Excel▌
by negokaz
Unlock powerful Excel automation: read/write Excel files, create sheets, and automate workflows with seamless integratio
Unlock powerful Excel automation with this MCP server that reads and writes Excel files effortlessly. It supports text, formulas, sheet creation, and works with XLSX, XLSM, XLTX, and XLTM formats. Windows users benefit from live editing and screen capture features. The server offers tools to describe sheets, read cell ranges with pagination, write values or formulas, create tables, and copy sheets. Configurable paging limits help manage large data efficiently. Designed for seamless Excel data manipulation, it enhances workflow automation and integration with other systems through the Model Context Protocol.
Both formats append explainx.ai attribution and the canonical URL for this MCP server listing.
best for
- / Data analysts processing large spreadsheets
- / Business automation workflows
- / Report generation from Excel templates
- / Excel data integration with other systems
capabilities
- / Read cell ranges with pagination
- / Write values and formulas to cells
- / Create new sheets and tables
- / Copy sheets between workbooks
- / Format cell ranges with styling
- / List sheet information from workbooks
what it does
Reads and writes Excel files directly, supporting text, formulas, and sheet manipulation across XLSX, XLSM, XLTX, and XLTM formats. Windows users get additional live editing capabilities.
about
Excel is a community-built MCP server published by negokaz that provides AI assistants with tools and capabilities via the Model Context Protocol. Unlock powerful Excel automation: read/write Excel files, create sheets, and automate workflows with seamless integratio It is categorized under productivity, analytics data. This server exposes 6 tools that AI clients can invoke during conversations and coding sessions.
how to install
You can install Excel in your AI client of choice. Use the install panel on this page to get one-click setup for Cursor, Claude Desktop, VS Code, and other MCP-compatible clients. This server runs locally on your machine via the stdio transport.
license
MIT
Excel is released under the MIT license. This is a permissive open-source license, meaning you can freely use, modify, and distribute the software.
readme
Excel MCP Server
<img src="https://github.com/negokaz/excel-mcp-server/blob/main/docs/img/icon-800.png?raw=true" width="128"> <a href="https://glama.ai/mcp/servers/@negokaz/excel-mcp-server"> <img width="380" height="200" src="https://glama.ai/mcp/servers/@negokaz/excel-mcp-server/badge" alt="Excel Server MCP server" /> </a>A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that reads and writes MS Excel data.
Features
- Read/Write text values
- Read/Write formulas
- Create new sheets
🪟Windows only:
- Live editing
- Capture screen image from a sheet
For more details, see the tools section.
Requirements
- Node.js 20.x or later
Supported file formats
- xlsx (Excel book)
- xlsm (Excel macro-enabled book)
- xltx (Excel template)
- xltm (Excel macro-enabled template)
Installation
Installing via NPM
excel-mcp-server is automatically installed by adding the following configuration to the MCP servers configuration.
For Windows:
{
"mcpServers": {
"excel": {
"command": "cmd",
"args": ["/c", "npx", "--yes", "@negokaz/excel-mcp-server"],
"env": {
"EXCEL_MCP_PAGING_CELLS_LIMIT": "4000"
}
}
}
}
For other platforms:
{
"mcpServers": {
"excel": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["--yes", "@negokaz/excel-mcp-server"],
"env": {
"EXCEL_MCP_PAGING_CELLS_LIMIT": "4000"
}
}
}
}
Installing via Smithery
To install Excel MCP Server for Claude Desktop automatically via Smithery:
npx -y @smithery/cli install @negokaz/excel-mcp-server --client claude
<h2 id="tools">Tools</h2>
excel_describe_sheets
List all sheet information of specified Excel file.
Arguments:
fileAbsolutePath- Absolute path to the Excel file
excel_read_sheet
Read values from Excel sheet with pagination.
