Provides comprehensive Excel file manipulation through xlwings Python library, enabling creation, editing, and management of Excel workbooks, worksheets, data, formulas, charts, and pivot tables via COM automation
xlwings-mcp-server
A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that manipulates Excel files using xlwings - providing native Excel integration through COM automation.
🎯 Why xlwings Instead of openpyxl?
This MCP server is specifically designed for corporate environments where:
- 🔒 Document security policies prevent direct file access
- 🏢 Excel files are managed by enterprise document management systems
- 📊 You need to work with Excel through official Microsoft APIs
- ✅ IT compliance requires using approved COM automation
Key difference: While openpyxl directly reads/writes Excel files (which may be blocked by security policies), xlwings controls Excel through Microsoft's official COM interface - the same way VBA macros work. This means if you can run Excel macros, you can use this MCP server.
🙏 Acknowledgments
This project is based on excel-mcp-server by Haris Musa.
The original excel-mcp-server uses openpyxl for Excel manipulation. This fork has been modified to use xlwings instead, which provides:
- Native Excel COM automation
- Better compatibility with complex Excel features
- Real-time Excel interaction
- Support for Excel-specific features like native pivot tables and charts
📋 License
This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.
The original excel-mcp-server is also MIT licensed. Copyright (c) 2025 Haris.
🚀 Features
All 25 tools from the original excel-mcp-server are fully functional:
Core Excel Operations
- ✅ Create, open, save workbooks
- ✅ Manage worksheets (create, copy, rename, delete)
- ✅ Read and write data with validation
- ✅ Apply formulas and validate syntax
- ✅ Format cells and ranges
Advanced Features
- ✅ Native Excel charts through COM
- ✅ Real pivot tables (not just data summaries)
- ✅ Excel tables (ListObjects)
- ✅ Cell merging and unmerging
- ✅ Row and column operations
- ✅ Range operations (copy, delete)
- ✅ Data validation info
📦 Installation
Prerequisites
- Python 3.10+
- Microsoft Excel (required for xlwings)
- Windows (recommended) or macOS with Excel
Setup
- Clone the repository:
- Create virtual environment:
- Install in development mode:
🔧 Configuration
Add to your Claude Code MCP configuration:
📚 Available Tools
The server provides 25 tools for Excel manipulation:
Workbook Operations (3)
create_workbook
- Create new Excel filecreate_worksheet
- Add new worksheetget_workbook_metadata
- Get workbook information
Data Operations (5)
write_data_to_excel
- Write data to cellsread_data_from_excel
- Read cell dataapply_formula
- Apply Excel formulasvalidate_formula_syntax
- Validate formula syntaxvalidate_excel_range
- Validate cell ranges
Formatting & Visual (5)
format_range
- Apply cell formattingcreate_chart
- Create Excel chartscreate_pivot_table
- Create pivot tablescreate_table
- Create Excel tablesmerge_cells
- Merge cell ranges
Sheet Management (6)
copy_worksheet
- Copy worksheetsdelete_worksheet
- Delete worksheetsrename_worksheet
- Rename worksheetsunmerge_cells
- Unmerge cellsget_merged_cells
- Get merged cell infocopy_range
- Copy cell ranges
Row/Column Operations (6)
delete_range
- Delete cell rangesget_data_validation_info
- Get validation rulesinsert_rows
- Insert rowsinsert_columns
- Insert columnsdelete_sheet_rows
- Delete rowsdelete_sheet_columns
- Delete columns
🔄 When to Use Which?
Use excel-mcp-server (Original) when:
- ✅ You don't have Excel installed
- ✅ You need cross-platform support
- ✅ You want faster performance
- ✅ Simple Excel operations are sufficient
Use xlwings-mcp-server (This Fork) when:
- ✅ Corporate security blocks direct file access
- ✅ You need to work with protected/encrypted Excel files
- ✅ You require native Excel features (real pivot tables, complex charts)
- ✅ Your organization mandates using official Microsoft APIs
- ✅ You need real-time Excel integration
Feature | excel-mcp-server (Original) | xlwings-mcp-server (This Fork) |
---|---|---|
How it works | Direct file manipulation | Controls Excel application |
Security Policy | May be blocked | Works if macros are allowed |
Excel Required | No | Yes |
Best for | Personal use, servers | Corporate environments |
🤝 Contributing
Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit issues or pull requests.
📄 Citation
If you use this project, please acknowledge both:
- The original excel-mcp-server by Haris Musa
- This xlwings modification
🔗 Links
- Original Project: excel-mcp-server
- xlwings Documentation: xlwings.org
- MCP Protocol: Model Context Protocol
This server cannot be installed
local-only server
The server can only run on the client's local machine because it depends on local resources.
Enables Excel file manipulation through Microsoft's official COM automation interface using xlwings, designed for corporate environments where security policies prevent direct file access. Provides 25 tools for workbook operations, data manipulation, formatting, charts, pivot tables, and worksheet management through native Excel integration.
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