## TL;DR
Fix this in the parser for the customer questionnaire spreadsheet by acting on the exact message first: before parsing the customer questionnaire spreadsheet, check the header row and merged cells, then convert the file to a clean one-question-per-row sheet before parsing; keep the original file untouched so the parse can be replayed. Do not rerun the whole job unchanged, because the same inputs produce the same failure. Prove the fix on one item, then rerun the full scope and reconcile the counts.

```text
parser failed on customer questionnaire spreadsheet
```

## Use this when
- The operation in the parser for the customer questionnaire spreadsheet fails with this exact message: parser failed on customer questionnaire spreadsheet.
- The same failure repeats on retry with unchanged inputs.
- A review, export or check is blocked until this item completes.

## Not for this skill when
- The message is a permission or outage notice from the platform. Resolve that first, then return here if this error remains.
- The operation completes and you only disagree with its output. That is a quality review, not this failure.

## Steps
1. Reproduce the failure with the smallest scope that still shows it in the parser for the customer questionnaire spreadsheet, and copy the full message plus the questionnaire, answer or evidence item involved into the run notes. Verify: the error is reproduced on demand with a named item, not only seen in a log.
2. Apply the specific fix for this error: before parsing the customer questionnaire spreadsheet, check the header row and merged cells, then convert the file to a clean one-question-per-row sheet before parsing; keep the original file untouched so the parse can be replayed. Verify: the repaired customer questionnaire spreadsheet parses end to end and the parsed record count matches the source count.
3. Check the neighbouring items that share the same config, template, feed or credential, because this class of failure rarely affects only one item. Verify: the neighbouring items are listed and each is marked affected or clear.
4. Compare the result counts, decisions or alerts against the source in the parser for the customer questionnaire spreadsheet so a silent partial success is caught before sign off. Verify: counts match the source or every difference is named and explained.
5. Rerun the original operation in the parser for the customer questionnaire spreadsheet on the previously failing scope, watching for the same message rather than assuming success from a quiet log. Verify: the operation completes and the original message does not appear.
6. Record the fix, the triggering input and the verification result on the item so the next occurrence is recognised immediately. Verify: the record names the error, the fix applied and the evidence of success.

## Why it happens
the parser assumed a clean, current format, and the real customer questionnaire spreadsheet broke one of those assumptions, so parsing stopped at the first bad structure instead of reporting it.

## Variant phrasings

### parser failed on customer questionnaire spreadsheet
The verbatim form searchers paste from the terminal or console. Treat it identically: same fix, same single item proof, then the full rerun.

### How to fix: parser failed on customer questionnaire spreadsheet error parsing failure
The how-to phrasing for the same failure in the parser for the customer questionnaire spreadsheet. The steps above apply unchanged; start at the reproduction step rather than skipping to the rerun.

### the parser for the customer questionnaire spreadsheet troubleshooting for this failure
The symptom-first phrasing used when the console hides the full message. Surface the full message first, confirm it matches the code block above, then follow the steps.

Compatibility: the parser for the customer questionnaire spreadsheet at current versions, plus the platform API or console the query names; no extra tooling beyond a text editor and the source system access needed to verify counts.

## Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_1cEZlQB-FhBwzST20-zfDw