Excel MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for Excel operations with enterprise-grade security and clean architecture. Seamlessly integrates with GitHub Copilot, Cline, and other MCP-compatible tools in VS Code.

Features

• Complete Excel Operations: Read, write, and manipulate Excel files (.xlsx, .xls)
• Clean Architecture: Follows Single Responsibility Principle for maintainability
• Enterprise Security: Robust permission system with path restrictions and access control
• VS Code Integration: Works seamlessly with GitHub Copilot and Cline
• TypeScript: Full type safety with modern ES2022+ features
• Zero Deprecated Dependencies: Uses only current, actively maintained libraries

Quick Start

Installation

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/az-coder-123/excel-mcp.git
cd excel-mcp

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build the project
npm run build

# Copy example environment file
cp .env.example .env

📌 Đã cấu hình sẵn cho Cline

Server đã được cấu hình và kết nối sẵn với Cline! Xem Hướng dẫn cài đặt chi tiết để biết:

✅ Trạng thái hiện tại: Đã kết nối và hoạt động bình thường

• Server đang chạy: node dist/index.js
• Cấu hình Cline: .cline/mcp_servers.json
• File cấu hình đã sẵn sàng sử dụng

Xem ngay: docs/SETUP_GUIDE.md để biết cách sử dụng

Configuration

Edit .env file to customize permissions:

# Restrict access to specific directories
MCP_ALLOWED_PATHS=/home/user/documents,/workspace

# Block sensitive system directories
MCP_DENIED_PATHS=/etc/*,/sys/*,C:\Windows\*

# Set maximum file size (50MB default)
MCP_MAX_FILE_SIZE=52428800

VS Code Integration

For GitHub Copilot

Add to your VS Code settings.json:

{
  "github.copilot.chat.experimental.mcpServers": {
    "excel-mcp": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/excel-mcp/dist/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "MCP_LOG_LEVEL": "info"
      }
    }
  }
}

For Cline

Add to your Cline MCP configuration file (~/.config/cline/mcp_servers.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "excel-mcp": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/excel-mcp/dist/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "MCP_LOG_LEVEL": "info"
      }
    }
  }
}

Available Tools

excel_health_check

Check server health, dependencies, and configuration status. This tool is useful for verifying that the MCP server is running correctly and all systems are operational.

{
}

No parameters required

Response Example:

{
  "status": "healthy",
  "server": {
    "name": "excel-mcp",
    "version": "1.0.0",
    "nodeVersion": "v18.0.0",
    "platform": "darwin",
    "arch": "arm64",
    "uptime": "5m 32s"
  },
  "dependencies": {
    "exceljs": "ok",
    "filesystem": "ok",
    "memory": "ok",
    "memoryUsage": {
      "heapUsed": "45MB",
      "heapTotal": "64MB",
      "rss": "78MB",
      "external": "2MB"
    }
  },
  "configuration": {
    "logLevel": "info",
    "maxFileSize": 52428800,
    "maxFileSizeMB": "50MB",
    "allowedPathsCount": 0,
    "deniedPathsCount": 4,
    "allowedExtensions": [".xlsx", ".xls", ".xlsm", ".xlsb"],
    "permissions": ["read", "write", "delete"]
  },
  "tests": {
    "permissionChecker": "pass",
    "logger": "pass",
    "excelOperations": "pass"
  },
  "responseTime": "45ms",
  "timestamp": "2024-03-21T12:34:56.789Z"
}

excel_open_workbook

Open an Excel file for operations.

{
  "filePath": "/path/to/file.xlsx"
}

excel_create_workbook

Create a new Excel workbook.

{
  "filename": "report",
  "outputPath": "/workspace"
}

excel_read_cell

Read a single cell value.

{
  "filename": "report.xlsx",
  "worksheet": "Sheet1",
  "cellAddress": "A1"
}

excel_read_range

Read multiple cells.

{
  "filename": "report.xlsx",
  "worksheet": "Sheet1",
  "startCell": "A1",
  "endCell": "C10"
}

excel_write_cell

Write a value to a cell.

{
  "filename": "report.xlsx",
  "worksheet": "Sheet1",
  "cellAddress": "A1",
  "value": "Hello World"
}

excel_list_worksheets

List all worksheets in a workbook.

