excel-mcp-server by sbraind - MCP Server

Excel MCP Server

A powerful Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that enables AI assistants like Claude to work seamlessly with Excel files. Built with TypeScript, ExcelJS, and the official MCP SDK.

About

This MCP server provides 34 comprehensive tools for Excel file manipulation, allowing Claude Desktop and other MCP clients to read, write, format, analyze, and transform Excel spreadsheets programmatically. Whether you need to extract data, create reports, apply complex formatting, or generate pivot tables and charts, this server has you covered.

Perfect for:

📊 Automated data analysis and reporting
📈 Business intelligence workflows
🔄 Data transformation and ETL processes
📝 Report generation from templates
🎨 Batch formatting and styling

Features

34 comprehensive tools for Excel manipulation
✨ Real-time Live Editing - See changes instantly in Excel (macOS with Microsoft Excel)
Full support for reading, writing, formatting, and analyzing Excel files
NEW: Charts, Pivot Tables, Excel Tables, and Conditional Formatting
Built with the official MCP SDK
Type-safe with TypeScript and Zod validation
Preserves formatting when modifying files
Optional backup creation before modifications
Supports both JSON and Markdown response formats

Installation

🚀 Quick Installation (Recommended) - One Click!

The easiest way to install this server is using the pre-built MCPB bundle:

Download the latest excel-mcp-server.mcpb file from the releases page
Double-click the .mcpb file, or:
- Open Claude Desktop
- Go to Settings → Extensions → Advanced Settings
- Click "Install Extension..."
- Select the downloaded .mcpb file
Restart Claude Desktop
Done! No Node.js installation, no config files to edit

Note: One-click installation works on Claude Desktop for macOS and Windows. All dependencies are bundled - no additional setup required!

For more details, see .

🛠️ Manual Installation (Advanced)

If you prefer to build from source:

Step 1: Clone and build the project

git clone https://github.com/sbraind/excel-mcp-server.git
cd excel-mcp-server
npm install
npm run build

Step 2: Configure Claude Desktop

Add this configuration to your Claude Desktop config file:

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
Linux: ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "excel": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["${__dirname}/dist/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

Note: When using the MCPB bundle or manual installation, use ${__dirname} which automatically resolves to the server's directory. For manual installations without MCPB, you can also use absolute paths like /path/to/excel-mcp-server/dist/index.js.

Step 3: Restart Claude Desktop

Close and reopen Claude Desktop completely.

Step 4: Verify

The server should now be available in Claude. Try:

Create a new Excel file at ~/Documents/test.xlsx with a sheet called "Sales" containing sample data

For detailed installation instructions and troubleshooting, see .

Configuration Options

The server supports several configuration options that can be set through Claude Desktop's MCP configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "excel": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["${__dirname}/dist/index.js"],
      "config": {
        "createBackupByDefault": false,
        "defaultResponseFormat": "json",
        "allowedDirectories": []
      }
    }
  }
}

Available Options:

createBackupByDefault (boolean, default: false) Automatically create backup files (.backup extension) before modifying Excel files. When enabled, every destructive operation will create a backup unless explicitly disabled in the tool call.
defaultResponseFormat (string: "json" or "markdown", default: "json") Default format for tool responses. Can be overridden per tool call with the responseFormat parameter.
allowedDirectories (array of strings, default: []) List of directories where the server is allowed to read/write Excel files. When empty, all directories are accessible. Use this to restrict file access for security:
```
"allowedDirectories": [
  "~/Documents/Excel",
  "~/Projects/data"
]
```
The server will reject any file operations outside these directories.

Input Validation

All tool inputs are validated using Zod schemas. Invalid parameters will return clear error messages indicating what's wrong:

Cell addresses must match format A1, B2, etc.
Ranges must match format A1:D10
File paths are checked against allowedDirectories if configured
Missing required parameters are reported immediately

✨ Real-Time Live Editing (macOS)

The Excel MCP Server features automatic real-time editing for Excel files that are already open in Microsoft Excel on macOS. When a file is open, changes are applied instantly and become visible immediately—no need to close and reopen the file!

