Excel MCP Server (uses Excel App, 100% Compatibility)

# Changelog All notable changes to ExcelMcp will be documented in this file. ## [Unreleased] ### Changed - CLI daemon IPC migrated from custom protocol to StreamJsonRpc — improved reliability and error handling - Enhanced daemon security with SID validation and `CurrentUserOnly` pipe access ### Fixed - Standardized all data operation timeouts to 30 minutes via `ComInteropConstants.DataOperationTimeout` - Power Query `load-to` increased from 5 min to 30 min - Connection `refresh` and `load-to` increased from 5 min to 30 min - Power Query `refresh`/`refresh-all` now use the same constant (was inline 30 min) - `ExcelBatch.Execute()` no longer double-caps timeout when caller provides a cancellation token - Corrected stale documentation claiming 60-600 second range restriction on refresh timeout (no such validation exists) ## [1.8.12] - 2026-02-22 ### Fixed - Power Query `refresh` and `refresh-all` no longer crash when very large timeout values are provided ## [1.8.11] - 2026-02-22 ### Fixed - `--timeout` parameter on `powerquery refresh-all` now works end-to-end (was silently ignored) - CLI pipe timeout no longer races with operation timeout on long-running refreshes ## [1.8.10] - 2026-02-22 ### Fixed - CLI daemon no longer spawns duplicate instances during long-running operations (e.g. `powerquery refresh-all`) ## [1.8.9] - 2026-02-22 ### Fixed - `powerquery load-to` now correctly transitions between all load destinations (e.g. worksheet → connection-only, data-model → worksheet) - `powerquery get-load-config` no longer crashes on connection-only queries - CLI banner no longer pollutes JSON output when piped (e.g. `excelcli ... | ConvertFrom-Json`) ## [1.8.8] - 2026-02-22 ### Fixed - `powerquery refresh` no longer crashes when `--timeout` is omitted (uses 5-minute default) ## [1.8.7] - 2026-02-21 ### Fixed - `table add-to-data-model` now handles column names containing brackets — new `stripBracketColumnNames` parameter - `powerquery load-to data-model` now actually loads data into the Data Model (was silently no-op) - `chartconfig set-data-labels` gives clear error when using bar-only label positions on Line charts - `rangeformat format-range` — corrected `borderStyle` valid values in documentation - `rangeformat format-range` now accepts `middle` as alias for `center` vertical alignment ## [1.8.6] - 2026-02-21 ### Fixed - Workbooks with connections, Power Query, or Data Model no longer crash on open in NuGet tool installs ## [1.8.3] - 2026-02-19 ### Fixed - Operations that trigger Excel recalculation (conditional formatting on formula cells, PivotTable refresh, Power Query refresh) no longer hang - Session no longer becomes permanently stuck after cancelling a tool call - After a timeout, subsequent operations now fail immediately instead of waiting for another full timeout ## [1.8.2] - 2026-02-19 ### Fixed - Excel process no longer hangs on timeout — forcefully recovered instead - Fixed 85%+ CPU usage caused by configuration file watcher - Session save on workbook close now works reliably - Improved error messages with exception type information - Fixed errors when saving workbooks during shutdown ## [1.8.0] - 2026-02-17 ### Added - **Screenshot quality parameter** — `High`/`Medium`/`Low` quality settings (default: `Medium`) - **Window Management** — new `window` tool with 9 operations: show/hide Excel, arrange windows, set status bar text - **CLI `--output` flag** — save command output directly to a file - **CLI Batch Mode** — execute multiple CLI commands from a JSON file in a single launch ### Fixed - Screenshots now work reliably regardless of Excel visibility - Worksheet `copy-to-file` and `move-to-file` no longer require a session parameter - CLI `--help` no longer crashes on commands with bracket characters in descriptions - Sessions auto-save when MCP server exits or client disconnects ## [1.7.7] - 2026-02-17 ### Added - Chart collision detection and auto-positioning with `targetRange` parameter ## [1.7.6] - 2026-02-16 ### Added - **CLI Batch Mode** — `excelcli batch` executes multiple commands from a JSON file ## [1.7.5] - 2026-02-16 ### Fixed - Fixed 100% CPU usage in background message pump loop ## [1.7.4] - 2026-02-16 ### Fixed - Fixed crash when accessing non-OLEDB connection types ## [1.7.2] - 2026-02-15 ### Added - **In-process service architecture** — MCP Server and CLI each host the service internally, eliminating service discovery failures - **CLI NuGet package** — CLI now published as `Sbroenne.ExcelMcp.CLI` ## [1.7.1] - 2026-02-15 ### Fixed - Release workflow no longer publishes partial releases on build failures ## [1.6.10] - 2026-02-15 ### ⚠️ BREAKING CHANGES **See [BREAKING-CHANGES.md](docs/BREAKING-CHANGES.md) for migration guide.