MCP Server

Active

MIT

MCP Server for Excel MCP Server

io.github.sbroenne/mcp-server-excel

Automate Microsoft Excel with AI—control sheets, Power Query, DAX, VBA, and more via natural language.

What is the MCP Server for Excel MCP server?

The Excel MCP Server is a Model Context Protocol server that enables AI assistants like Claude and GitHub Copilot to automate real Microsoft Excel workbooks through natural-language requests. It exposes 31 tools covering 326 operations—from data analytics and Power Query to charts, VBA, and Python in Excel—by driving Excel's official COM API on Windows.

Excel MCP Server lets you automate Microsoft Excel through conversational AI. Unlike file parsers, it controls the actual Excel application, preserving formulas, PivotTables, charts, macros, and formatting. You can refresh Power Query, recalculate formulas, evaluate DAX, run VBA and Python code, create charts, and manipulate ranges and tables—all by asking in plain language. Available as an MCP Server for Claude Desktop and other clients, a VS Code extension, or a CLI tool.

How to install MCP Server for Excel

Copy-paste configuration for popular MCP clients.

transport: stdio

Config generated by PluginBench — verify against the source before use.

~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-server-excel": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@sbroenne/mcp-server-excel"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Tools & capabilities

Tools this server exposes to the agent.

Data & Analytics — Power Query, DAX, Power Pivot, Excel Tables, PivotTables, and data connections
Cells & Workbooks — Ranges, formulas, formatting, worksheets, files, calculation, and named ranges
Charts & Visuals — Charts, slicers, conditional formatting, screenshots, drawings, and sparklines
Automation & Advanced — VBA, Python in Excel, Goal Seek, scenarios, data tables, windows, and XML Maps

Use cases

Import CSV files with Power Query and load data to the Data Model
Create PivotTables and charts from Excel data by natural-language request
Use Goal Seek to find optimal values (e.g., price for target profit)
Automate data formatting, conditional formatting, and worksheet management
Run VBA macros and Python formulas in Excel from AI commands

MCP Server for Excel MCP server FAQ

What is the Excel MCP Server?

It's an MCP server that lets AI assistants like Claude automate real Microsoft Excel workbooks through natural-language requests. It controls Excel's COM API to handle data, formulas, charts, Power Query, DAX, VBA, and more.

Is it free?

Yes, the Excel MCP Server is open-source under the MIT License.

How do I install it in Claude Desktop?

Install the MCP Server from the GitHub releases or via NuGet (Sbroenne.ExcelMcp.McpServer) or npm (@sbroenne/mcp-server-excel), then configure it in Claude Desktop's settings.

What are the system requirements?

Windows only, Microsoft Excel 2016 or later, and an interactive desktop. It requires exclusive access to workbooks while automating them.

Can I use it with VS Code?

Yes, there's a dedicated VS Code extension (sbroenne.excel-mcp) available on the VS Code Marketplace.

Does it require authentication?

No special authentication is required; it uses your existing Microsoft Excel installation and COM API access on Windows.

README (reference)

Source of truth, from the repository.

ExcelMcp - MCP Server for Microsoft Excel

Website · Installation · Features · Troubleshooting · 1-minute demo

Automate real Microsoft Excel with AI. Excel MCP Server lets GitHub Copilot, Claude, ChatGPT, and other agents control Excel through natural-language requests—using either MCP or a token-efficient CLI.

Unlike file-parser tools, ExcelMcp drives the actual Excel application through its official COM API. It can refresh Power Query, recalculate formulas, evaluate DAX, run VBA and Python =PY(), and preserve PivotTables, charts, macros, the Data Model, and workbook formatting.

31 tools with 326 operations cover end-to-end Excel automation.

[!IMPORTANT] Requires Windows, Microsoft Excel 2016 or later, and an interactive desktop. It is not intended for Linux, macOS, or server-side batch processing.

🚀 Get Started

Use case	Recommended path
VS Code	Install the extension
Claude Desktop or another MCP client	Install the MCP Server
Coding agents and scripts	Install the CLI
Not sure which to choose?	Read the installation overview

Close open Excel workbooks before starting; ExcelMcp requires exclusive access while automating them.

What You Can Automate

Data & analytics: Power Query, DAX, Power Pivot, Excel Tables, PivotTables, and data connections.
Cells & workbooks: ranges, formulas, formatting, worksheets, files, calculation, and named ranges.
Charts & visuals: charts, slicers, conditional formatting, screenshots, drawings, and sparklines.
Automation & advanced: VBA, Python in Excel, Goal Seek, scenarios, data tables, windows, and XML Maps.

Explore the complete reference for all 326 operations.

See It in Action

Ask in plain language:

"Import products.csv with Power Query and load it to the Data Model."
"Create a PivotTable showing revenue by region, then add a column chart."
"Use Goal Seek to find the price that produces $100,000 profit."
"Show me Excel while you work."

Because Excel performs the work, you can inspect results live and continue editing the workbook normally.

See more examples and use cases.

MCP Server or CLI?

Both entry points expose the same Core commands and behavior.

Interface	Best for	Why
MCP Server	Conversational assistants and exploratory work	Rich schemas, tool discovery, and persistent sessions
CLI (`excelcli`)	Coding agents, automation, and scripts	One compact tool surface and substantially lower token usage

The MCP Server calls the ExcelMcp service in-process. The CLI uses a background daemon so workbook sessions persist across commands.

AI assistant or script
        │
   MCP Server / CLI
        │
 ExcelMcp Core commands
        │
 Real Excel COM API

Read the architecture or browse the MCP Server and CLI guides.

⭐ GitHub Star History

📋 Additional Information

Documentation · Changelog · Contributing · Security · Privacy

License: MIT License - see LICENSE file

Related Projects

Other projects by the author:

PowerPoint MCP Server — AI-powered PowerPoint automation via MCP, the sister project to this one
pytest-skill-engineering — LLM-powered testing framework for AI agents
Windows MCP Server — AI-powered Windows automation via MCP
OBS Studio MCP Server — AI-powered OBS Studio automation

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