Excel MCP Server

Name: Excel MCP Server
Author: haris-musa

by haris-musaversion 2.2.6i★ 4,276iRuns on your computer

Registry nameio.github.haris-musa/excel-mcp-server

Overview

Written by PopNx MCP from the maker’s information

Lets AI create and edit Excel files itself, including formulas, charts and PivotTables, without Excel installed.

Description from the maker (original English)

Create and edit Excel files with AI: charts, PivotTables, formulas. No Excel needed.

PopNx MCP’s three pillars

These three are never merged into one score: opinions, measurements and popularity are different things.

User voiceiNo reviews yetReviews open together with accounts in a later step
Our basic checksi3 of 3 passedChecked from public information; code not scanned yet
UsageiGrowing★ 4,276

What you can do with it

Good for: People whose documents, accounts and reports live in Excel files

Try asking your AI

Create an Excel file summarising monthly expenses with a bar chart
Open this sales file and build a PivotTable by branch
Add a total formula for every row in column D

Written by PopNx MCP from the maker’s information

Install

Pick the AI app you use, then copy the settings.

You need

PyPIPython’s uv installed (for the uvx command)

Claude DesktopClaude CodeCursorVS Code

Open Claude Desktop → Settings → Developer → Edit Config, and paste this into claude_desktop_config.json

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

Run this in your terminal

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

Paste into .cursor/mcp.json in your project, or ~/.cursor/mcp.json

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

Paste into .vscode/mcp.json in your project

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

These settings are generated from the maker’s registry entry. If the README says otherwise, follow the README.

Basic checksi

We check information anyone can see; we have not read the code. Checks that do not apply are left out of the count. · Checked Nov 5, 2026

✓ Pass
Maker matches the repo
The registry name was verified with the GitHub account haris-musa, which owns the repo
✓ Pass
Still maintained
Code last changed yesterday
✓ Pass
Has a licence
Uses MIT
– Not applicable
Endpoint responds
This one runs on your computer; there is no internet endpoint
– Not applicable
Sign-in with OAuth
Runs on your computer and uses local settings instead
… Not checked yet
No hidden instructions in tool descriptions
Needs the server’s tool list first; this check starts in the next step

Compared with others in Docs, sheets & office worki

More stars than 92% of the other 13 servers in this category
Published to the registry more recently than 85% of the other 13 servers in this category
Basic checks equal to or better than 100% of the other 13 servers in this category

Compared only with servers in this prototype, not the whole registry.

Common questions

Is Excel MCP Server safe?

It passed 3 of 3 applicable basic checks. We have not read the code. Before adding a key or token, see what access the server asks for and use a key with only the permissions you need.

What keys or codes does it need?

The registry does not list a required key, though some servers ask you to sign in on first use.

Does it run on my computer or in the cloud?

It runs on your computer. Your AI app starts it when needed, and data does not pass through the maker’s servers (unless it calls an online service itself).

Is it still maintained?

The GitHub repo last changed yesterday, and the latest version (2.2.6) reached the registry 5 days ago.

Which apps can use it?

Apps that support MCP, such as Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor and VS Code. You also need Python (uv) on your computer.

What can I use instead?

In the same category: Agent-Native Calendar, MCP Server for Excel, Obsidian MCP Server

Alternatives

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Reading a card:★ GitHub starsiThree pillars: reviews · checks · usageiUpdated = latest version published to the registryi

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MCP Server for Excel

by sbroenne

Excel automation for AI - Sheets, Power Query, DAX, VBA, Tables, Ranges and more. Windows only.

Runs on your computer★ 847MITUpdated 2 days ago

Obsidian MCP Server

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Read, write, search, and surgically edit Obsidian notes, tags, and frontmatter via MCP.

Runs on your computer★ 702Apache-2.0Updated 5 days ago

README from the maker

Open the README

Copied from the maker’s repo as written. PopNx MCP has not reviewed or endorsed it. HTML, images and scripts are removed. Links lead off this site.

Excel MCP Server

An open-source Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that lets Claude, Cursor, VS Code Copilot, Codex and other AI clients create, read and edit Excel files: charts, PivotTables, formulas, tables and more. It is built on openpyxl, needs no Microsoft Excel, and runs on Windows, macOS and Linux.

Install and try it at [excelmcpserver.com](https://excelmcpserver.com), or see Quick start below.

