mcp-name: io.github.sbroenne/mcp-server-excel
Control Excel with Natural Language through AI assistants like GitHub Copilot, Claude, and ChatGPT. This MCP server enables AI-powered Excel automation for Power Query, DAX measures, VBA macros, PivotTables, Charts, and more.
➡️ Learn more and see examples
🛡️ 100% Safe - Uses Excel’s Native COM API
Unlike third-party libraries that manipulate .xlsx files (risking corruption), ExcelMcp uses Excel’s official COM automation API. This guarantees zero risk of file corruption while you work interactively with live Excel files - see your changes happen in real-time.
🔗 Unified Service Architecture - The MCP Server forwards all requests to the shared ExcelMCP Service, enabling CLI and MCP to share sessions transparently.
CLI also available: mcp-excel.exe (MCP Server) and excelcli.exe (CLI) are distributed as standalone self-contained executables — no .NET runtime required.
Requirements: Windows OS + Excel 2016+
🚀 Installation
Quick Setup Options:
- VS Code Extension - One-click install for GitHub Copilot
- Standalone exe - Works with Claude Desktop, Cursor, Cline, Windsurf, and other MCP clients
- MCP Registry - Find us at registry.modelcontextprotocol.io
Manual Installation (All MCP Clients):
Primary — Standalone exe (no .NET runtime required):
## Download from latest release:
## https://github.com/sbroenne/mcp-server-excel/releases/latest
## ExcelMcp-MCP-Server-{version}-windows.zip → extract mcp-excel.exe
## Add to PATH, then configure your MCP client:
## { "command": "mcp-excel" }
Secondary — .NET Global Tool (requires .NET 10 runtime):
dotnet tool install --global Sbroenne.ExcelMcp.McpServer
Supported AI Assistants:
- ✅ GitHub Copilot (VS Code, Visual Studio)
- ✅ Claude Desktop
- ✅ Cursor
- ✅ Cline (VS Code Extension)
- ✅ Windsurf
- ✅ Any MCP-compatible client
📖 Detailed setup instructions: Installation Guide
🎯 Quick config examples: examples/mcp-configs/
🛠️ What You Can Do
25 specialized tools with 230 operations:
- 🔄 Power Query (1 tool, 12 ops) - Atomic workflows, M code management, load destinations
- 📊 Data Model/DAX (2 tools, 19 ops) - Measures, relationships, model structure
- 🎨 Excel Tables (2 tools, 27 ops) - Lifecycle, filtering, sorting, structured references
- 📈 PivotTables (3 tools, 30 ops) - Creation, fields, aggregations, calculated members/fields
- 📉 Charts (2 tools, 29 ops) - Create, configure, series, formatting, data labels, trendlines
- 📝 VBA (1 tool, 6 ops) - Modules, execution, version control
- 📋 Ranges (4 tools, 46 ops) - Values, formulas, formatting, validation, protection
- 📄 Worksheets (2 tools, 16 ops) - Lifecycle, colors, visibility, cross-workbook moves
- 🔌 Connections (1 tool, 9 ops) - OLEDB/ODBC management and refresh
- 🏷️ Named Ranges (1 tool, 6 ops) - Parameters and configuration
- 📁 Files (1 tool, 6 ops) - Session management, workbook creation, IRM/AIP-protected file support
- 🧮 Calculation Mode (1 tool, 3 ops) - Get/set calculation mode and trigger recalculation
- 🎚️ Slicers (1 tool, 8 ops) - Interactive filtering for PivotTables and Tables
- 🎨 Conditional Formatting (1 tool, 2 ops) - Rules and clearing
- 📸 Screenshot (1 tool, 2 ops) - Capture ranges/sheets as PNG for visual verification
- 🪧 Window Management (1 tool, 9 ops) - Show/hide Excel, arrange, position, status bar feedback
📚 Complete Feature Reference → - Detailed documentation of all 230 operations
AI-Powered Workflows:
- 💬 Natural language Excel commands through GitHub Copilot, Claude, or ChatGPT
- 🔄 Optimize Power Query M code for performance and readability
- 📊 Build complex DAX measures with AI guidance
- 📋 Automate repetitive data transformations and formatting
- 👀 Show Excel Mode - Say “Show me Excel while you work” to watch changes live
💡 Example Use Cases
“Create a sales tracker with Date, Product, Quantity, Unit Price, and Total columns”
→ AI creates the workbook, adds headers, enters sample data, and builds formulas
“Create a PivotTable from this data showing total sales by Product, then add a chart”
→ AI creates PivotTable, configures fields, and adds a linked visualization
“Import products.csv with Power Query, load to Data Model, create a Total Revenue measure”
→ AI imports data, adds to Power Pivot, and creates DAX measures for analysis
“Create a slicer for the Region field so I can filter interactively”
→ AI adds slicers connected to PivotTables or Tables for point-and-click filtering
“Put this data in A1: Name, Age / Alice, 30 / Bob, 25”
→ AI writes data directly to cells using natural delimiters you provide
📋 Additional Resources
- GitHub Repository - Source code, issues, discussions
- Installation Guide - Detailed setup for all platforms
- VS Code Extension - One-click installation
- CLI Documentation - Comprehensive commands for RPA and CI/CD automation
License: MIT
Privacy: PRIVACY.md
Platform: Windows only (requires Excel 2016+)
Support: GitHub Issues