PowerPoint Automation MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides comprehensive PowerPoint automation capabilities using python-pptx. This server enables AI assistants to create, modify, and manage PowerPoint presentations programmatically.

Demo

https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/3daf3bef-4d75-4639-a891-0e64b80b4807

Features

• Presentation Management: Create, open, save, and close presentations
• Slide Operations: Add, delete, and manage slides with various layouts
• Content Creation: Add text boxes, images, tables, and charts
• Text Formatting: Update text with font styling (name, size, bold, italic)
• Shape Manipulation: Move, resize, and modify shape properties
• Table Operations: Create tables and update cell content
• Chart Creation: Add various chart types (column, line, pie, bar) with data
• Group Management: Ungroup shapes for easier manipulation
• Layout Support: Work with different slide layouts and placeholders

Recommended Prompts

Translation Scenario

For translating presentations, process in batches to avoid context overflow and ensure data safety:

Translate this presentation [absolute path of ppt], processing 10 slides at a time and saving after each batch of 10 slides.

This approach:

• Prevents token limit issues on large presentations
• Saves progress incrementally to avoid data loss
• Allows for review between batches

Installation

git clone https://github.com/buckylee2019/powerpoint-automation-mcp.git
cd powerpoint-automation-mcp
uv sync

Running the Server

uv run --directory /path/to/powerpoint-automation-mcp mcp-ppt-server

API Reference

The server provides 25+ tools for comprehensive PowerPoint automation. All operations work with a single active presentation to simplify the API.

Presentation Management

initialize_powerpoint() -> bool

Initialize the PowerPoint automation system.

create_presentation(template: str = None) -> Dict

Create a new presentation, optionally from a template.

• template: Optional path to template file

open_presentation(file_path: str) -> Dict

Open an existing PowerPoint file.

• file_path: Full path to .pptx file

get_presentation() -> Dict

Get information about the currently active presentation.

save_presentation(path: str = None) -> Dict

Save the active presentation.

• path: Optional save path (uses current path if omitted)

close_presentation() -> Dict

Close the active presentation.

Slide Management

get_slides() -> List[Dict]

Get list of all slides with metadata.

add_slide(layout_index: int = 1) -> Dict

Add a new slide with specified layout.

• layout_index: Layout type (0=Title, 1=Title+Content, etc.)

delete_slide(slide_index: int) -> Dict

Delete a slide from the presentation.

• slide_index: 0-based slide index

get_slide_layouts() -> Dict

Get all available slide layouts with their properties.

set_slide_title(slide_index: int, title: str) -> Dict

Set the title of a slide.

Content Inspection

get_slide_shapes(slide_index: int) -> Dict

ALWAYS RUN FIRST! Get all shapes in a slide with properties and IDs.

• Returns shape types, positions, sizes, and text content
• Identifies grouped shapes that may need ungrouping

get_slide_text(slide_index: int) -> Dict

Get all text content in a slide organized by shape.

• Detects grouped shapes that may need ungrouping first

Text and Shape Manipulation

update_text(slide_index: int, shape_index: int, text: str, font_name: str = None, font_size: int = None, bold: bool = None, italic: bool = None, preserve_existing: bool = True) -> Dict

Update text content with optional formatting.

• Supports font styling while preserving existing formatting
• preserve_existing: Keep original formatting for unspecified properties

update_shape_by_id(slide_index: int, shape_id: str, text: str = None, left: float = None, top: float = None, width: float = None, height: float = None) -> Dict

Update shape properties by ID.

• Positions and sizes in inches

Content Creation

add_textbox(slide_index: int, text: str, left: float = 1, top: float = 1, width: float = 4, height: float = 2) -> Dict

Add a text box to a slide.

add_image(slide_index: int, image_path: str, left: float = 1, top: float = 1, width: float = None, height: float = None) -> Dict

Add an image to a slide.

• Maintains aspect ratio if only width or height specified

add_table(slide_index: int, rows: int, cols: int, left: float = 1, top: float = 1, width: float = 8, height: float = 4) -> Dict

Add a table to a slide.

add_chart(slide_index: int, chart_type: str, categories: List[str], series_names: List[str], series_values: List[List[float]], left: float = 1, top: float = 1, width: float = 8, height: float = 4, has_legend: bool = True) -> Dict

Add a chart with multiple data series.

• chart_type: 'COLUMN', 'LINE', 'PIE', 'BAR'
• categories: X-axis labels
• series_names: Legend labels
• series_values: Data values for each series

Table Operations

update_table_cell(slide_index: int, shape_index: int, row: int, col: int, text: str) -> Dict

Update text in a specific table cell.

get_table_content(slide_index: int, shape_index: int) -> Dict

Retrieve all content from a table.

Advanced Operations

ungroup_shapes(slide_index: int) -> Dict

Ungroup all text-containing groups in a slide.

• Only processes simple groups (no nested groups)
• Preserves shape positions and properties
• Skips groups without text content

Usage Workflow

1. Initialize: Call initialize_powerpoint()
2. Open/Create: Use open_presentation() or create_presentation()
3. Inspect: Always run get_slide_shapes() first to understand slide structure
4. Ungroup if needed: Use ungroup_shapes() if grouped shapes are detected
5. Modify: Use appropriate tools to add/modify content
6. Save: Call save_presentation() to persist changes

Error Handling

All functions return dictionaries with either success data or error information:

// Success response
{
  "success": true,
  "message": "Operation completed",
  "data": {...}
}

// Error response
{
  "error": "Description of what went wrong"
}

MCP Configuration

Add to your MCP settings:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "powerpoint-automation": {
      "command": "uv",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "--directory",
        "/path/to/powerpoint-automation-mcp",
        "mcp-ppt-server"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Dependencies

• python-pptx: PowerPoint file manipulation
• mcp: Model Context Protocol framework
• fastmcp: Simplified MCP server creation

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.