Excel MCP Server — Claude Code MCP server: Excel without Excel
An MCP server that lets your agent read and edit Excel workbooks: formulas, PivotTables, charts. Microsoft Excel is not required.
claude mcp add excel-mcp-server -- uvx excel-mcp-serverWhat Excel MCP Server does
The server is built on openpyxl and runs on Windows, macOS and Linux. A built-in engine evaluates formulas, so read_range returns values for workbooks that were never opened in Excel. Dynamic arrays such as FILTER and SORT are stored the way Excel stores them and spill into neighbouring cells.
Charts (including the Excel 2016 types), real PivotTables with grouping and calculated fields, sparklines, conditional formatting, data validation, formula tracing and Goal Seek are all there. Large sheets are read in pages, and edits parse only the rows they touch — inserting rows on a 200,000-row sheet takes seconds, not minutes. Supported formats: .xlsx, .xlsm, .xltx, .xltm.
It runs through uvx, so uv has to be installed first. Desktop apps often cannot find uvx because they do not see your shell's PATH; use the full path that which uvx prints. VBA writing stays off until you start the server with --allow-vba-write, and macros are never executed.
What it helps with
- build a workbook with a chart and a PivotTable from raw data
- evaluate formulas in a file Excel never opened
- trace where a wrong number in a report comes from
- insert rows into a 200,000-row sheet without waiting minutes
- read VBA code out of an
.xlsmfile
Example prompts for the agent
- Build a PivotTable by month in
reports/q1.xlsxfrom the sales sheet - Add a chart and sparklines for the revenue column
- Show which cells feed
B12and walk through the formula step by step
How to install Excel MCP Server
Platform CLI
claude mcp add excel-mcp-server -- uvx excel-mcp-serveruvx runs the command named after the package; if the README names another one, use uvx --from excel-mcp-server <command>
Platform CLI
codex mcp add excel-mcp-server -- uvx excel-mcp-serveruvx runs the command named after the package; if the README names another one, use uvx --from excel-mcp-server <command>
Config file
{
"mcpServers": {
"excel-mcp-server": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": [
"excel-mcp-server"
]
}
}
}uvx runs the command named after the package; if the README names another one, use uvx --from excel-mcp-server <command>
Config file
{
"servers": {
"excel-mcp-server": {
"type": "stdio",
"command": "uvx",
"args": [
"excel-mcp-server"
]
}
}
}uvx runs the command named after the package; if the README names another one, use uvx --from excel-mcp-server <command>
Platform CLI
gemini mcp add excel-mcp-server uvx excel-mcp-serveruvx runs the command named after the package; if the README names another one, use uvx --from excel-mcp-server <command>
Step by step, with commands for each platform: How to add an MCP server to Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, VS Code, Gemini CLI and more
Questions about Excel MCP Server
How do I install Excel MCP Server in Claude Code?
Run claude mcp add excel-mcp-server -- uvx excel-mcp-server. Install uv beforehand.
What does Excel MCP Server do?
It lets an agent create, read and edit Excel workbooks: formulas, PivotTables, charts, formatting. Microsoft Excel is not needed.
Do I need Excel installed?
No. A built-in engine evaluates formulas and openpyxl handles the files.