** - Tool names simplified: removed `excel_` prefix (e.g. `excel_range` → `range`) ### Added - **Calculation Mode Control** — new `calculation_mode` tool (automatic, manual, semi-automatic) - CLI commands now auto-generated from Core — guaranteed 1:1 MCP/CLI parity - Added `npx add-mcp` installation method ### Removed - Docker/Glama.ai deployment support ## [1.6.9] - 2026-02-04 ### Added - CLI tray icon: "Update CLI" menu option, save prompts when closing sessions ### Fixed - PivotTable field operations no longer cause "RPC server is unavailable" errors on Data Model PivotTables ## [1.6.8] - 2026-02-03 ### Fixed - CLI commands no longer silently ignore user-provided parameter values for `connection`, `powerquery`, `chart`, `table`, and `vba` commands - JSON output uses readable property names (reverted short names) ## [1.6.5] - 2026-02-03 ### Fixed - Dead Excel sessions are now auto-detected and cleaned up — no more confusing timeouts when Excel process dies ## [1.6.4] - 2026-02-03 ### Fixed - Setting formulas/values that trigger Data Model recalculation no longer times out ## [1.6.3] - 2026-02-03 ### Fixed - Documentation improvements for Power Query M code and CLI command names ## [1.6.2] - 2026-02-02 ### Added - **Power Query `evaluate`** — execute M code directly and return results without creating a permanent query - **`mCodeFile` parameter** — read M code from file instead of inline string (avoids escaping issues) - **`vbaCodeFile` parameter** — read VBA code from file instead of inline string ### Fixed - `powerquery refresh` now correctly reports errors instead of returning success on formula errors - `table create` from a single cell now auto-expands to the full contiguous data range ## [1.6.0] - 2026-02-01 ### Added - **Complete CLI Rewrite** — 14 command categories with 210 operations matching MCP Server - **Quiet Mode** — `-q` flag for clean JSON-only output - **Session timeout** — configurable `timeoutSeconds` on `file(open)` and `file(create)` - **PowerQuery `unload`** — remove data from load destinations while keeping query definition ### Fixed - Better error message when MSOLAP provider is missing for Data Model operations ## [1.5.13] - 2026-01-26 ### Added - **Chart Formatting** — data labels, axis scale, gridlines, series markers (8 new operations) - **Chart Trendlines** — add, list, delete, and configure trendlines (4 new operations) ## [1.5.11] - 2026-01-22 ### Added - Agent Skills included in all artifacts - MCPB bundle now includes LICENSE and CHANGELOG.md ## [1.5.8] - 2026-01-20 ### Added - Available as a Claude Desktop MCPB Extension ## [1.5.6] - 2026-01-20 ### Added - **Slicers** — create, list, filter, and delete slicers for PivotTables and Tables (8 new operations) ## [1.5.5] - 2026-01-19 ### Added - **DMV Queries** — query Data Model metadata via Dynamic Management Views ## [1.5.4] - 2026-01-19 ### Added - **DAX Queries** — execute DAX EVALUATE queries against the Data Model - **DAX-backed Tables** — create worksheet tables populated by DAX queries ## [1.5.0] - 2026-01-09 ### Changed - **Tool Reorganization** — split 12 tools into 21 focused tools (186 operations total) - **.NET 10 Upgrade** — requires .NET 10.0 ## [1.4.42] - 2025-12-15 ### Added - Power Query `rename` and Data Model `rename-table` actions ## [1.4.41] - 2025-12-14 ### Fixed - Fixed error when updating Power Query in workbooks with Data Model ## [1.4.40] - 2025-12-14 ### Changed - Upgraded MCP SDK to 0.5.0 with proper error signaling ## [1.4.37] - 2025-12-06 ### Added - Data Model table members support - PivotTable refresh performance improvements ## [1.4.35] - 2025-12-05 ### Added - **Data Model Relationships** — create, update, and delete relationships ## [1.4.34] - 2025-12-05 ### Fixed - DAX formulas now work on European locales (comma as decimal separator) ## [1.4.33] - 2025-12-04 ### Added - Cross-file worksheet operations: `copy-to-file` and `move-to-file` ## [1.4.32] - 2025-12-04 ### Fixed - Charts can now be created from Data Model PivotTables ## [1.4.31] - 2025-12-04 ### Fixed - Number and date formats now work correctly on non-US locales ## [1.4.30] - 2025-12-03 ### Added - `showExcel: true` parameter to watch AI work in Excel in real time ### Fixed - Fixed errors when adding value fields to Data Model PivotTables ## [1.4.25] - 2025-12-01 ### Changed - VS Code extension is 89% smaller (framework-dependent deployment) ## [1.4.24] - 2025-12-01 ### Added - PivotTable grand totals, date/numeric grouping, calculated fields, layout control (172 total operations) ### Fixed - MCP Server no longer stops due to network errors ## [1.4.0] - 2025-11-24 ### Added - Table `get-data` action ### Fixed - Power Query no longer creates spurious "Error Query" entries ## [1.3.0] - 2025-11-22 ### Added - 15 chart operations - Connection `delete` action - OLAP PivotTable measures ## [1.2.0] - 2025-11-17 ### Added - Worksheet `move` action for reordering sheets ### Fixed - Fixed crashes with disconnected COM proxies ## [1.1.0] - 2025-11-10 ### Added - PivotTables from Data Model, connection `create`, configurable timeouts, `querytable` tool, CLI batch mode ### Fixed - File lock errors, Power Query update overwriting, formula/value "out of memory" error, Data Model loading ## [1.0.0] - 2025-10-29 ### Added - Initial release — MCP Server with 11 tools and 100+ operations - CLI for command-line scripting - VS Code Extension - Power Query, Data Model, Tables, PivotTables, Ranges, Charts, Named Ranges, VBA, Worksheets