Critical Warnings
1. Do Not Edit Cells While Crunched Is Working
Critical
Simultaneous editing disrupts Crunched’s understanding of the sheet structure and can lead to errors or conflicts. Use the stop button if you need to make manual edits.
- Crunched tracks cell positions and relationships
- Manual edits during processing can cause misalignment
- This may result in formulas pointing to wrong cells
- Can create conflicting changes that are difficult to undo
- Click the Stop button in the chat
- Make your manual edits
- Start a new conversation with Crunched
2. Do Not Blindly Trust Crunched
Important
AI solutions can be inaccurate. Crunched isn’t perfect and sometimes makes mistakes, especially with inaccurate prompting. Ask it to check more thoroughly for a better answer.
- Always review Crunched’s outputs
- Spot-check formulas and calculations
- Verify key numbers and relationships
- Use the error-check feature regularly
- Ask Crunched to explain its work if unsure
3. Do Not Let Conversations Get Too Long
Performance degrades in long chats. Follow these guidelines:Start New Threads for New Tasks
Always begin a fresh conversation thread for each distinct task. New task = new thread → this helps Crunched work at peak performance. What counts as a new task:- Different section of your model
- Different type of analysis
- Unrelated to previous conversation
- After completing a major deliverable
Start a New Thread After 15 Messages
Even within the same task, begin a fresh conversation thread once you reach 15 messages to maintain optimal performance and context clarity.You’ll get a reminder in the chat when you approach this limit.
Start a New Thread After Restoring Changes
If Crunched makes unwanted changes:- Use the restore button on your chat message to revert actions
- Start a new thread
- Provide clearer instructions to get the desired result
Handle Errors by Starting a New Thread
If Crunched encounters an error or gets stuck:- Use the stop button
- Restore/undo if needed
- Begin a new conversation thread to resolve the issue effectively
Why These Limits Exist
Like all AI systems, Crunched has a “context window” - a limit on how much conversation history it can actively process. As conversations grow longer:
- Response quality may decrease
- Processing time may increase
- Risk of confusion or errors increases
Quick Reference: When to Start a New Thread
| Situation | Action |
|---|---|
| Starting a completely new task | ✅ New thread |
| Reached 15 messages | ✅ New thread |
| After using restore/undo | ✅ New thread |
| Crunched encountered an error | ✅ New thread |
| Continuing related work | ❌ Same thread (if under 15 messages) |
| Quick follow-up question | ❌ Same thread (if under 15 messages) |
Additional Best Practices
Save Your Work
Regularly save your Excel file, especially before large operations
Clear Prompts
Ambiguous instructions increase error likelihood
Use Error-Check
Run error-check after major builds to catch mistakes early
Report Issues
Help improve Crunched by reporting bugs and unexpected behavior