Excel MCP Server

An MCP server that brings Excel/CSV data analysis capabilities to Claude, with a custom-built formula engine and AI-powered features.

What makes this different: The world's first conversational data analysis MCP server powered by HyperFormula (395 Excel functions) + multi-provider AI. Ask questions in natural language and get instant insights from your Excel/CSV files. Built for analysts who want AI-powered conversations with their data, not just spreadsheet manipulation.

How It Works

This server acts as a bridge between Claude and your data files, providing:

1. Formula Engine: A complete Excel-compatible formula parser and evaluator built from scratch, supporting 82 functions with proper operator precedence and dependency tracking.

2. Data Operations: Direct read/write access to CSV and Excel files with intelligent parsing and type detection.

3. AI Integration: Multi-provider AI support that intelligently routes requests to the best available AI service for natural language processing and formula generation.

4. Bulk Processing: Parallel operations across multiple files for improved performance on large datasets.

Features

• 395 Excel functions via HyperFormula (battle-tested library)

• AI-powered natural language data queries

• Multi-provider AI support (Anthropic, OpenAI, DeepSeek, Gemini)

• Large file support with intelligent chunking for files >100MB

• Bulk operations across multiple files (3x faster)

• Smart data validation and consistency checking

• Advanced statistical analysis and data profiling

• Formula evaluation with dependency tracking

• Pivot tables and aggregation

• Cross-file referential integrity validation

• Excel styling and formatting with auto-fitting columns and cell formatting

🏢 CFO-Level Financial Analysis

• DCF Valuation Models - Complete discounted cash flow analysis with NPV, IRR, terminal value

• Financial Ratio Analysis - Comprehensive ratios with industry benchmarks (liquidity, profitability, leverage)

• Budget Variance Analysis - Automated budget vs actual comparisons with variance reporting

• Scenario Modeling - What-if analysis with multiple assumption scenarios

• Financial Functions - NPV, IRR, PMT, FV, PV, RATE, depreciation schedules, and more

• Industry Benchmarking - Automatic comparison against industry standards

Installation

Claude Code Setup

Option 1: Direct MCP Configuration

Option 2: Global Install

Cursor Claude Desktop Setup

Option 1: Direct MCP Configuration

Edit your Cursor MCP configuration file (%APPDATA%\Cursor\mcp.json on Windows, ~/Library/Application Support/Cursor/mcp.json on macOS):

Replace C:/path/to/excel-mcp/dist/index.js with the actual path to your built dist/index.js file.

Option 2: Using npx (Recommended)

This requires a global npm install:

AI Providers

Create a .env file with your API keys:

Supported providers: Anthropic, OpenAI, DeepSeek, Gemini, Local fallback

Usage Examples

Ask questions in natural language:

• "What's the total revenue in sales_data.csv?"

• "Sum all sales where region is 'North'"

• "Find duplicates in customer_data.xlsx"

• "Clean messy customer data - fix phone numbers and names"

• "Remove duplicate rows from my contact list"

• "Help me VLOOKUP customer details between two files"

• "Generate a formula to calculate average of last 30 days"

• "Validate data consistency between sales.xlsx and branches.xlsx"

• "Create a pivot table by department and export to report.xlsx"

• "Analyze this 500MB dataset in chunks to avoid memory issues"

• "Get file info and optimal chunk size for large_dataset.csv"

Available Tools

Core Operations

• read_file - Read CSV/Excel files (supports offset/limit for large files)

• read_file_chunked - Stream large files in manageable chunks to avoid memory limits

• get_file_info - Analyze file size and get chunking recommendations for large datasets

• get_cell / get_range - Access specific cells or ranges

• search / filter_rows - Find and filter data

• aggregate - SUM, AVG, COUNT, MIN, MAX operations

Excel Workflow Tools (NEW)

• find_duplicates - Smart duplicate detection and removal with multiple strategies

• data_cleaner - Batch data cleaning operations (trim whitespace, fix phones, standardize names, etc.)

• vlookup_helper - Intelligent VLOOKUP setup with fuzzy matching and error handling

Bulk Operations

• bulk_aggregate_multi_files - Aggregate across multiple files (3x faster)

• bulk_filter_multi_files - Filter multiple files simultaneously

Formula Engine

• evaluate_formula - Execute Excel formulas

• parse_natural_language - Convert text to formulas

• explain_formula - Explain formula functionality

Analytics

• statistical_analysis - Comprehensive statistics

• correlation_analysis - Find relationships between columns

• data_profile - Complete data profiling

• pivot_table - Group and aggregate data

AI Features

• smart_data_analysis - AI-powered analysis suggestions

• ai_provider_status - Check AI provider availability

Styling & Formatting

• format_cells - Apply fonts, colors, borders, alignment to Excel cells

• auto_fit_columns - Automatically adjust column widths to fit content

• write_multi_sheet - Create complex Excel files with formulas and formatting

Validation & Export

• validate_data_consistency - Cross-file data integrity checks

• write_file / export_analysis - Create and export files

Key Features

🤖 AI-Powered Intelligence

• Ask "What's the correlation between sales and marketing spend?" → Gets instant statistical analysis

• Say "Find all customers who spent over $1000 last quarter" → AI generates complex formulas automatically

• Request "Explain what this VLOOKUP formula does" → Gets plain English explanation

⚡ Bulk Data Processing

• "Sum total revenue across 10 quarterly files" → Processes in parallel (3x faster than manual)

• "Find all employees with 'Manager' in their title across 5 HR spreadsheets" → Multi-file search

• "Aggregate sales data from Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4 files into one report" → Automated consolidation

🧮 Programmatic Formula Engine

• Evaluates =SUMIFS(C:C, A:A, ">=1/1/2024") without Excel installed

• Computes complex nested formulas with proper precedence

• Handles circular references and dependency tracking

• 82 functions implemented programmatically

📊 Advanced Analytics

• Comprehensive statistical profiling of every column

• Correlation analysis between any numeric columns

• Smart data quality validation across multiple files

• Automated outlier detection and data consistency checks

🔍 Smart Cross-File Operations

• "Validate that all customer IDs in sales.xlsx exist in customers.xlsx"

• "Check for duplicate emails across 3 contact lists"

• "Find missing data between related spreadsheets"

• Referential integrity validation (like database foreign keys but for spreadsheets)

🎯 Natural Language Data Conversations

• "Show me the top 10 products by revenue" → AI understands intent and executes

• "Calculate average order value for customers from California" → Generates optimal query

• "Create a summary of sales trends by month" → Suggests best analysis approach

📈 Large File Processing (NEW)

• Intelligent Chunking: Automatically handles files >100MB without memory errors

• Smart Recommendations: get_file_info analyzes files and suggests optimal chunk sizes

• Seamless Navigation: Read any chunk with proper headers and metadata

• Memory Efficient: Constant memory usage regardless of file size (tested up to 1M+ rows)

• Progress Tracking: Chunk navigation with hasNext/hasPrevious indicators

Why This Approach Matters

Traditional Excel tools focus on file manipulation - reading, writing, formatting. They treat spreadsheets as static documents.

This server treats your data as a dynamic knowledge base you can have conversations with. It's not about pretty formatting - it's about CFO-level financial modeling, strategic analysis, and executive decision-making powered by AI.

Built for CFOs, financial analysts, and executives who need: 💰 DCF valuations and investment analysis 📊 Financial ratio analysis with benchmarks 🎯 Scenario planning and risk modeling 💼 Budget variance tracking and reporting 🤖 AI-powered financial insights at conversational speed

License

MIT