# Excel CLI Skill
Agent Skill for AI coding assistants using the Excel CLI tool (`excelcli`).
## Best For
- **Coding agents** (GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Windsurf, Codex, Gemini CLI, and 38+ more)
- Token-efficient workflows (no large tool schemas)
- Discoverable via `excelcli --help`
- Scriptable in PowerShell pipelines, CI/CD, batch processing
- Quiet mode (`-q`) outputs clean JSON only
## Why CLI Over MCP?
Modern coding agents increasingly favor CLI-based workflows:
```powershell
# Token-efficient: No schema overhead
excelcli -q session open C:\Data\Report.xlsx
excelcli -q range set-values --session 1 --sheet Sheet1 --range A1 --values-json '[["Hello"]]'
excelcli -q session close --session 1 --save
```
## Installation
### GitHub Copilot
The [Excel MCP Server VS Code extension](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=sbroenne.excel-mcp) installs this skill automatically to `~/.copilot/skills/excel-cli/`.
Enable skills in VS Code settings:
```json
{
"chat.useAgentSkills": true
}
```
### Other Platforms
Extract to your AI assistant's skills directory:
| Platform | Location |
|----------|----------|
| **Claude Code** | `.claude/skills/excel-cli/` |
| **Cursor** | `.cursor/skills/excel-cli/` |
| **Windsurf** | `.windsurf/skills/excel-cli/` |
| **Gemini CLI** | `.gemini/skills/excel-cli/` |
| **Codex** | `.codex/skills/excel-cli/` |
| **And 36+ more** | Via `npx skills` |
| **Goose** | `.goose/skills/excel-cli/` |
Or use npx:
```bash
npx skills add sbroenne/mcp-server-excel --skill excel-cli -a cursor
```
## Contents
```
excel-cli/
├── SKILL.md # Main skill definition with CLI command guidance
├── README.md # This file
└── references/ # Detailed domain-specific guidance
├── behavioral-rules.md
├── anti-patterns.md
├── workflows.md
├── excel_range.md
├── excel_table.md
├── excel_worksheet.md
├── excel_chart.md
├── excel_slicer.md
├── excel_powerquery.md
├── excel_datamodel.md
└── excel_conditionalformat.md
```
## CLI Installation
Install the CLI tool via NuGet:
```powershell
dotnet tool install --global Sbroenne.ExcelMcp.CLI
```
Verify installation:
```powershell
excelcli --version
excelcli --help
```
## Related
- [Excel MCP Skill](https://github.com/sbroenne/mcp-server-excel/releases) - For conversational AI (Claude Desktop, VS Code Chat)
- [Documentation](https://excelmcpserver.dev/)
- [GitHub Repository](https://github.com/sbroenne/mcp-server-excel)
