How to install it

It runs on your machine and needs uv. Configuration taken from the official MCP registry.

In a terminal:

claude mcp add --transport stdio excel -- uvx excel-mcp-server stdio

In ~/.cursor/mcp.json (or .cursor/mcp.json in your project):

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "excel": {
            "command": "uvx",
            "args": [
                "excel-mcp-server",
                "stdio"
            ]
        }
    }
}

If the file already lists other servers, add only this entry inside the list.

In your project's .vscode/mcp.json:

{
    "servers": {
        "excel": {
            "type": "stdio",
            "command": "uvx",
            "args": [
                "excel-mcp-server",
                "stdio"
            ]
        }
    }
}

If the file already lists other servers, add only this entry inside the list.

In claude_desktop_config.json (macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude; Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude), then restart Claude:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "excel": {
            "command": "uvx",
            "args": [
                "excel-mcp-server",
                "stdio"
            ]
        }
    }
}

If the file already lists other servers, add only this entry inside the list.

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PyPI versionTotal DownloadsLicense: MITsmithery badgeInstall MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that lets you manipulate Excel files without needing Microsoft Excel installed. Create, read, and modify Excel workbooks with your AI agent.

Features

  • 📊 Excel Operations: Create, read, update workbooks and worksheets
  • 📈 Data Manipulation: Formulas, formatting, charts, pivot tables, and Excel tables
  • 🔍 Data Validation: Built-in validation for ranges, formulas, and data integrity
  • 🎨 Formatting: Font styling, colors, borders, alignment, and conditional formatting
  • 📋 Table Operations: Create and manage Excel tables with custom styling
  • 📊 Chart Creation: Generate various chart types (line, bar, pie, scatter, etc.)
  • 🔄 Pivot Tables: Create dynamic pivot tables for data analysis
  • 🔧 Sheet Management: Copy, rename, delete worksheets with ease
  • 🔌 Triple transport support: stdio, SSE (deprecated), and streamable HTTP
  • 🌐 Remote & Local: Works both locally and as a remote service

Usage

The server supports three transport methods:

1. Stdio Transport (for local use)

uvx excel-mcp-server stdio
{
   "mcpServers": {
      "excel": {
         "command": "uvx",
         "args": ["excel-mcp-server", "stdio"]
      }
   }
}

2. SSE Transport (Server-Sent Events - Deprecated)

uvx excel-mcp-server sse

SSE transport connection:

{
   "mcpServers": {
      "excel": {
         "url": "http://localhost:8000/sse",
      }
   }
}

3. Streamable HTTP Transport (Recommended for remote connections)

uvx excel-mcp-server streamable-http

Streamable HTTP transport connection:

{
   "mcpServers": {
      "excel": {
         "url": "http://localhost:8000/mcp",
      }
   }
}

Environment Variables & File Path Handling

SSE and Streamable HTTP Transports

When running the server with the SSE or Streamable HTTP protocols, you must set the EXCEL_FILES_PATH environment variable on the server side. This variable tells the server where to read and write Excel files.

  • If not set, it defaults to ./excel_files.

You can also set the FASTMCP_PORT environment variable to control the port the server listens on (default is 8017 if not set).

  • Example (Windows PowerShell):
    $env:EXCEL_FILES_PATH="E:\MyExcelFiles"
    $env:FASTMCP_PORT="8007"
    uvx excel-mcp-server streamable-http
    
  • Example (Linux/macOS):
    EXCEL_FILES_PATH=/path/to/excel_files FASTMCP_PORT=8007 uvx excel-mcp-server streamable-http
    

Stdio Transport

When using the stdio protocol, the file path is provided with each tool call, so you do not need to set EXCEL_FILES_PATH on the server. The server will use the path sent by the client for each operation.

Available Tools

The server provides a comprehensive set of Excel manipulation tools. See TOOLS.md for complete documentation of all available tools.

Star History

Star History Chart

License

MIT License - see LICENSE for details.

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