get_document_outline

Extract the hierarchical structure of a Microsoft Word document to quickly understand its organization, sections, and headings.

Instructions

Get the structure of a Word document.

Input Schema

TableJSON Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
`filename`	Yes

Implementation Reference

word_document_server/tools/document_tools.py:79-88 (handler)

Main handler function for the get_document_outline tool. Ensures .docx extension, calls get_document_structure helper, and returns JSON outline.

async def get_document_outline(filename: str) -> str:
    """Get the structure of a Word document.
    
    Args:
        filename: Path to the Word document
    """
    filename = ensure_docx_extension(filename)
    
    structure = get_document_structure(filename)
    return json.dumps(structure, indent=2)

word_document_server/utils/document_utils.py:65-112 (helper)

Core helper function that parses the Word document and extracts structured information about paragraphs (with preview text and styles) and tables (with dimensions and content preview).

def get_document_structure(doc_path: str) -> Dict[str, Any]:
    """Get the structure of a Word document."""
    import os
    if not os.path.exists(doc_path):
        return {"error": f"Document {doc_path} does not exist"}
    
    try:
        doc = Document(doc_path)
        structure = {
            "paragraphs": [],
            "tables": []
        }
        
        # Get paragraphs
        for i, para in enumerate(doc.paragraphs):
            structure["paragraphs"].append({
                "index": i,
                "text": para.text[:100] + ("..." if len(para.text) > 100 else ""),
                "style": para.style.name if para.style else "Normal"
            })
        
        # Get tables
        for i, table in enumerate(doc.tables):
            table_data = {
                "index": i,
                "rows": len(table.rows),
                "columns": len(table.columns),
                "preview": []
            }
            
            # Get sample of table data
            max_rows = min(3, len(table.rows))
            for row_idx in range(max_rows):
                row_data = []
                max_cols = min(3, len(table.columns))
                for col_idx in range(max_cols):
                    try:
                        cell_text = table.cell(row_idx, col_idx).text
                        row_data.append(cell_text[:20] + ("..." if len(cell_text) > 20 else ""))
                    except IndexError:
                        row_data.append("N/A")
                table_data["preview"].append(row_data)
            
            structure["tables"].append(table_data)
        
        return structure
    except Exception as e:
        return {"error": f"Failed to get document structure: {str(e)}"}

word_document_server/main.py:114-117 (registration)
MCP tool registration using FastMCP @mcp.tool() decorator. Thin synchronous wrapper that delegates to the async implementation in document_tools.
```
@mcp.tool()
def get_document_outline(filename: str):
    """Get the structure of a Word document."""
    return document_tools.get_document_outline(filename)
```

Office Word MCP Server