Excel MCP Server

What is Excel MCP Server?

Excel MCP Server is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that reads and writes MS Excel data. It allows AI assistants to read text values, formulas, and sheet images from Excel files and write data or formulas back to them.

How to use Excel MCP Server?

Install it via npm (npx @fbeawels/excel-mcp-server) or Smithery (npx -y @smithery/cli install @fbeawels/excel-mcp-server --client claude). Configure it as an MCP server in your client’s JSON settings. Use stdio transport by default, or switch to SSE transport with EXCEL_MCP_TRANSPORT=sse and specify host/port. The server exposes tools such as read_sheet_data, write_sheet_data, read_sheet_formula, write_sheet_formula, read_sheet_image (Windows only), and read_sheet_names.

Key features of Excel MCP Server

• Read and write text values from MS Excel files
• Read and write formulas in MS Excel files
• Capture screen image from Excel files (Windows only)
• Supports xlsx, xlsm, xltx, xltm file formats
• Paginated reading with configurable cell limit (default 4000)
• Both stdio and SSE transport protocols

Use cases of Excel MCP Server

• Automatically extract data from Excel spreadsheets for analysis
• Write AI-generated data or formulas into Excel files
• Read formulas to audit or update complex workbook logic
• Capture a visual snapshot of a sheet range (Windows)

FAQ from Excel MCP Server

What are the runtime requirements?

Node.js 20.x or later is required.

Which Excel file formats are supported?

xlsx, xlsm, xltx, and xltm are supported.

Is capturing images from sheets supported on all platforms?

No, read_sheet_image is available on Windows only.

How can I limit the number of cells read in one operation?

Set the environment variable EXCEL_MCP_PAGING_CELLS_LIMIT (default is 4000).

What transport methods are available?

The server supports stdio (default) and SSE transport. For SSE, you can configure host and port via environment variables or command-line arguments.