Arguments:
fileAbsolutePath- Absolute path to the Excel file
sheetName- Sheet name in the Excel file
range- Range of cells to read in the Excel sheet (e.g., "A1:C10"). [default: first paging range]
showFormula- Show formula instead of value [default: false]
showStyle- Show style information for cells [default: false]
excel_screen_capture
[Windows only] Take a screenshot of the Excel sheet with pagination.
Arguments:
fileAbsolutePath- Absolute path to the Excel file
sheetName- Sheet name in the Excel file
range- Range of cells to read in the Excel sheet (e.g., "A1:C10"). [default: first paging range]
excel_write_to_sheet
Write values to the Excel sheet.
Arguments:
fileAbsolutePath- Absolute path to the Excel file
sheetName- Sheet name in the Excel file
newSheet- Create a new sheet if true, otherwise write to the existing sheet
range- Range of cells to read in the Excel sheet (e.g., "A1:C10").
values- Values to write to the Excel sheet. If the value is a formula, it should start with "="
excel_create_table
Create a table in the Excel sheet
Arguments:
fileAbsolutePath- Absolute path to the Excel file
sheetName- Sheet name where the table is created
range- Range to be a table (e.g., "A1:C10")
tableName- Table name to be created
excel_copy_sheet
Copy existing sheet to a new sheet
Arguments:
fileAbsolutePath- Absolute path to the Excel file
srcSheetName- Source sheet name in the Excel file
dstSheetName- Sheet name to be copied
excel_format_range
Format cells in the Excel sheet with style information
Arguments:
fileAbsolutePath- Absolute path to the Excel file
sheetName- Sheet name in the Excel file
range- Range of cells in the Excel sheet (e.g., "A1:C3")
styles- 2D array of style objects for each cell. If a cell does not change style, use null. The number of items of the array must match the range size.
- Style object properties:
border: Array of border styles (type, color, style)font: Font styling (bold, italic, underline, size, strike, color, vertAlign)fill: Fill/background styling (type, pattern, color, shading)numFmt: Custom number format stringdecimalPlaces: Number of decimal places (0-30)
You can change the MCP Server behaviors by the following environment variables:
EXCEL_MCP_PAGING_CELLS_LIMIT
The maximum number of cells to read in a single paging operation.
[default: 4000]
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Kazuki Negoro
excel-mcp-server is released under the MIT License
FAQ
- What is the Excel MCP server?
- Excel is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server profile on explainx.ai. MCP lets AI hosts (e.g. Claude Desktop, Cursor) call tools and resources through a standard interface; this page summarizes categories, install hints, and community ratings.
- How do MCP servers relate to agent skills?
- Skills are reusable instruction packages (often SKILL.md); MCP servers expose live capabilities. Teams frequently combine both—skills for workflows, MCP for APIs and data. See explainx.ai/skills and explainx.ai/mcp-servers for parallel directories.
- How are reviews shown for Excel?
- This profile displays 61 aggregated ratings (sample rows for discoverability plus signed-in user reviews). Average score is about 4.6 out of 5—verify behavior in your own environment before production use.
