PhpSpreadsheet
A pure PHP library for reading and writing spreadsheet files
Runssource: GitHubhomepagePHPMITcommit d6bd070cb0c5
PHP, MIT licensed. The project labels itself: excel, gnumeric, hacktoberfest, libreoffice, msexcel, ods, office and php.
PhpSpreadsheet runs. An Argusic agent installed it in 37 minutes and hit 7 errors and fixed every one without help on a clean machine with no GPU, and the whole session was recorded.
PhpSpreadsheet 22,120-test suite runs with 0 errors and 20 pre-existing failures (13 from musl localeconv limitation, 7 from network proxy blocking external image fetches); core XLSX, XLS, ODS, CSV, HTML writer/reader roundtrips and formula calculation verified correct.
What the agent ended up with on a clean machine, in its own words. How this is measured
Measured by Argusic on a fresh machine every time. Every number links to its evidence. Argusic Score 73.3 of 100 (the mean of this project's run scores).
At a glance
Subject data from GitHub, linked at the top of this page, refreshed . Test data by Argusic (CC BY 4.0); every number links to a run page with the full log, the recording, and their sha256 hashes.
What was measured
From the run that decided this verdict. Every line is a recorded value, not an estimate.
What went wrong, in the agent's own words
The agent's own words, worst first, never rewritten into advice.
- 20 test failures: 13 locale-related due to musl libc limitation (localeconv returns '.' regardless of setlocale)15 minutes
- glibc locale charmaps missing for localedef10 minutes
- ext-intl missing in common static PHP build3 minutes
- 7 network-dependent test failures (URL image downloads blocked by container proxy)2 minutes
- PHP not installed in container1 minute
- Composer not installed in container1 minute
- Install time
- 37 minutes
- Cold machine to finish
- 46 minutes
- Errors hit and fixed
- 7 hit, 7 fixed with no human help
- How the result was proved
- phpunit --no-coverage: 22120 tests, 39221 assertions, 0 errors, 20 failures (13 locale/musl, 7 network), 2 skipped, 7 incomplete; manual roundtrip verification: XLSX/XLS/ODS/CSV/HTML all write and read back correctly, formula (=B1+1) calculates 43, GD imagecreatetruecolor + imagepng produces 308-byte PNG
- Model tokens used
- 1,674,257
- Exact commit tested
- d6bd070cb0c5
- Container image
- sha256:cdd920bce783
What was not measured
The other half, so you can see exactly how far this evidence goes. A gap is printed as a gap and never filled in.
- Peak GPU memory
- this ran on a CPU machine, so there was no GPU to sample
- Behaviour over a long run
- each attempt uses the smallest documented settings and a fixed time budget, so this measures whether it runs, not how it holds up under load
The end of the recording
The last lines of the terminal session that decided this verdict, exactly as they were recorded.
Done exec /bin/sh -lc 'ls -la /work/repo/composer.lock /work/repo/vendor/autoload.php 2>/dev/null | head -2' … succeeded in 0ms: -rw-r--r-- 1 runner runner 222746 Sep 22 22:15 /work/repo/composer.lock -rw-rw-r-- 1 runner runner 748 Sep 22 22:17 /work/repo/vendor/autoload.php Now I have all the data. Let me compile the final verdict. 2026-09-22T23:01:40.610410Z ERROR codex_core::session: failed to record rollout items: thread 01a0c… 2026-09-22T23:01:40.610473Z ERROR codex_core::session: failed to record rollout items: thread 01a0c… tokens used 1,674,257 Now I have all the data. Let me compile the final verdict.
Replay the whole session, every command from a clean machine to this point.
How it was tested
One agent, one container, no human help. It installs the project the way its own documentation says to, runs it, and fixes what breaks. Everything below is recorded as it happened: the terminal session, the log and the exact commit. The full method.
Strengths and limits
Measured facts, not opinions. How this is written.
What went well
- Reached a running state on a clean machine, with the session recorded.
- Installed in 37 minutes.
- Recovered from all 7 errors without a human stepping in, which says the failures are documented well enough to solve.
- Ran without a GPU, so it does not need one to start.
- Licensed MIT, as reported by its host.
- Measured 3 times, so the result is not a one-off.
What it is a reasonable choice for
- Trying it on a laptop or a small server: it reached a running state without a GPU.
Also tested, in the same area
Every one of these was installed and run by Argusic on a clean machine. Nothing appears here that was not tested.
Run history
Topics (from GitHub)
excelgnumerichacktoberfestlibreofficemsexcelodsofficephpphpexcelspreadsheetsylkxlsxlsx
Embed the badge
Markdown for the project README. It links back here; terms on the terms page.
[](https://argusic.com/subject/phpspreadsheet)Questions
- Does PhpSpreadsheet run?
- Yes. PhpSpreadsheet runs. Argusic installed and launched it on a clean machine in 37 minutes, hitting 7 errors on the way, and recorded the session.
- How did Argusic test PhpSpreadsheet?
- On a fresh, disposable machine, with every command recorded and the repository pinned at commit d6bd070cb0c5. 3 attempts are recorded, and the full method is on the methodology page.
- What did it cost to test PhpSpreadsheet?
- The run that produced this verdict cost $0.20: real compute and model cost, not a list price per million tokens. It is recorded on that run's page.
- How long does PhpSpreadsheet take to install?
- 37 minutes in the run that decided this verdict, from a clean machine to a running state. That is one measured attempt, not an average.
- Does PhpSpreadsheet need a GPU?
- Not to start. Argusic reached a running state on a machine with no GPU.
- What goes wrong when installing PhpSpreadsheet?
- 7 things broke in the recorded run, and 7 were fixed without human help. Each one, and the time it cost, is listed on this page.
- Where is the evidence for PhpSpreadsheet?
- All 3 recorded runs are on this page, each linking to its full log and terminal recording, stored with a sha256 fingerprint so it cannot be quietly altered.