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Install Excel MCP Server and CLI

ExcelMcp lets an AI assistant or coding agent work with Microsoft Excel installed on Windows. There are two ways to use it, and you can install either or both:

  • MCP Server: for AI assistants that support MCP, such as GitHub Copilot, Claude Desktop, Cursor, and Windsurf.
  • CLI (excelcli): the same features as terminal commands. Coding agents can use either; the CLI usually uses fewer AI tokens.

What you need

  • Windows
  • Desktop Microsoft Excel 2016 or later
  • A signed-in Windows desktop session, because Excel runs as a desktop app
  • Node.js 18 or later for the GitHub Copilot plugins, the Claude Desktop extension, or installation through npm
  • PowerShell 7.4 or later (pwsh on PATH) for the VS Code extension, the CLI plugin's PowerShell wrapper, and repository scripts. Windows PowerShell 5.1 is not supported for these paths.

Pick your setup

Where you work What to install Guide
VS Code with GitHub Copilot The Excel MCP Server VS Code extension VS Code extension
GitHub Copilot plugins The excel-mcp plugin, the excel-cli plugin, or both; listed in Awesome Copilot MCP plugin, CLI plugin
Claude Desktop The one-click Claude Desktop extension Claude Desktop setup
Another MCP client The MCP Server through npm Manual MCP setup
Coding agents (fewer AI tokens) The CLI through npm CLI with npm
A computer without npm The standalone MCP Server or CLI download MCP Server download, CLI download

The VS Code extension sets up the MCP Server only. If your agent also runs terminal commands, install the CLI too.

In GitHub Copilot, install the excel-mcp plugin, the excel-cli plugin, or both.

The plugins and the VS Code extension already include guidance for formatting Excel reports, so you do not need to install anything else.

Each guide also covers updating, troubleshooting, and uninstalling.

Getting Help