How It Works

The server automatically detects when:

Microsoft Excel is running on your Mac
The target file is open in Excel

When both conditions are met, the server uses AppleScript to modify the open Excel file directly. Otherwise, it falls back to file-based editing using ExcelJS.

Supported Operations (16 Live-Editing Tools)

The following tools support real-time editing when files are open in Excel:

Writing:

excel_update_cell - Update cell values instantly
excel_add_row - Add rows and see them appear immediately
excel_write_range - Write data ranges in real-time
excel_set_formula - Set formulas that calculate instantly

Formatting:

excel_format_cell - Apply formatting (fonts, colors, borders) live
excel_set_column_width - Adjust column widths instantly
excel_set_row_height - Adjust row heights instantly
excel_merge_cells - Merge cells in real-time

Sheet Management:

excel_create_sheet - Create new sheets that appear immediately
excel_delete_sheet - Delete sheets with instant feedback
excel_rename_sheet - Rename sheets in real-time

Row/Column Operations:

excel_delete_rows - Delete rows and see them disappear instantly
excel_delete_columns - Delete columns in real-time
excel_insert_rows - Insert rows that appear immediately
excel_insert_columns - Insert columns instantly

Advanced:

excel_unmerge_cells - Unmerge cells in real-time

Response Indicators

Tool responses include a method field indicating which approach was used:

{
  "success": true,
  "message": "Cell A1 updated (via Excel)",
  "method": "applescript",
  "note": "Changes are visible immediately in Excel"
}

vs.

{
  "success": true,
  "message": "Cell A1 updated",
  "method": "exceljs",
  "note": "File updated. Open in Excel to see changes."
}

Requirements

Platform: macOS only (AppleScript is a macOS technology)
Application: Microsoft Excel for Mac must be installed
File State: Target Excel file must be open in Excel

Benefits

Instant Feedback: See changes as they happen—perfect for interactive workflows
No File Conflicts: Works directly with the open file without save/reload cycles
Seamless Experience: Automatically falls back to file-based editing when Excel isn't available

Note

Read-only operations (like excel_read_sheet, excel_read_range, etc.) don't require real-time editing as they don't modify files. Complex operations like pivot tables, charts, and conditional formatting use file-based editing for reliability.

Quick Start

Once installed, you can start using the server immediately in Claude Desktop. Here are some example prompts:

Create a new Excel file with sales data for Q1 2024

Read the data from Sheet1 in ~/Documents/report.xlsx

Apply bold formatting and blue background to the header row in my sales spreadsheet

Create a pivot table showing total sales by product and month

Generate a column chart from the data in range A1:B10

For more examples and detailed use cases, see .

Available Tools

📖 Reading (5 tools)

1. `excel_read_workbook`

List all sheets and metadata of an Excel workbook.

Example:

{
  "filePath": "./data.xlsx",
  "responseFormat": "json"
}

2. `excel_read_sheet`

Read complete data from a sheet with optional range.

Example:

{
  "filePath": "./data.xlsx",
  "sheetName": "Sales",
  "range": "A1:D10",
  "responseFormat": "markdown"
}

3. `excel_read_range`

Read a specific range of cells.

Example:

{
  "filePath": "./data.xlsx",
  "sheetName": "Sales",
  "range": "B2:E20",
  "responseFormat": "json"
}

4. `excel_get_cell`

Read value from a specific cell.

Example:

{
  "filePath": "./data.xlsx",
  "sheetName": "Sales",
  "cellAddress": "A1",
  "responseFormat": "json"
}

5. `excel_get_formula`

Read the formula from a specific cell.

Example:

{
  "filePath": "./data.xlsx",
  "sheetName": "Sales",
  "cellAddress": "D5",
  "responseFormat": "json"
}

✏️ Writing (5 tools)

6. `excel_write_workbook`

Create a new Excel file with data.

Example:

{
  "filePath": "./output.xlsx",
  "sheetName": "MyData",
  "data": [
    ["Name", "Age", "City"],
    ["Alice", 30, "New York"],
    ["Bob", 25, "Los Angeles"]
  ],
  "createBackup": false
}

7. `excel_update_cell`

Update value of a specific cell.

