can keep both engines installed and flip between them whenever you like.

On a brand-new install the bundled Python sandbox may be installed but not yet initialized on the very first run. If a Python tool fails on that first attempt right after install, close Excel and reopen it — the sandbox finishes initializing and then runs normally. The sandbox is isolated and offline; it never reaches the network.

Yes. Every cell HISAB writes is in the write journal with before/after values. Open the Review Changes panel (just above the chat input), click any write to inspect, and use the "Revert" button to roll it back. Or use Excel's own undo (Ctrl+Z) — HISAB writes through the normal Excel object model so undo works as expected.

Switch the operating mode to Ask-only — the AI can still read, analyse, and propose actions, but it cannot write anything to your workbook or ERP. If you'd rather allow writes but check each one first, keep the mode on Plan or Action and set Approval to Ask each, so every write waits for your explicit OK.

Built-in skills live inside the addin. User skills go to %APPDATA%\HISAB\skills\ — one YAML file per skill, plus optional Python files. Sync this folder across machines (OneDrive, Dropbox) and your skills follow you.

Yes. Click the microphone in the chat box and grant microphone permission once. Voice input uses the operating-system speech engine, so it needs no API key and no network — speak, pause, and your words drop into the message for sending.

Yes. Turn on Speak AI replies out loud in Settings › Voice and HISAB reads each reply as it completes. By default it uses your built-in Windows TTS voices — free, no key. For premium, ChatGPT-quality (OpenAI) or Google voices, pick the provider in Settings › Voice and paste that provider's API key, then choose a voice. Every reply also has its own Speak button to read just that one aloud.

You get a 15-day free trial with every feature plus 50 HISAB AI credits, once per machine. The trial is tracked on the server and keyed to the machine, so reinstalling HISAB or wiping local files does not reset it. When the trial ends, pick a plan to keep going; if you don't, access pauses until you do.

The license is account-based and server-validated, with a floating single session: sign in on as many devices as you like, but only one is active at a time. Signing in on a second machine takes over the session and the first machine returns to its login screen on its next check-in. A short offline grace window keeps brief offline use working, then re-checks with the server when you're back online.

Your subscription stays active through the end of the current billing period. After that, access pauses until you re-subscribe — we never delete your data, so you pick up right where you left off.

For invoicing, purchase orders, or bank-transfer arrangements, email support@hisab360.net with your billing details and we'll help set it up.

They're encrypted on your machine with Windows DPAPI, tied to your Windows user account — so they can't be decrypted on a different machine or by a different Windows user. They're sent only to that ERP's own API, never to us.

HISAB 360 is an independent product and is not formally certified (SOC 2 / ISO 27001). What protects your data is the architecture: your workbook never leaves your machine, the AI runs on your own account (we're never in that data path), and any saved credentials are encrypted locally with Windows DPAPI. See the Security model page, or email support@hisab360.net with specific security questions.

HISAB only ever sends the minimal context a turn needs — sheet names, header rows, sample rows, and the specific ranges you ask about, typically a few KB — to your own AI provider. Your full workbook is never uploaded, and nothing is sent to a HISAB server. For a security review, see the Security model page or email support@hisab360.net.