LibreAI / AI Agents / excel-mcp-server
// agents · haris-musa/excel-mcp-server

excel-mcp-server

Excel MCP Server: let AI agents read, write, format, and chart real .xlsx workbooks — no Excel required

★ 4.2k stars⑂ 470 forksMITupdated 2026-10
▦ visual — this project's README ships no embeddable screenshot,
so here's a placeholder. The guide below is complete regardless.
// project facts

Project facts

excel-mcp-server is an open-source ai agents project by haris-musa (haris-musa/excel-mcp-server on GitHub). It has 4,216 GitHub stars and 470 forks, is released under the MIT license, and was last updated on GitHub on 8 October 2026.

GitHub stars
4,216
Forks
470
License
MIT
Last updated on GitHub
8 October 2026
Category
AI Agents
Listing
Full install guide
Official site
Official site
// how it works

How it works

  1. Scope your workbooks

    Choose the folder(s) the server may access — access is confined to --allow-dir paths.

  2. Register the server with your client

    Add the uvx command to Claude Code, Codex, or another MCP client using the documented one-liners.

  3. Restart the client

    Restart so the Excel tools load.

  4. Ask for your first workbook task

    Have the agent read a sheet, compute values, and write results or a chart back into the file.

// features

Why people love it

Full workbook control

Read/write ranges, formatting, conditional formatting, data validation, tables, images, and sparklines.

Real formula engine

Formula results are calculated by a built-in engine (~260 functions), not left as unevaluated strings.

Charts and PivotTables

Create Excel charts including 2016 types, and build PivotTables from your data.

Safety by design

Folder confinement, formula safety checks that reject network/external-reference functions, atomic saves, and an optional read-only mode.

stdio and HTTP transports

Run locally per-client over stdio, or as a streamable-HTTP server with optional token authentication.

VBA awareness

Reads VBA in macro-enabled files; writing VBA is opt-in (--allow-vba-write) and macros are never executed.

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// run it

Run it yourself

  1. Clone the repository

    Clone the project and enter its directory (most users run it via uvx, next step).

    git clone https://github.com/haris-musa/excel-mcp-server.git
    cd excel-mcp-server
  2. Add it to Claude Code

    Register the server, scoped to your workbooks folder.

    claude mcp add excel --scope user -- uvx excel-mcp-server stdio --allow-dir /path/to/workbooks
  3. Or run it directly

    Start the server over stdio yourself, or over HTTP at http://127.0.0.1:8017/mcp.

    uvx excel-mcp-server stdio --allow-dir /path/to/workbooks
// use cases

What you can build

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// faq

Questions, answered

Who maintains Excel MCP Server?

Developer haris-musa maintains the project (excelmcpserver.com).

Is it free?

Yes, MIT-licensed. Your AI client (Claude, Codex, etc.) may have its own costs.

Does it need a paid API key or Microsoft Excel?

Neither — no Excel installation is required, and the server itself needs no key; HTTP mode can optionally use your own auth token.

How does it compare to asking an agent to use Python/openpyxl?

This server gives the agent purpose-built, safety-checked tools (confinement, formula checks, atomic saves, a real calculation engine) instead of arbitrary code execution against your files.

How do I get started?

Run `claude mcp add excel --scope user -- uvx excel-mcp-server stdio --allow-dir /path/to/workbooks`, restart Claude Code, and ask it to inspect a workbook.

// keep exploring

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Get excel-mcp-server

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