Features

Charts and PivotTables

Create Excel charts with AI: column, bar, line, area, pie, doughnut, radar, scatter and bubble, with combos, secondary axes, trendlines and error bars
The Excel 2016 chart types: waterfall, histogram, Pareto, box and whisker, treemap, sunburst and funnel
Real PivotTables that Excel refreshes (grouping, calculated fields, "show values as", layouts, filters), plus slicers and timelines for PivotTables and tables
Sparklines (line, column, win/loss)

Formulas and dynamic arrays

Formulas are calculated without Excel by a built-in engine (about 260 functions, checked against more than 2,500 formulas recorded from real Excel), so read_range returns values for files that were never opened in Excel
Dynamic arrays (FILTER, SORT, UNIQUE, SEQUENCE, LET) are stored as Excel stores them and spill into the cells next to them
Find out why a number is wrong: trace precedents and dependents across sheets, names and tables, and evaluate a formula step by step as Excel's Evaluate Formula does
Goal Seek: change an input until a formula reaches the value you want

Data, tables and rules

Read and write cells, dates and hyperlinks; tables with totals rows and calculated columns
Conditional formatting (scales, data bars, icon sets, top/bottom, duplicates, text, dates), data validation (dropdowns, limits, input messages)
Sort, filter (with criteria), find and replace, remove duplicates, text to columns, fill series, paste special
Fonts, fills, borders, number formats, merged cells, frozen panes, grouping, print setup, sheet protection, images, notes and defined names. Inserting or deleting rows and columns updates every reference, as in Excel

Large files

Reads stream the workbook and return pages, so memory stays flat on sheets with hundreds of thousands of rows; every call is bounded by size and cell limits
Edits of a sheet of 1 MB of XML or more parse only the rows they touch, so inserting or deleting rows and columns, sorting, replacing, copying a sheet and creating a PivotTable take seconds on a 200,000-row sheet instead of minutes

Macros (opt-in)

Read the VBA code in .xlsm files. Writing VBA is off unless you start the server with --allow-vba-write, which also decides whether create_workbook and import_workbook may make .xlsm/.xltm files; the server never runs macros

Safe by design

Optional folder confinement, a formula safety check, read-only mode, localhost-only HTTP by default, and atomic saves that never leave a half-written file

Works with .xlsx, .xlsm (macros are preserved), .xltx and .xltm files. Existing threaded comments, shapes, form controls and other content the tools cannot edit are kept as they are.

Quick start

You need uv. Every client runs the server with uvx excel-mcp-server stdio; replace /path/to/workbooks with the folder the server may use. excelmcpserver.com has the same steps with copy buttons and one-click install links for Cursor and VS Code.

Claude Desktop (Chat): download excel-mcp-server.mcpb from the latest release and open it. Claude asks which folder the server may use.

Claude Code (the CLI, and the Code tab in Claude Desktop):

claude mcp add excel --scope user -- uvx excel-mcp-server stdio --allow-dir /path/to/workbooks

Cursor (~/.cursor/mcp.json), and most clients that use an mcpServers config:

"mcpServers": { "excel": { "command": "uvx", "args": ["excel-mcp-server", "stdio", "--allow-dir", "/path/to/workbooks"] } } }

VS Code with GitHub Copilot (.vscode/mcp.json, note the servers key):

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

OpenAI Codex, Gemini CLI, Devin Desktop, and Claude Desktop without the bundle

OpenAI Codex (CLI, IDE extension and app):

codex mcp add excel -- uvx excel-mcp-server stdio --allow-dir /path/to/workbooks

Gemini CLI:

gemini mcp add -s user excel uvx excel-mcp-server stdio --allow-dir /path/to/workbooks

Devin Desktop:

devin mcp add -s user excel -- uvx excel-mcp-server stdio --allow-dir /path/to/workbooks

Claude Desktop, manual setup: open Settings, Developer, Edit Config, add the mcpServers JSON above to claude_desktop_config.json, and restart Claude.

Desktop apps often cannot find uvx, because they do not see your shell's PATH (common on macOS). Use its full path instead, which which uvx prints.

Choosing which files it can use

With --allow-dir DIR, the server only opens workbooks inside DIR (subfolders included) and relative paths such as reports/q1.xlsx start there. Repeat the flag to allow several folders, or set EXCEL_FILES_PATH (separate folders with : on macOS/Linux and ; on Windows).

Without --allow-dir, any absolute path to an Excel file works. In every mode the server only touches Excel files and never silently overwrites an existing workbook.

Remote use (Streamable HTTP)

uvx excel-mcp-server streamable-http --allow-dir /srv/workbooks

Clients connect to http://127.0.0.1:8017/mcp. Workbooks live in the --allow-dir folder (default ./excel_files), and export_workbook / import_workbook move files between the server and the client.

The server listens on localhost only. To accept other machines, set a token and a host:

EXCEL_MCP_AUTH_TOKEN=change-me uvx excel-mcp-server streamable-http --host 0.0.0.0

Clients then send Authorization: Bearer change-me. Put a TLS-terminating reverse proxy in front of it for use across networks.