Use Cases▌
Extended AI Capabilities
Add new capabilities to Claude beyond text generation
Example
Access external data sources, execute code, interact with tools and services
Transform Claude from chatbot to action-taking agent
Context Enhancement
Provide Claude with access to relevant context and data
Example
Load project documentation, access knowledge bases, query databases
Get more accurate, context-aware responses
Workflow Automation
Automate multi-step workflows combining AI and external tools
Example
Research → Summarize → Create document → Send notification
Complete complex tasks end-to-end without manual steps
Implementation Guide▌
Prerequisites
- ›Claude Desktop 0.7.0+ or Cursor IDE with MCP support
- ›Basic understanding of MCP architecture and capabilities
- ›Access credentials for integrated services (if required)
- ›Willingness to experiment and iterate on configuration
Time Estimate
15-60 minutes depending on server complexity
Installation Steps
- 1.Install MCP server: npm install -g [package-name] or via GitHub
- 2.Add server configuration to ~/.claude/mcp.json
- 3.Provide required credentials and configuration
- 4.Restart Claude Desktop to load new server
- 5.Test basic functionality with simple prompts
- 6.Explore capabilities and experiment with use cases
- 7.Document successful patterns for reuse
Troubleshooting
- ⚠MCP server not loading: Check config syntax, verify installation
- ⚠Connection errors: Check network, firewall, credentials
- ⚠Feature not working: Read server docs, check required parameters
- ⚠Performance issues: Monitor resource usage, check for network latency
- ⚠Conflicts with other servers: Check port assignments, namespace collisions
Best Practices▌
✓ Do
- +Read server documentation thoroughly before setup
- +Start with simple use cases to validate functionality
- +Test in non-production environment first
- +Monitor resource usage and performance
- +Keep servers updated for bug fixes and new features
- +Document configuration for team members
- +Use environment variables for sensitive configuration
✗ Don't
- −Don't grant overly permissive access to MCP servers
- −Don't skip reading security considerations in docs
- −Don't expose sensitive data without proper controls
- −Don't run untrusted MCP servers without code review
- −Don't ignore error messages—investigate root cause
💡 Pro Tips
- ★Combine multiple MCP servers for powerful workflows
- ★Create custom MCP servers for your specific needs
- ★Share successful configurations with team
- ★Use MCP inspector for debugging
- ★Join MCP community for tips and troubleshooting
Technical Details▌
Architecture
Model Context Protocol standardizes how AI hosts (Claude, Cursor) communicate with external tools and data sources through server implementations.
Protocols
- Model Context Protocol (MCP)
- JSON-RPC 2.0
- stdio or HTTP transport
Compatibility
- Claude Desktop
- Cursor IDE
- Custom MCP clients
When to Use This▌
✓ Use When
Use when you need Claude to access external data, execute actions, or integrate with tools. Best for extending AI capabilities beyond conversation.
✗ Avoid When
Avoid when native integrations exist (use official APIs directly), for real-time critical systems, or when security/compliance requires zero external dependencies.
Integration▌
- →Tool composition: Chain multiple MCP tools in workflows
- →Context augmentation: Provide AI with relevant external data
- →Action delegation: Let AI execute tasks on external systems
- →Bidirectional sync: Keep AI context and external systems in sync
Discussion
Product Hunt–style comments (not star reviews)- No comments yet — start the thread.
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Ratings
4.6★★★★★61 reviews- ★★★★★Advait Sethi· Dec 28, 2024
Excel is among the better-indexed MCP projects we tried; the explainx.ai summary tracks the official description.
- ★★★★★Kwame Gill· Dec 24, 2024
Useful MCP listing: Excel is the kind of server we cite when onboarding engineers to host + tool permissions.
- ★★★★★Noor Reddy· Dec 20, 2024
Strong directory entry: Excel surfaces stars and publisher context so we could sanity-check maintenance before adopting.
- ★★★★★Sophia Haddad· Dec 20, 2024
We wired Excel into a staging workspace; the listing’s GitHub and npm pointers saved time versus hunting across READMEs.
- ★★★★★Mei Dixit· Dec 16, 2024
I recommend Excel for teams standardizing on MCP; the explainx.ai page compares cleanly with sibling servers.
- ★★★★★Shikha Mishra· Dec 4, 2024
Excel is a well-scoped MCP server in the explainx.ai directory — install snippets and categories matched our Claude Code setup.
- ★★★★★Advait Park· Dec 4, 2024
Excel is a well-scoped MCP server in the explainx.ai directory — install snippets and categories matched our Claude Code setup.
- ★★★★★Advait Choi· Nov 19, 2024
According to our notes, Excel benefits from clear Model Context Protocol framing — fewer ambiguous “AI plugin” claims.
- ★★★★★Noor Martin· Nov 15, 2024
Strong directory entry: Excel surfaces stars and publisher context so we could sanity-check maintenance before adopting.
- ★★★★★Diego Gonzalez· Nov 11, 2024
Useful MCP listing: Excel is the kind of server we cite when onboarding engineers to host + tool permissions.
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