Overview
What is Excel MCP Server?
Excel MCP Server is an Excel file processing server based on the Model Context Protocol (MCP), providing functionalities for reading, writing, and analyzing Excel files. It is designed for developers and AI agents that need to programmatically interact with Excel files.
How to use Excel MCP Server?
Install and configure the server by adding it to your MCP servers configuration, optionally setting environment variables like LOG_PATH, CACHE_MAX_AGE, CACHE_CLEANUP_INTERVAL, LOG_RETENTION_DAYS, and LOG_CLEANUP_INTERVAL. Invoke built-in tools such as readSheetNames, readDataBySheetName, writeDataBySheetName, or analyzeExcelStructure to perform Excel operations.
Key features of Excel MCP Server
- Read, write, and analyze Excel files via MCP tools
- Automatic file content caching with scheduled cleanup
- Manual cache clearing and cache management
- Automatic operation logging with periodic log cleanup
- Support for multiple worksheets and sheet management
- Export Excel file structure to a new template file
Use cases of Excel MCP Server
- Extracting data from Excel spreadsheets for further processing
- Creating new Excel files with structured data from an AI agent
- Analyzing Excel file structure (sheets and headers) for automation
- Updating specific worksheets in existing Excel files
FAQ from Excel MCP Server
What are the dependencies and runtime requirements?
Dependencies include @modelcontextprotocol/sdk (^1.7.0), xlsx (^0.18.5), and typescript (^5.8.2). Development dependencies also require @types/node, nodemon, and ts-node.
How is data cached and what are the default cache settings?
Cache expires after 1 hour by default, with automatic cleanup every 4 hours. Cache can be manually cleared per file using the clearFileCache tool.
Where are logs stored and how are they managed?
Logs are stored in a configurable LOG_PATH (default: 'logs' folder under the application root). Logs are retained for 7 days with cleanup occurring every 24 hours by default.
How do I install Excel MCP Server?
Install via Smithery using npx -y @smithery/cli install @zhiwei5576/excel-mcp-server --client claude or manually by adding configuration to the MCP servers JSON with npx --yes @zhiweixu/excel-mcp-server.
What license is Excel MCP Server under?
It is licensed under the MIT License, allowing commercial and non-commercial use, modification, and distribution with retention of the original copyright notice.
