Excel MCP Server

What does “Excel” MCP Server do?

The Excel MCP Server is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server designed for seamless manipulation of Excel files without requiring Microsoft Excel to be installed. It allows AI assistants and agents to create, read, modify, and manage Excel workbooks, enabling powerful workflows such as reading/writing data, applying formatting, generating charts, and managing worksheets entirely through AI-driven interactions. By acting as a bridge between AI clients and Excel files, the server enables enhanced automation for tasks like data analysis, reporting, and spreadsheet management. It supports both local (stdio) and remote (SSE) transport modes, making it suitable for integration with tools like Cursor, Windsurf, and other AI-centric development environments.

List of Prompts

No specific prompt templates are mentioned in the repository or documentation.

List of Resources

No explicit MCP resources are described in the available documentation or files.

List of Tools

• Create and modify Excel workbooks: Supports creation of new workbooks and editing existing ones.
• Read and write data: Enables reading from and writing to specific cells, ranges, or sheets.
• Apply formatting and styles: Allows for styling cells, rows, and columns programmatically.
• Create charts and visualizations: Facilitates the generation of visual data representations.
• Generate pivot tables: Automates the creation of pivot tables for data summarization.
• Manage worksheets and ranges: Supports adding, removing, and renaming sheets and defining working ranges.

Use Cases of this MCP Server

• Automated Data Entry and Reporting: AI agents can populate spreadsheets and generate reports, eliminating manual entry and improving accuracy.
• Data Analysis and Visualization: Programmatically create charts, pivot tables, and perform complex analyses for business intelligence purposes.
• Spreadsheet Auditing: Review, validate, and highlight discrepancies in large Excel files through automated scripts.
• Bulk Data Transformation: Apply formatting, data cleaning, and transformations across multiple sheets or workbooks efficiently.
• Integration into Developer Workflows: Embed Excel file manipulation into CI/CD pipelines or AI-powered developer tools for seamless automation.

How to set it up

Windsurf

1. Prerequisites: Ensure Python 3.10+ and uv package manager are installed.
2. Locate Configuration: Open the Windsurf client configuration file (e.g., windsurf.json or settings panel).
3. Add MCP Server:

   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "excel-stdio": {
         "command": "uvx",
         "args": ["excel-mcp-server", "stdio"]
       }
     }
   }
   

4. Save & Restart: Save changes and restart Windsurf.
5. Verify Setup: Open Windsurf and check if “excel-stdio” is available as an MCP server.

Securing API Keys (Example)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "excel-stdio": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["excel-mcp-server", "stdio"],
      "env": {
        "EXCEL_API_KEY": "${EXCEL_API_KEY}"
      },
      "inputs": {
        "api_key": "${EXCEL_API_KEY}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Claude

1. Prerequisites: Python 3.10+ and uv installed.
2. Open Settings: Find the MCP section in Claude’s settings.
3. Edit Configuration: Add the server entry.

   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "excel-stdio": {
         "command": "uvx",
         "args": ["excel-mcp-server", "stdio"]
       }
     }
   }
   

4. Save & Restart: Apply changes and restart Claude.
5. Verify: Confirm server is accessible in Claude.

Securing API Keys (Example)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "excel-stdio": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["excel-mcp-server", "stdio"],
      "env": {
        "EXCEL_API_KEY": "${EXCEL_API_KEY}"
      },
      "inputs": {
        "api_key": "${EXCEL_API_KEY}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Cursor

1. Prerequisites: Python 3.10+, uv, and Cursor installed.
2. Open Cursor Settings: Access the MCP integration section.
3. Add MCP Server:

   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "excel-stdio": {
         "command": "uvx",
         "args": ["excel-mcp-server", "stdio"]
       }
     }
   }
   

4. Save & Restart: Save configuration and restart Cursor.
5. Verify: Check MCP server list for “excel-stdio”.

Securing API Keys (Example)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "excel-stdio": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["excel-mcp-server", "stdio"],
      "env": {
        "EXCEL_API_KEY": "${EXCEL_API_KEY}"
      },
      "inputs": {
        "api_key": "${EXCEL_API_KEY}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Cline

1. Prerequisites: Python 3.10+ and uv package manager.
2. Access Config: Open Cline configuration file.
3. Configure MCP:

   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "excel-stdio": {
         "command": "uvx",
         "args": ["excel-mcp-server", "stdio"]
       }
     }
   }
   

4. Save & Restart: Save config and restart Cline.
5. Verify: Confirm server is recognized.

Securing API Keys (Example)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "excel-stdio": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["excel-mcp-server", "stdio"],
      "env": {
        "EXCEL_API_KEY": "${EXCEL_API_KEY}"
      },
      "inputs": {
        "api_key": "${EXCEL_API_KEY}"
      }
    }
  }
}

How to use this MCP inside flows

Using MCP in FlowHunt

To integrate MCP servers into your FlowHunt workflow, start by adding the MCP component to your flow and connecting it to your AI agent:

Click on the MCP component to open the configuration panel. In the system MCP configuration section, insert your MCP server details using this JSON format:

{
  "excel-mcp-server": {
    "transport": "streamable_http",
    "url": "https://yourmcpserver.example/pathtothemcp/url"
  }
}

Once configured, the AI agent is now able to use this MCP as a tool with access to all its functions and capabilities. Remember to change “excel-mcp-server” to your actual MCP server name and update the URL accordingly.

Overview

I would rate this MCP server a 6/10. The repository is well-documented, open-source, and includes clear tool descriptions and setup examples. However, lack of explicit prompt templates, resources, and sampling/roots support limits its completeness for advanced workflows.

MCP Score