Docker

docker build -t excel-mcp-server .

docker run -p 8017:8017 -v "$PWD/workbooks:/data" -e EXCEL_MCP_AUTH_TOKEN=change-me excel-mcp-server

Configuration

Flag	Environment variable	Default	Meaning
`--allow-dir DIR`	`EXCEL_FILES_PATH`	none (stdio), `./excel_files` (HTTP)	Folders workbooks must be in
`--read-only`	`EXCEL_MCP_READ_ONLY=1`	off	Only offer tools that do not change files
`--allow-vba-write`	`EXCEL_MCP_ALLOW_VBA_WRITE=1`	off	Add tools that write VBA macros (see warning below); ignored with `--read-only`
`--tools AREAS`	`EXCEL_MCP_TOOLS`	all	Only offer the core tools and these comma-separated areas, to save context (see Choosing tools)
`--max-file-mb N`	`EXCEL_MCP_MAX_FILE_MB`	`100`	Largest workbook the server opens. Also sets the unpacked-size limit (10 times this) that every opened or uploaded workbook must stay under; parts compressed over 500:1 are refused
`--max-cells N`	`EXCEL_MCP_MAX_CELLS`	`100000`	Most cells one call may read, write or format; reads are still returned in pages
`--max-pivot-cells N`	`EXCEL_MCP_MAX_PIVOT_CELLS`	`3000000`	Largest PivotTable source in cells (a 230,000-row, 13-column sheet); creating one from the biggest sources takes a minute and about 2 GB of memory
`--max-loaded-cells N`	`EXCEL_MCP_MAX_LOADED_CELLS`	`3000000`	Most cells and rows of a workbook that may be loaded into memory at once, about 0.5 KB each (a 3,000,000 limit is about 1.5 GB). A workbook with more is refused by the tools that must load whole sheets; `read_range` and the other streaming reads, and edits of large sheets that parse only some rows, are not limited by the size of the sheet
`--log-level LEVEL`		`WARNING`	Logging on stderr
`--host HOST`	`EXCEL_MCP_HOST`	`127.0.0.1`	HTTP listen address
`--port PORT`	`EXCEL_MCP_PORT`	`8017`	HTTP port
	`EXCEL_MCP_AUTH_TOKEN`	none	Bearer token required on HTTP requests
`--allow-unauthenticated`		off	Allow a non-local `--host` without a token

Tools

Area	Tools
Workbooks	`create_workbook`, `describe_workbook`, `set_workbook_settings`, `list_workbooks`, `export_workbook`, `import_workbook`
CSV	`import_csv`, `export_csv`
Sheets	`describe_sheet`, `create_sheet`, `rename_sheet`, `copy_sheet`, `delete_sheet`, `insert_rows_or_columns`, `delete_rows_or_columns`
Cells	`read_range`, `write_range`, `clear_range`, `copy_range`, `sort_range`, `transform_range`, `find_cells`, `replace_cells`
Formulas	`trace_formula`, `goal_seek`
Formatting	`format_range`, `merge_cells`, `set_sheet_layout`, `add_conditional_format`, `add_data_validation`
Objects	`set_table`, `create_chart`, `delete_chart`, `create_pivot_table`, `delete_pivot_table`, `add_slicer`, `delete_slicer`, `insert_image`, `delete_image`, `add_sparklines`, `delete_sparklines`
Names and notes	`set_defined_name`, `delete_defined_name`, `set_note`, `delete_note`
Macros	`read_vba`; with `--allow-vba-write`: `write_vba_module`, `delete_vba_module`

Choosing tools

Every tool costs context in every request. --tools offers only the core tools (describe_workbook, describe_sheet, read_range) and the areas you list, for example uvx excel-mcp-server stdio --tools data,charts. It combines with --read-only (read-only tools of the areas) and --allow-vba-write (which also needs the vba area). An unknown area stops the server at startup and lists the valid ones. The sizes are characters of tool descriptions and schemas, at about 3.5 characters per token:

Area	Tools	Characters
core (always)	`describe_workbook`, `describe_sheet`, `read_range`	8,900
`workbooks`	`create_workbook`, `set_workbook_settings`, `list_workbooks`, `export_workbook`, `import_workbook`	2,600
`csv`	`import_csv`, `export_csv`	2,200

| sheets | create_sheet, rename_sheet, copy_sheet, delete_sheet, insert_rows_or_columns, `delete_ro

Only the beginning is shown; read the rest in the repo

Excel MCP Server

Overview

PopNx MCP’s three pillars

What you can do with it

Install

Basic checksi

Maker matches the repo

Still maintained

Has a licence

Endpoint responds

Sign-in with OAuth

No hidden instructions in tool descriptions

Compared with others in Docs, sheets & office worki

Common questions

Alternatives

Agent-Native Calendar

MCP Server for Excel

Obsidian MCP Server

README from the maker

Excel MCP Server

Features

Quick start

Choosing which files it can use

Remote use (Streamable HTTP)

Docker

Configuration

Tools

Choosing tools