Excel MCP Server

Installation Guide - ExcelMcp

Complete installation instructions for the ExcelMcp MCP Server and CLI tool.

System Requirements

Required

Option 1: VS Code Extension (Easiest - One-Click Setup)

Best for: GitHub Copilot users, beginners, anyone wanting automatic configuration

  1. Install the Extension
    • Open VS Code
    • Press Ctrl+Shift+X (Extensions)
    • Search for “ExcelMcp”
    • Click Install
  2. That’s It!
    • Extension automatically installs .NET 8 runtime
    • Bundles MCP server (no separate installation needed)
    • Auto-configures GitHub Copilot
    • Shows quick start guide on first launch

Marketplace Link: Excel MCP VS Code Extension

Option 2: Manual Installation (MCP Server)

Best for: Claude Desktop users, other MCP clients, advanced users

Step 1: Install .NET 8

Check if already installed:

dotnet --version
# Should show 8.0.x or higher

If not installed, choose one:

Option A: SDK (Recommended for developers)

winget install Microsoft.DotNet.SDK.8

Option B: Runtime Only (Smaller download)

winget install Microsoft.DotNet.Runtime.8

Manual Download: .NET 8 Downloads

Step 2: Install ExcelMcp MCP Server

# Install globally as a .NET tool
dotnet tool install --global Sbroenne.ExcelMcp.McpServer

# Verify installation
dotnet tool list --global | Select-String "ExcelMcp"

Step 3: Configure Your MCP Client

For GitHub Copilot (VS Code):

Create .vscode/mcp.json in your workspace:

{
  "servers": {
    "excel": {
      "command": "dotnet",
      "args": ["tool", "run", "mcp-excel"]
    }
  }
}

For GitHub Copilot (Visual Studio):

Create .mcp.json in your solution directory or %USERPROFILE%\.mcp.json:

{
  "servers": {
    "excel": {
      "command": "dotnet",
      "args": ["tool", "run", "mcp-excel"]
    }
  }
}

For Claude Desktop:

  1. Locate config file: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
  2. If file doesn’t exist, create it with the content below
  3. If file exists, merge the excel entry into your existing mcpServers section
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "excel": {
      "command": "dotnet",
      "args": ["tool", "run", "mcp-excel"],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}
  1. Save and restart Claude Desktop

For Cursor:

  1. Open Cursor Settings (Ctrl+,)
  2. Search for “MCP” in settings
  3. Click “Edit in settings.json” or create config at: %APPDATA%\Cursor\User\globalStorage\mcp\mcp.json
  4. Add this configuration:
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "excel": {
      "command": "dotnet",
      "args": ["tool", "run", "mcp-excel"],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}
  1. Save and restart Cursor

For Cline (VS Code Extension):

  1. Install Cline extension in VS Code
  2. Open Cline panel and click the MCP settings gear icon
  3. Add this configuration:
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "excel": {
      "command": "dotnet",
      "args": ["tool", "run", "mcp-excel"],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}
  1. Save and restart VS Code

For Windsurf:

  1. Open Windsurf Settings
  2. Navigate to MCP Servers configuration
  3. Add this configuration:
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "excel": {
      "command": "dotnet",
      "args": ["tool", "run", "mcp-excel"],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}
  1. Save and restart Windsurf

Quick Copy: Ready-to-use config files for all clients are available in examples/mcp-configs/

Step 4: Test the Installation

Restart your MCP client, then ask:

Create an empty Excel file called "test.xlsx"

If it works, you’re all set! 🎉

💡 Tip: Want to watch the AI work? Ask:

Show me Excel while you work on test.xlsx

This opens Excel visibly so you can see every change in real-time - great for debugging and demos!

Option 3: CLI Installation (No AI Required)

Best for: Scripting, RPA, CI/CD pipelines, automation without AI

Install CLI Tool

# Install CLI globally
dotnet tool install --global Sbroenne.ExcelMcp.CLI

# Verify installation
excel-mcp --version

Quick Test

# Create a test workbook
excel-mcp file-create --file "test.xlsx"

# List worksheets
excel-mcp sheet-list --file "test.xlsx"

CLI Documentation: CLI Guide

Updating ExcelMcp

Update MCP Server

dotnet tool update --global Sbroenne.ExcelMcp.McpServer

Update CLI

dotnet tool update --global Sbroenne.ExcelMcp.CLI

Update VS Code Extension

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. “dotnet command not found”

Solution: Install .NET 8 SDK or Runtime (see Step 1 above)

Verify PATH includes .NET:

$env:PATH -split ';' | Select-String "dotnet"

2. “Excel is not installed”

Solution: Install Microsoft Excel Desktop (2016+)

Check Excel installation:

Get-ItemProperty HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App` Paths\excel.exe

3. MCP Server Not Responding

Check if tool is installed:

dotnet tool list --global | Select-String "ExcelMcp"

Reinstall if missing:

dotnet tool uninstall --global Sbroenne.ExcelMcp.McpServer
dotnet tool install --global Sbroenne.ExcelMcp.McpServer

4. “Workbook is locked” or “Cannot open file”

Solution: Close all Excel windows before running ExcelMcp

ExcelMcp requires exclusive access to workbooks (Excel COM limitation).

5. GitHub Copilot Not Finding Server

Check configuration file exists:

# VS Code
Test-Path ".vscode/mcp.json"

# Visual Studio
Test-Path ".mcp.json"

Restart VS Code/Visual Studio after creating configuration.

6. Permission Errors on CI/CD

Solution: Run with appropriate permissions

# Azure DevOps / GitHub Actions
# Ensure runner has Excel installed and user has Excel permissions

Advanced Installation Scenarios

Corporate Environments

Using internal NuGet feed:

dotnet tool install --global Sbroenne.ExcelMcp.McpServer --add-source https://your-feed.com/v3/index.json

Offline installation:

# Download .nupkg file
dotnet tool install --global --add-source ./nupkg Sbroenne.ExcelMcp.McpServer

CI/CD Pipelines

See Azure Self-Hosted Runner Setup for complete CI/CD integration guide.

Key requirements:

Uninstallation

Uninstall MCP Server

dotnet tool uninstall --global Sbroenne.ExcelMcp.McpServer

Uninstall CLI

dotnet tool uninstall --global Sbroenne.ExcelMcp.CLI

Remove VS Code Extension

Clean Up Configuration Files

# Remove MCP configuration
Remove-Item ".vscode/mcp.json" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
Remove-Item ".mcp.json" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
Remove-Item "$env:USERPROFILE\.mcp.json" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

Getting Help

Next Steps

After installation:

  1. Learn the basics: Try simple commands like creating worksheets, setting values
  2. Explore features: See README for complete feature list
  3. Read the guides:
  4. Join the community: Star the repo, report issues, contribute improvements

Happy automating! 🚀

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