Workbook-style HTML exports are often designed as visual renderings rather than editable document formats. As a result, automation tools and AI agents do not have a reliable way to identify the workbook model, make targeted edits, preserve formulas, styles, images, and metadata, and round-trip the result without rewriting unrelated runtime or presentation markup.
This Community Group will incubate a browser-openable HTML workbook profile with an explicit, editable workbook data region and related guidance for validation, AI-assisted editing, and interoperability.
The initial contribution is CWS HTML 1.0 Draft, where workbook data is plain JSON inside script#websheet-model, with explicit HTML markers, an AI editing guide, JSON Schema, validation tests, and optional per-image asset encoding. The work focuses on browser-openable, AI-editable workbook HTML files, not on replacing OOXML, ODF, CSVW, Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, or browser-native spreadsheet editing. See the explainer for more background.
This group will discuss and refine recognition markers, the editable workbook JSON model, AI editing guidance, conformance requirements, security and privacy considerations, test suites, validators, examples, and implementation reports. This group may publish Specifications.
Note: The group will take inspiration from the CWS HTML 1.0 Draft, and that work may inform the group's discussions. That work does not constrain the group's discussions, and all decisions about the group's
deliverables will be made by the Community Group participants.
Group's public email, repo and wiki activity over time
Note: Community Groups are proposed and run by the community. Although W3C hosts these
conversations, the groups do not necessarily represent the views of the W3C Membership or staff.
Chairs, when logged in, may publish draft and final reports. Please see report requirements.
The AI-Editable HTML Workbook Community Group has opened the first public GitHub issues for the initial CWS HTML incubation draft.
GitHub will be used as the working issue tracker for discussion close to the draft text, schema, examples, validator, and implementation evidence. Participants who do not use GitHub may send feedback to the public mailing list, and the Chair will summarize that feedback into GitHub issues where appropriate.
Initial discussion issues:
Scope and naming for the AI-editable HTML workbook profile https://github.com/azamisoft/ChtWebSheet/issues/1
Plain JSON workbook model and optional asset encoding https://github.com/azamisoft/ChtWebSheet/issues/2
Security and privacy review for CWS HTML inspection and editing https://github.com/azamisoft/ChtWebSheet/issues/3
Conformance levels and validation requirements https://github.com/azamisoft/ChtWebSheet/issues/4
AI editing guide requirements and round-trip expectations https://github.com/azamisoft/ChtWebSheet/issues/5
Explore reusable skills for CWS HTML AI editing prompts https://github.com/azamisoft/ChtWebSheet/issues/6
Relevant links:
W3C Community Group: https://www.w3.org/community/html-workbook/
Workbook-style HTML exports are often designed as visual renderings rather than editable document formats. As a result, automation tools and AI agents do not have a reliable way to identify the workbook model, make targeted edits, preserve formulas, styles, images, and metadata, and round-trip the result without rewriting unrelated runtime or presentation markup.
This Community Group will incubate a browser-openable HTML workbook profile with an explicit, editable workbook data region and related guidance for validation, AI-assisted editing, and interoperability.
The initial contribution is CWS HTML 1.0 Draft, where workbook data is plain JSON inside script#websheet-model, with explicit HTML markers, an AI editing guide, JSON Schema, validation tests, and optional per-image asset encoding. The work focuses on browser-openable, AI-editable workbook HTML files, not on replacing OOXML, ODF, CSVW, Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, or browser-native spreadsheet editing. See the explainer for more background.
This group will discuss and refine recognition markers, the editable workbook JSON model, AI editing guidance, conformance requirements, security and privacy considerations, test suites, validators, examples, and implementation reports. This group may publish Specifications.
Note: The group will take inspiration from the CWS HTML 1.0 Draft, and that work may inform the group’s discussions. That work does not constrain the group’s discussions, and all decisions about the group’s
deliverables will be made by the Community Group participants.
This is a community initiative. This group was originally proposed on 2026-06-12 by
Ji Zhang. The following people supported its creation: Ji Zhang, Eric feng, Mac Su, LINLIN LIU and CONG WANG.
W3C’s hosting of this group does not imply endorsement of the activities.
