Mcp Server Xlwings

io.github.geniuskeyPublished by GitHub account geniuskeyv0.4.1Updated Oct 24, 2026

Excel automation via xlwings COM. DRM-protected files, live sessions, VBA macros. Windows only.

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Overview

AI-generated overview

Lets an assistant read, write, format and manage the Excel workbook currently open on a Windows machine, including running VBA macros.

What you can do
It drives Excel through COM automation instead of reading files from disk, so it works with the live session, DRM-protected documents and files locked by another process. Eleven tools cover getting the active workbook and selection, listing, opening, saving, closing and recalculating workbooks, reading and writing ranges or formulas, managing sheets and rows, find and replace, formatting, running VBA macros, reading formulas and cell styles, and listing charts, images and shapes. Tools default to the active workbook when no workbook is given.
When to use it
Use it when an assistant must work with a spreadsheet that is already open in Excel, when formulas, macros or add-ins matter, or when file-based libraries such as openpyxl or pandas cannot open the document because of DRM, encryption or a file lock. It is not useful on macOS or Linux, or when no Excel installation is available.
Requirements
Windows only, with Microsoft Excel installed and Python 3.10 or newer. Runs locally over stdio, typically launched with uvx mcp-server-xlwings or installed with pip. No accounts, API keys, environment variables or headers are declared.
Before you install
It reads and writes the live Excel session, so write_data, manage_sheets, find_replace and format_range can change or delete content in open workbooks, and run_macro executes existing VBA macros with their side effects. It can read whatever workbook or selection is currently open, including DRM-protected files, so sensitive spreadsheet data may be exposed to the assistant. No credentials are requested.

Installation

In SourceWeft

  1. Open Mcp Server Xlwings in the dashboard and add it to a workspace.
  2. Enable the server for the chats that should use its tools.

Desktop only via STDIO. STDIO servers start a local process, so they need the SourceWeft desktop host.

Other MCP clients

Follow the launch instructions in the repository.

README

mcp-server-xlwings

MCP server for Excel automation via xlwings COM. Works with DRM-protected files.

[PyPI] [License: MIT] [Python 3.10+]

Why xlwings?

Libraries like openpyxl or pandas read .xlsx files directly from disk. This fails when:

  • DRM / file-level encryption is applied (common in enterprise environments)
  • You need to interact with a live Excel session (formulas, macros, add-ins)
  • Files are locked by another process

mcp-server-xlwings uses COM automation to talk to the running Excel process, so it can read and write any file that Excel itself can open -- including DRM-protected documents.

xlwings-exclusive capabilities

These features are impossible with file-based libraries like openpyxl:

  • Read the user's current selection -- see exactly what the user is looking at
  • Get the active workbook -- no need to specify a file path
  • Run VBA macros -- execute existing macros and get their return values
  • Live formula results -- set a formula and get the calculated value immediately
  • Force recalculation -- trigger Excel to recalculate all formulas

Installation

With uvx (recommended)

bash
uvx mcp-server-xlwings

With pip

bash
pip install mcp-server-xlwings

Configuration

Claude Desktop

Add to %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json:

json
{  "mcpServers": {    "xlwings": {      "command": "uvx",      "args": ["mcp-server-xlwings"]    }  }}

Claude Code

bash
claude mcp add xlwings -- uvx mcp-server-xlwings

Roo Code (VS Code)

Add to Roo Code MCP settings or create <project-root>/.roo/mcp.json:

json
{  "mcpServers": {    "xlwings": {      "command": "uvx",      "args": ["mcp-server-xlwings"]    }  }}

Cursor

Add to %USERPROFILE%\.cursor\mcp.json:

json
{  "mcpServers": {    "xlwings": {      "command": "uvx",      "args": ["mcp-server-xlwings"]    }  }}

Windsurf

Add to %USERPROFILE%\.codeium\windsurf\mcp_config.json:

json
{  "mcpServers": {    "xlwings": {      "command": "uvx",      "args": ["mcp-server-xlwings"]    }  }}

Continue (VS Code)

Add to ~/.continue/config.yaml:

yaml
mcpServers:  - name: xlwings    command: uvx    args:      - mcp-server-xlwings

Available Tools (11)

All tools default to the active workbook when workbook is omitted.

ToolDescription
get_active_workbookGet active workbook info, sheets, and current selection with data
manage_workbooksList, open, save, close, or recalculate workbooks
read_dataRead a range with merge_info, header_row, sheet="*" batch read, and detail mode
write_dataWrite a 2D array (data) or a single-cell formula (formula)
manage_sheetsList, add, delete, rename, copy, activate sheets. Insert/delete rows and columns
find_replaceSearch for text, optionally replace it
format_rangeApply formatting (bold, italic, color, borders, alignment, number format, etc.)
run_macroExecute a VBA macro and get its return value
get_formulasGet all formulas in a range with optional calculated values
get_cell_stylesGet formatting/style info (bold, colors, borders, etc.) for cells in a range
get_objectsList charts, images, and shapes on a sheet

Examples

See what the user is working on

"What's in the spreadsheet I have open?"

The agent calls get_active_workbook() to get the workbook name, sheets, and selection data, then read_data() to fetch the full sheet.

Summarize selected data

"Summarize the data I've selected"

The agent calls get_active_workbook() -- the response includes the selection data directly.

Run a macro

"Run the UpdateReport macro"

The agent calls run_macro(macro_name="UpdateReport") and returns the result.

Build a summary row

"Add a SUM formula in C10 that totals C2:C9"

The agent calls write_data(start_cell="C10", formula="=SUM(C2:C9)") and gets back the calculated value.

Format a header row

"Make row 1 bold and centered with a yellow background"

The agent calls format_range(cell_range="A1:D1", bold=true, alignment="center", bg_color="#FFFF00").

Read all sheets at once

"Give me a summary of every sheet"

The agent calls read_data(sheet="*") -- returns all sheet summaries in a single call.

Read merged cells properly

"Read B6:C20 and fill in merged cell values"

The agent calls read_data(cell_range="B6:C20", merge_info=true). Merged cells return the parent value instead of null.

Find all formulas

"Show me all formulas in this sheet"

The agent calls get_formulas(cell_range="A1:Z100", values_too=true) and gets every formula with its calculated value.

Insert rows

"Insert 3 blank rows at row 5"

The agent calls manage_sheets(action="insert_rows", position=5, count=3).

Requirements

  • Windows (Excel COM automation is Windows-only)
  • Microsoft Excel installed
  • Python 3.10+

License

MIT

Source: README.md at commit 3869179

Tools

0
SourceWeft has not started this package in its sandbox yet, so its tools are not known.

Version history

1
  1. v0.4.1LatestSep 16, 2026

Score

50% of the applicable checks met

How complete this listing is, computed from the registry entry, the endpoint and public sources. Not a rating of the server and not a statement that it is safe or working today: reachability is a dated check, and no installs or reviews go into the score.

  • Reached in the last 30 days25 pts

    Keep the endpoint answering the MCP handshake; SourceWeft probes it every 30 days.

  • Auth declared10 pts

    Declare the credential headers in the registry entry, or keep the endpoint answering the probe so its auth can be classified.

  • Tools listed15 pts

    Answer tools/list without a credential, or ship a package that starts in a sandbox without one.

  • DescriptionRequired15 pts
  • Logo10 pts
  • Documentation15 pts
  • License10 pts