Example:

{
  "filePath": "./data.xlsx",
  "sheetName": "Sales",
  "cellAddress": "B2",
  "value": 1500,
  "createBackup": true
}

8. `excel_write_range`

Write multiple cells simultaneously.

Example:

{
  "filePath": "./data.xlsx",
  "sheetName": "Sales",
  "range": "A1:C2",
  "data": [
    ["Header1", "Header2", "Header3"],
    [100, 200, 300]
  ],
  "createBackup": false
}

9. `excel_add_row`

Add a row at the end of the sheet.

Example:

{
  "filePath": "./data.xlsx",
  "sheetName": "Sales",
  "data": ["Product X", 150, "2024-01-15"],
  "createBackup": false
}

10. `excel_set_formula`

Set or modify a formula in a cell.

Example:

{
  "filePath": "./data.xlsx",
  "sheetName": "Sales",
  "cellAddress": "D2",
  "formula": "SUM(B2:C2)",
  "createBackup": false
}

🎨 Formatting (4 tools)

11. `excel_format_cell`

Change cell formatting (color, font, borders, alignment).

Example:

{
  "filePath": "./data.xlsx",
  "sheetName": "Sales",
  "cellAddress": "A1",
  "format": {
    "font": {
      "bold": true,
      "size": 14,
      "color": "FF0000"
    },
    "fill": {
      "type": "pattern",
      "pattern": "solid",
      "fgColor": "FFFF00"
    },
    "alignment": {
      "horizontal": "center",
      "vertical": "middle"
    }
  },
  "createBackup": false
}

12. `excel_set_column_width`

Adjust width of a column.

Example:

{
  "filePath": "./data.xlsx",
  "sheetName": "Sales",
  "column": "A",
  "width": 20,
  "createBackup": false
}

13. `excel_set_row_height`

Adjust height of a row.

Example:

{
  "filePath": "./data.xlsx",
  "sheetName": "Sales",
  "row": 1,
  "height": 30,
  "createBackup": false
}

14. `excel_merge_cells`

Merge cells in a range.

Example:

{
  "filePath": "./data.xlsx",
  "sheetName": "Sales",
  "range": "A1:D1",
  "createBackup": false
}

📑 Sheet Management (4 tools)

15. `excel_create_sheet`

Create a new sheet in the workbook.

Example:

{
  "filePath": "./data.xlsx",
  "sheetName": "NewSheet",
  "createBackup": false
}

16. `excel_delete_sheet`

Delete a sheet from the workbook.

Example:

{
  "filePath": "./data.xlsx",
  "sheetName": "OldSheet",
  "createBackup": true
}

17. `excel_rename_sheet`

Rename a sheet.

Example:

{
  "filePath": "./data.xlsx",
  "oldName": "Sheet1",
  "newName": "Sales2024",
  "createBackup": false
}

18. `excel_duplicate_sheet`

Duplicate a complete sheet.

Example:

{
  "filePath": "./data.xlsx",
  "sourceSheetName": "Template",
  "newSheetName": "January",
  "createBackup": false
}

🔧 Operations (3 tools)

19. `excel_delete_rows`

Delete specific rows.

Example:

{
  "filePath": "./data.xlsx",
  "sheetName": "Sales",
  "startRow": 5,
  "count": 3,
  "createBackup": true
}

20. `excel_delete_columns`

Delete specific columns.

Example:

{
  "filePath": "./data.xlsx",
  "sheetName": "Sales",
  "startColumn": "C",
  "count": 2,
  "createBackup": true
}

21. `excel_copy_range`

Copy range to another location.

Example:

{
  "filePath": "./data.xlsx",
  "sourceSheetName": "Sales",
  "sourceRange": "A1:D10",
  "targetSheetName": "Backup",
  "targetCell": "A1",
  "createBackup": false
}

📊 Analysis (2 tools)

22. `excel_search_value`

Search for a value in sheet/range.

Example:

{
  "filePath": "./data.xlsx",
  "sheetName": "Sales",
  "searchValue": "Apple",
  "range": "A1:Z100",
  "caseSensitive": false,
  "responseFormat": "markdown"
}

23. `excel_filter_rows`

Filter rows by condition.

