What is Mcp Excel Server

mcp-excel-server is a Node.js server that implements the Model Context Protocol (MCP) for performing operations on Excel files.

Use cases

Use cases include reading and processing Excel files for data extraction, generating reports from Excel data, and managing file directories in applications.

How to use

To use mcp-excel-server, install it via NPM with the command npm install @qian33/mcp-excel-server. You can integrate it with applications like Claude Desktop or use it directly with NPX.

Key features

Key features include reading files, listing directories, searching files, and reading Excel contents. The server restricts operations to specified directories.

Where to use

mcp-excel-server can be used in various fields such as data analysis, reporting, and any application requiring Excel file manipulation.

mcp-excel-server

Node.js server implementing Model Context Protocol (MCP) for excel file operations.

Features

• Read files
• list directories
• Search files
• Read Excel

Note: The server will only allow operations within directories specified via args.

🔧 Install

NPM Installation

npm install @qian33/mcp-excel-server

📚 API Reference

Resources

• The primary mcp-excel-server operations interface file://system

Tool Functions

📖 Reading Operations

• read_file_content
  • Reads the complete contents of a file
  • Input: path (string)
  • Uses UTF-8 encoding for text files

🎒Writing Operations

• write_file_content
  • Creates a new file or overwrites an existing one with the specified content
  • Inputs:
    • path (string): File location to write to
    • content (string): Content to write to the file
  • Uses UTF-8 encoding for text files
  • Returns confirmation message upon successful write

📁 Directory Operations

• list_directory
  • Lists directory contents with type indicators
  • Input: path (string)
  • Returns entries with [FILE] or [DIR] prefixes

🔍 Reading Excel and Information

• get_excel_content

  • Reads the Excel contents of a file
  • Input: path (string)
  • Uses UTF-8 encoding for excel file

• get_online_excel_content

  • Fetches and reads Excel content from a URL
  • Input: path (string): ONLINE URL to the Excel file
  • Returns the Excel data as a JSON array
  • Useful for reading Excel files hosted on remote servers

📒 Writing Excel

• write_excel_content
  • Creates a new Excel file or overwrites an existing one with the specified data
  • Inputs:
    • path (string): File location for the Excel file
    • content (string or array): JSON data to write to the Excel file
      • Accepts either a JSON string or a direct array of objects
      • Each object represents a row in the Excel sheet
  • Automatically creates a workbook with a ‘Sheet1’ worksheet
  • Returns confirmation message upon successful write

🔧 Usage Guide

Integration with Claude Desktop

Add the following configuration to your : claude_desktop_config.json

Note: You can sandbox directories by mounting them to . Adding the ro flag makes directories read-only. /projects

NPX Method

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-excel-server": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@qian33/mcp-excel-server",
        "/Users/username/Desktop",
        "/path/to/other/allowed/dir"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Bunx Method

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-excel-server": {
      "command": "bunx",
      "args": [
        "@qian33/mcp-excel-server",
        "/Users/username/Desktop",
        "/path/to/other/allowed/dir"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Usage with VS Code

For quick installation, click the installation buttons below…

For manual installation, add the following JSON block to your User Settings (JSON) file in VS Code. You can do this by pressing Ctrl + Shift + P and typing Preferences: Open Settings (JSON).

Optionally, you can add it to a file called .vscode/mcp.json in your workspace. This will allow you to share the configuration with others.

Note that the mcp key is not needed in the .vscode/mcp.json file.

You can provide sandboxed directories to the server by mounting them to /projects. Adding the ro flag will make the directory readonly by the server.

NPX

{
  "mcp": {
    "servers": {
      "mcp-excel-server": {
        "command": "npx",
        "args": [
          "-y",
          "@qian33/mcp-excel-server",
          "${workspaceFolder}"
        ]
      }
    }
  }
}

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! To contribute:

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Implement your changes with tests
4. Submit a pull request

Please ensure your code adheres to the project’s coding standards and includes appropriate tests.

📜 License

This MCP server is licensed under the MIT License. You are free to use, modify, and distribute the software, subject to the MIT License terms and conditions. See the LICENSE file in the repository for details.