CSV Data Analysis Skill

Analyzes CSV files and generates statistical reports without loading analysis code into context.

Description

This skill provides data analysis capabilities for CSV files using Python scripts. It calculates statistics, detects patterns, and generates insights.

When to Use

Use this skill when:

• User wants to analyze a CSV file
• User requests statistics or insights from tabular data
• User needs data validation or quality checks

Usage

Basic Analysis

1. Ask the user for the CSV file path
2. Execute: python .claude/skills/csv-analysis/scripts/python/analyze_csv.py <file_path>
3. Parse the JSON output and present insights to the user

With Visualization

1. Run analysis (as above)
2. Execute: python .claude/skills/csv-analysis/scripts/python/plot_data.py <file_path> --output <output_path>
3. Show the generated plot to the user

Data Validation

Execute: python .claude/skills/csv-analysis/scripts/python/validate.py <file_path>

Script Reference

analyze_csv.py

Arguments:

• file_path: Path to CSV file (required)
• --columns: Specific columns to analyze (optional)
• --format: Output format: json|text (default: json)

Output: JSON with statistics and insights

Exit Codes:

• 0: Success
• 1: File not found
• 2: Invalid CSV format
• 3: Processing error

plot_data.py

Arguments:

• file_path: Path to CSV file (required)
• --output: Output image path (required)
• --type: Plot type: histogram|scatter|correlation (default: histogram)

Output: Saves plot to specified path

validate.py

Arguments:

• file_path: Path to CSV file (required)

Output: JSON with validation results

Error Handling

All scripts output JSON errors to stderr:

{
  "status": "error",
  "code": 2,
  "message": "Invalid CSV format: missing headers"
}

Dependencies

Scripts require:

• Python 3.8+
• pandas
• numpy
• matplotlib (for plotting)

Note: Dependencies should be available in the environment. If missing, inform the user.

Examples

Example 1: Quick Analysis

python scripts/python/analyze_csv.py data/sales.csv

Example 2: Column-Specific Analysis

python scripts/python/analyze_csv.py data/sales.csv --columns revenue,profit

Example 3: Generate Histogram

python scripts/python/plot_data.py data/sales.csv --output sales_hist.png --type histogram

Security

This skill uses read-only operations and is safe for untrusted CSV files. Scripts include input validation and size limits.