Example:

{
  "filePath": "./data.xlsx",
  "sheetName": "Sales",
  "column": "B",
  "condition": "greater_than",
  "value": 1000,
  "responseFormat": "json"
}

📈 Charts (1 tool)

24. `excel_create_chart`

Create charts from data ranges.

Example:

{
  "filePath": "./data.xlsx",
  "sheetName": "Sales",
  "chartType": "column",
  "dataRange": "A1:B10",
  "position": "D2",
  "title": "Monthly Sales",
  "showLegend": true,
  "createBackup": false
}

Note: ExcelJS has limited native chart support. This creates a chart placeholder with metadata.

🔄 Pivot Tables (1 tool)

25. `excel_create_pivot_table`

Create pivot tables for data analysis.

Example:

{
  "filePath": "./data.xlsx",
  "sourceSheetName": "Sales",
  "sourceRange": "A1:D100",
  "targetSheetName": "Pivot",
  "targetCell": "A1",
  "rows": ["Product"],
  "columns": ["Month"],
  "values": [
    { "field": "Amount", "aggregation": "sum" }
  ],
  "createBackup": false
}

📋 Excel Tables (1 tool)

26. `excel_create_table`

Convert ranges to formatted Excel tables.

Example:

{
  "filePath": "./data.xlsx",
  "sheetName": "Data",
  "range": "A1:D50",
  "tableName": "SalesTable",
  "tableStyle": "TableStyleMedium2",
  "showRowStripes": true,
  "createBackup": false
}

✅ Validation (3 tools)

27. `excel_validate_formula_syntax`

Validate formula syntax without applying it.

Example:

{
  "formula": "SUM(A1:A10) / COUNT(B1:B10)"
}

28. `excel_validate_range`

Validate if a range string is valid.

Example:

{
  "range": "A1:Z100"
}

29. `excel_get_data_validation_info`

Get data validation rules for a cell.

Example:

{
  "filePath": "./data.xlsx",
  "sheetName": "Input",
  "cellAddress": "A1",
  "responseFormat": "json"
}

🔧 Advanced Operations (4 tools)

30. `excel_insert_rows`

Insert rows at a specific position.

Example:

{
  "filePath": "./data.xlsx",
  "sheetName": "Sales",
  "startRow": 5,
  "count": 3,
  "createBackup": false
}

31. `excel_insert_columns`

Insert columns at a specific position.

Example:

{
  "filePath": "./data.xlsx",
  "sheetName": "Sales",
  "startColumn": "C",
  "count": 2,
  "createBackup": false
}

32. `excel_unmerge_cells`

Unmerge previously merged cells.

Example:

{
  "filePath": "./data.xlsx",
  "sheetName": "Report",
  "range": "A1:D1",
  "createBackup": false
}

33. `excel_get_merged_cells`

List all merged cell ranges in a sheet.

Example:

{
  "filePath": "./data.xlsx",
  "sheetName": "Report",
  "responseFormat": "markdown"
}

🎨 Conditional Formatting (1 tool)

34. `excel_apply_conditional_format`

Apply conditional formatting to ranges.

Example (Cell Value):

{
  "filePath": "./data.xlsx",
  "sheetName": "Sales",
  "range": "B2:B100",
  "ruleType": "cellValue",
  "condition": {
    "operator": "greaterThan",
    "value": 1000
  },
  "style": {
    "fill": {
      "type": "pattern",
      "pattern": "solid",
      "fgColor": "FF00FF00"
    },
    "font": {
      "bold": true
    }
  },
  "createBackup": false
}

Example (Color Scale):

{
  "filePath": "./data.xlsx",
  "sheetName": "Sales",
  "range": "C2:C100",
  "ruleType": "colorScale",
  "colorScale": {
    "minColor": "FFFF0000",
    "maxColor": "FF00FF00"
  },
  "createBackup": false
}

Development

Build

npm run build

Watch mode

npm run watch

Run

npm start

Error Handling

All tools include robust error handling and will return descriptive error messages for:

File not found
Sheet not found
Invalid cell addresses or ranges
Invalid formatting options
Write errors

Features

Backup Support

Most write operations support an optional createBackup parameter. When set to true, a backup of the original file will be created with a .backup extension before modifications.

