January 4, 2026
ROT13-gate: Magic or Mess?
Show HN: Magic CSV – Transform CSVs with plain English, no formulas
CSV “Magic” divides the crowd: cash‑grab or cleanup hero
TLDR: Magic CSV promises plain‑English fixes for messy spreadsheets. Commenters blasted it as an AI wrapper with shaky accuracy after a failed ROT13 test, raising privacy and prompt‑injection worries—leaving the community doubtful it’s ready for real, sensitive data.
Magic CSV dropped on Show HN promising to tidy messy spreadsheet files using plain English—no formulas, no scripts, and a free first file. But the comments didn’t roll out a red carpet; they lit a spotlight and asked tough questions. One skeptical voice gave cash‑grab vibes: a user said it reads like “what startup can I make that can earn fast revenue?” and warned the tool’s audience won’t upload sensitive data anyway. They also flagged prompt injection—a trick where hidden instructions can make an AI go off the rails—calling for serious safeguards.
Then came the ROT13 meltdown. A commenter tried a simple letter‑shift puzzle (ROT13) and said the tool “got it completely wrong,” worse, it didn’t notice the mistake and cheerfully returned mangled data. Cue the jokes: “ROT13 is the new unit test,” “Magic CSV did magic—made the names disappear,” and “if it can’t pass Kindergarten cryptograms, should we trust it with our customer list?”
While a few folks liked the no credit card and quick demo, the mood leaned: cool idea, shaky trust. The community’s verdict so far? If Magic CSV wants real users, it needs bulletproof accuracy, clear privacy guarantees, and proof it won’t fall for tricksy prompts. Until then, the spreadsheet warriors aren’t convinced.
Key Points
- •Magic CSV enables CSV transformations using plain-English instructions.
- •Supported tasks include splitting columns, reformatting dates, and standardizing names.
- •No formulas or scripts are required to perform data cleanup.
- •An interactive demo with sample messy data is available for users to try.
- •The first file transformation is free and does not require a credit card.