{
  "filename": "report.xlsx"
}

excel_add_worksheet

Add a new worksheet.

{
  "filename": "report.xlsx",
  "worksheetName": "Summary"
}

excel_save_workbook

Save the workbook to disk.

{
  "filename": "report.xlsx",
  "outputPath": "/workspace/report-final.xlsx"
}

excel_close_workbook

Close an opened workbook.

{
  "filename": "report.xlsx"
}

excel_get_cell_info

Get detailed cell information including formulas.

{
  "filename": "report.xlsx",
  "worksheet": "Sheet1",
  "cellAddress": "B5"
}

Security Features

Permission Levels

• read: Read-only access to Excel files
• write: Create and modify Excel files
• delete: Delete worksheets and clear data
• admin: Full administrative access

Path Restrictions

Configure allowed and denied paths using wildcards:

# Allow only specific directories
MCP_ALLOWED_PATHS=/workspace/*,/home/user/documents/*

# Block sensitive system paths
MCP_DENIED_PATHS=/etc/*,/sys/*,/proc/*,C:\Windows\*

File Size Limits

Prevent processing of excessively large files:

MCP_MAX_FILE_SIZE=52428800  # 50MB

Extension Whitelist

Only process specific file types (configured by default):

• .xlsx - Excel Workbook
• .xls - Excel 97-2003 Workbook
• .xlsm - Excel Macro-Enabled Workbook
• .xlsb - Excel Binary Workbook

Architecture

excel-mcp/
├── src/
│   ├── index.ts                 # Application entry point
│   ├── types/
│   │   └── index.ts            # Type definitions
│   ├── security/
│   │   └── permission-checker.ts # Access control
│   ├── services/
│   │   └── excel-service.ts    # Excel operations
│   ├── tools/
│   │   ├── tool-definitions.ts # Tool schemas
│   │   └── tool-handler.ts     # Tool execution
│   ├── server/
│   │   └── excel-mcp-server.ts # MCP server core
│   └── utils/
│       └── logger.ts           # Logging utility
├── docs/
│   ├── ARCHITECTURE.md         # Architecture details
│   ├── API.md                  # API reference
│   ├── SECURITY.md             # Security guide
│   └── TROUBLESHOOTING.md      # Common issues
└── dist/                       # Compiled JavaScript

Design Principles

1. Single Responsibility: Each class/module has one clear purpose
2. Dependency Injection: Components are loosely coupled
3. Type Safety: Full TypeScript coverage with strict mode
4. Error Handling: Comprehensive error catching and reporting
5. Security First: Permission checks before all operations

Development

Scripts

# Development with hot reload
npm run dev

# Build for production
npm run build

# Run tests
npm test

# Lint code
npm run lint

# Format code
npm run format

# Clean build artifacts
npm run clean

Project Structure

• src/ - TypeScript source files
• dist/ - Compiled JavaScript output
• docs/ - Documentation
• package.json - Dependencies and scripts
• tsconfig.json - TypeScript configuration

Environment Variables

Variable	Description	Default
MCP_SERVER_NAME	Server identifier	excel-mcp
MCP_SERVER_VERSION	Server version	1.0.0
MCP_LOG_LEVEL	Logging verbosity	info
MCP_ALLOWED_PATHS	Comma-separated allowed paths	All paths
MCP_DENIED_PATHS	Comma-separated denied paths	System paths
MCP_MAX_FILE_SIZE	Maximum file size in bytes	52428800 (50MB)

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

"Permission denied" errors

• Check your MCP_ALLOWED_PATHS configuration
• Ensure the file isn't in a denied path
• Verify you have the required permission level

"Workbook not opened" errors

• Call excel_open_workbook before other operations
• Check that the file path is correct
• Ensure the file isn't corrupted

TypeScript compilation errors

• Run npm install to ensure all dependencies are installed
• Check Node.js version (requires >= 18.0.0)

For more troubleshooting help, see docs/TROUBLESHOOTING.md.

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please read our contributing guidelines and code of conduct.

Support

• GitHub Issues: Report bugs
• Documentation: Full docs