Response Formats

Read operations support both json and markdown response formats:

JSON: Structured data, ideal for programmatic processing
Markdown: Human-readable tables and formatted output

Data Preview

When reading large datasets, the markdown format automatically shows a preview of the first 100 rows.

Dependencies

@modelcontextprotocol/sdk - Official MCP SDK
exceljs - Excel file manipulation
zod - Schema validation
typescript - Type safety

Links & Resources

Repository: github.com/sbraind/excel-mcp-server
Issues & Bug Reports: GitHub Issues
Model Context Protocol: modelcontextprotocol.io
Claude Desktop: claude.ai
ExcelJS Documentation: github.com/exceljs/exceljs

License

MIT - See for details.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

How to Contribute

Fork the repository
Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add amazing feature')
Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
Open a Pull Request

Support

If you encounter any issues or have questions:

Check the for common setup issues
Review existing issues to see if your problem has been addressed
Open a new issue with detailed information about your problem

Built with ❤️ using Claude Code

sbraind/excel-mcp-server

Excel MCP Server

About

Features

Installation

🚀 Quick Installation (Recommended) - One Click!

🛠️ Manual Installation (Advanced)

Step 1: Clone and build the project

Step 2: Configure Claude Desktop

Step 3: Restart Claude Desktop

Step 4: Verify

Configuration Options

Available Options:

Input Validation

✨ Real-Time Live Editing (macOS)

How It Works

Supported Operations (16 Live-Editing Tools)

Response Indicators

Requirements

Benefits

Note

Quick Start

Available Tools

📖 Reading (5 tools)

1. excel_read_workbook

2. excel_read_sheet

3. excel_read_range

4. excel_get_cell

5. excel_get_formula

✏️ Writing (5 tools)

6. excel_write_workbook

7. excel_update_cell

8. excel_write_range

9. excel_add_row

10. excel_set_formula

🎨 Formatting (4 tools)

11. excel_format_cell

12. excel_set_column_width

13. excel_set_row_height

14. excel_merge_cells

📑 Sheet Management (4 tools)

15. excel_create_sheet

16. excel_delete_sheet

17. excel_rename_sheet

18. excel_duplicate_sheet

🔧 Operations (3 tools)

19. excel_delete_rows

20. excel_delete_columns

21. excel_copy_range

📊 Analysis (2 tools)

22. excel_search_value

23. excel_filter_rows

📈 Charts (1 tool)

24. excel_create_chart

🔄 Pivot Tables (1 tool)

25. excel_create_pivot_table

📋 Excel Tables (1 tool)

26. excel_create_table

✅ Validation (3 tools)

27. excel_validate_formula_syntax

28. excel_validate_range

29. excel_get_data_validation_info

🔧 Advanced Operations (4 tools)

30. excel_insert_rows

31. excel_insert_columns

32. excel_unmerge_cells

33. excel_get_merged_cells

🎨 Conditional Formatting (1 tool)

34. excel_apply_conditional_format

Development

Build

Watch mode

Run

Error Handling

Features

Backup Support

Response Formats

Data Preview

Dependencies

Links & Resources

1. `excel_read_workbook`

2. `excel_read_sheet`

3. `excel_read_range`

4. `excel_get_cell`

5. `excel_get_formula`

6. `excel_write_workbook`

7. `excel_update_cell`

8. `excel_write_range`

9. `excel_add_row`

10. `excel_set_formula`

11. `excel_format_cell`

12. `excel_set_column_width`

13. `excel_set_row_height`

14. `excel_merge_cells`

15. `excel_create_sheet`

16. `excel_delete_sheet`

17. `excel_rename_sheet`

18. `excel_duplicate_sheet`

19. `excel_delete_rows`

20. `excel_delete_columns`

21. `excel_copy_range`

22. `excel_search_value`

23. `excel_filter_rows`

24. `excel_create_chart`

25. `excel_create_pivot_table`

26. `excel_create_table`

27. `excel_validate_formula_syntax`

28. `excel_validate_range`

29. `excel_get_data_validation_info`

30. `excel_insert_rows`

31. `excel_insert_columns`

32. `excel_unmerge_cells`

33. `excel_get_merged_cells`

34. `excel_apply_conditional_format`