Does it work out why the numbers changed?

Only from the reasons you give it. It never invents a cause. Any amount your owner comments don’t explain stays visible as unexplained, with one question for its owner.

Does it add percentages or favorable and unfavorable labels?

No. It states the period, the measured difference and the comparison basis, and leaves out percentage changes and performance labels.

Can I upload a spreadsheet?

Paste up to five checked report rows with the owner comments. In Claude you can also upload them as a CSV file, or as an XLSX file once Code execution and file creation is turned on.

Can it run every month on its own?

No. Both setups run when you paste a report’s rows into a chat. They use no connected apps and schedule nothing.

Which plan do I need?

Claude works on any plan, including Free, which allows up to five projects. ChatGPT Work on the web needs Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise or Edu.

Variance Commentary Drafter

Draft variance commentary from checked figures

Variance Commentary Drafter is an AI agent you set up in the ChatGPT or Claude you already use. Paste your checked report rows and owner comments, and it writes two sentences per variance, the measured difference and then the confirmed reason, with any amount nobody explained left visible and one question for its owner.

Pick your AI for the steps and the prompt

About each AI:ChatGPT WorkClaude app

Checked 29 Oct 2026. Not run by JuicyAgents yet. Written from each AI’s official docs; the example is illustrative.

Variance Commentary Drafter · reply in the chat

1 line drafted, EUR 150 still unexplained

NoteSeptember office-events expense was EUR 300 above budget
Lee confirmedEUR 150 for an extra workshop
Remains unexplainedEUR 300 − EUR 150 = EUR 150
Question for LeeWhat supports the remaining EUR 150?

Illustrative example: a fictional September 2026 office events line, EUR 300 over budget, with one owner comment from Lee, prepared in October.

How it works

What it does for you, and what it leaves to you.

Finance practitioners describe monthly variance commentary that takes manual investigation. An AI summary can restate the numbers or invent a reason when operational explanations are missing.

Use this short writing prompt when the numbers are already checked but the explanation is scattered. Paste a few report rows and the owner comments in their current form. The result separates the measured difference from its confirmed explanation. If your existing comment already says both clearly, keep it.

You stay in charge. Check each figure and reason against the report and the owner comments; every cause must come from a comment you supplied. Send the open questions to their owners before the commentary goes out.

You get

Two sentences per variance and one focused question for each unexplained balance

It never

Invent a cause, a percentage change or a favorable or unfavorable label
Make accounting adjustments or treat the draft as approval
Count overlapping explanations twice
Browse the web, use connected apps or act outside the chat

The commentary it writes

The example above, in words.

Note: September office-events expense was EUR 300 above budget. Lee confirmed EUR 150 for an extra workshop; EUR 300 − EUR 150 = EUR 150 remains unexplained. Question for Lee: what supports the remaining EUR 150?

Settings

The setup prompt starts with the defaults, marked here.

Commentary view

Use the default or choose the other layout. Both keep the same facts and review checks.

By line item (default)
Unanswered questions first

Check the first result

Each setup page has a fictional exercise to paste first. A good answer to it meets all of these.

September stays the month described, and October the reporting month.
Only EUR 150 is attributed to the workshop; EUR 150 remains unexplained.
No percentage, performance label or accounting adjustment is invented.
Each claimed cause points to a supplied owner comment.

Questions people ask

Does it work out why the numbers changed?: Only from the reasons you give it. It never invents a cause. Any amount your owner comments don’t explain stays visible as unexplained, with one question for its owner.
Does it add percentages or favorable and unfavorable labels?: No. It states the period, the measured difference and the comparison basis, and leaves out percentage changes and performance labels.
Can I upload a spreadsheet?: Paste up to five checked report rows with the owner comments. In Claude you can also upload them as a CSV file, or as an XLSX file once Code execution and file creation is turned on.
Can it run every month on its own?: No. Both setups run when you paste a report’s rows into a chat. They use no connected apps and schedule nothing.
Which plan do I need?: Claude works on any plan, including Free, which allows up to five projects. ChatGPT Work on the web needs Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise or Edu.

Have us set it up

Rather not set it up yourself?

We set up Variance Commentary Drafter in your own accounts and the AI you already pay for, test it on your real work, and hand it over with a short walkthrough.

From $299

Runs in your accounts; you own everything
Tested before handover
Money back if we can’t make it work

Request a setup