A CSV file can preserve every byte you exported and still look different after somebody opens and saves it in a spreadsheet.
The problem is not always a broken parser. Spreadsheet applications deliberately interpret text during import. Depending on the application, version, locale, and import path, that can remove leading zeros, round long integer-like values, treat E notation as scientific notation, parse compact letter-and-digit tokens as dates, or reinterpret decimal and thousands separators.
I released PlainCell to make those possible interpretations reviewable before the file is opened and saved.
PlainCell is a zero-dependency, local, read-only Node.js CLI and browser workspace. It reports the exact source cell, physical line, column, original text, reason, and an explicit import recipe. It does not rewrite the CSV or claim to know what the value was intended to mean.
A small example






