Claude File Upload to Check Number Consistency in a Draft Report

Create a Word document called Company A draft (invented).docx. Every figure is invented.

1. Type the heading Company A draft (invented).
2. Add a section called Executive summary and paste this text:

Under the Baseline scenario, output growth is 2.0 percent and the employment change is 1,200 jobs. The High scenario is 1.2 points above baseline on output growth. Employment rises by 600 more jobs than baseline in the High scenario. Prior studies find similar effects.

1. Add a section called Table 1 and insert a real Word table with these rows:

Before you upload, list what a correct check should find. Do the subtraction yourself in a spreadsheet or on paper.

Numbers that appear more than once: 2.0 (Executive summary and Table 1), 1,200 (Executive summary, Table 1 and Part 3), 600 (Executive summary as a difference, and Table 1 as the Low scenario value, which are different quantities that happen to share a value).

What you should see: A four-row answer table in your notes. Troubleshooting: If your arithmetic differs, recheck the subtraction: 3.0 minus 2.0 is 1.0, and 1,800 minus 1,200 is 600.

1. Open Claude and start a new chat.
2. Click the + button in the lower left corner of the chat box.
3. Select Add files or photos.
4. Choose Company A draft (invented).docx and click Open, or drag the file into the chat window.
5. Wait for the file to appear attached.

What you should see: The file attached to your message. Troubleshooting: Anthropic's page lists limits for chat uploads, including up to 20 files per chat. A short draft is far inside them.

1. Paste the prompt in "Your First Real Task" below.
2. Send it.
3. Read the full reply before you act on any part of it.

What you should see: Three parts: a table of repeated numbers with locations, a list of mismatches, and a list of citation gaps. Troubleshooting: If a location is described vaguely, ask Claude to quote the sentence or table row where the number appears.

1. Check that Claude found the 1.2 versus 1.0 point mismatch.
2. Check that it found 650 versus 600.
3. Check that it found the missing citation for "Prior studies find similar effects".
4. Check whether it also flagged the matching 600-job difference. A good reply treats it as consistent, not as an error.
5. Note anything Claude reported that is not in your table, and open the draft to see whether it is real.

What you should see: Three findings that match your table, and a consistent note for the 600-job difference. Troubleshooting: If Claude misses one of the three, ask it to re-check that sentence by name. If it reports something you cannot find in the draft, ignore it. The draft decides.

Fix the draft from the list, never the other way round.

1. Open Company A draft (invented).docx.
2. Change "1.2 points" to "1.0 point" in the Executive summary, after confirming the two Table 1 values yourself.
3. Change "650" to "600" in Part 3, after confirming it against Table 1.
4. For "Prior studies find similar effects", add the citation from your own source log, or delete the sentence if you cannot support it.
5. Save the file as a new version.

What you should see: A corrected draft with matching numbers and no uncited claim. Troubleshooting: If you are not sure which side is wrong, the table or the sentence, trace the number to your model output, not to the chat. A reply cannot tell you which is right.

1. Start a new chat and upload the corrected file.
2. Send the same prompt.
3. Confirm that the mismatch list is empty and the citation gap list is empty or covered.

What you should see: A clean second pass. Troubleshooting: A clean pass shows only that the repeated numbers agree. It does not show that they are right, so keep your own read of the source calculations.