Build a self-updating business dashboard in Claude from Stripe and Google Sheets
Connect Google Drive, Sheets or Stripe to Claude, build a dashboard from one plain-language question, check how each number was counted, and keep the data flowing so it stays current.
What it takes
- Cost
- Free planClaude: Free plan. Pro is $20 a month billed monthly ($17 a month billed yearly), and Max starts at $100 a month. Team seats are $25 a month billed monthly.The source says dashboards need a paid Claude plan. Code execution and file creation itself is on every plan, Free included, per Anthropic.Price checked Oct 24, 2026 on claude.com. Prices change; check before you buy.
- Setup time
- An afternoonOur estimate from the source, for one business.
- Skill needed
- No codeApps and settings only.
Explain it simply
Claude can turn a question like 'how did sales this month compare with last month?' into a page of charts. If it's connected to your apps, the page updates itself each time you open it. For apps it can't connect to, you set up an automation that copies the data into a spreadsheet Claude can read.
What you need
- Settings → Capabilities → Code execution and file creation switched on. It's available on every Claude plan, Free included.
- Your business data in a connectable app (such as Stripe or Shopify) or a Google Sheet.
The source says a first test dashboard takes about 5 minutes; connecting your own data takes longer.
Steps
Connect your data sources
Go to Settings → Connectors, click Browse connectors, search for the app (for example Google Drive, Google Sheets or Stripe), click Connect, sign in and approve access.
The first time a dashboard uses a connector, Claude asks which tools it may use; your choice carries over.
Open a dashboard
Go to Artifacts in the left sidebar and click Dashboard, or type /dashboard in a new chat. You can also ask for a dashboard in any chat.
The source offers a sample candle-shop sales sheet to practise on before using your own data.
Ask one business question
Describe the data, the decision you need to make and what to show. Claude writes a query for each chart and builds the page.
PromptWritten by our editors from the sources Use my Google Sheet "[sheet name]". It holds [what the data is, e.g. a year of sales]. I need to decide [the decision]. Show [the measures, e.g. monthly revenue, revenue by product and channel, refund rate by product]. Flag anything that's growing, slowing down or causing problems.Adapted from the sample prompt in the source.
Check how a number was counted
Click the database icon at the top, or hover over any number, to see the data, formula and anything left out.
Refine and share
Ask for changes in the chat, or click an element in the dashboard to leave a comment for Claude.
Share by email if needed; people you share with also need access to the data source to see the numbers.
Keep data flowing for apps without a connector
For an app Claude can't connect to, export a CSV for a one-off snapshot, or set up a small automation that keeps the data flowing into a Google Sheet or database Claude can read.
The author keeps a Google Drive folder per month with issued invoices, expenses and bank statements, and is combining them into one sheet so a cash-flow dashboard stays current.
How to know it worked
- Opening the dashboard later shows new data without rebuilding it.
- One number you check by hand matches the source app.
Watch-outs
- A dashboard is only as current as its data; CSV uploads stay frozen until you upload again.
- The full cash-flow walkthrough and its prompts continue on the author's Substack, which wasn't reviewed for this guide.
- The source says Claude Dashboards launched on October 8, 2026; check that it's on your plan before you start.
Steps are written by our editors from the sources above. Test on low-risk work first. Spotted a mistake? Suggest a correction.