Spire.XLS MCP server

Spire.XLS MCP Server empowers AI agents to work with Excel files using the Model Context Protocol (MCP). This robust solution allows creating, reading, editing, and converting Excel workbooks without requiring Microsoft Office to be installed on your system.

Prerequisites

• Python 3.10 or higher

Installation

Clone the repository and install using uv:

git clone https://github.com/eiceblue/spire-xls-mcp-server.git
cd spire-xls-mcp-server
uv pip install -e .

Running the Server

Start the server with the default port (8000):

uv run spire-xls-mcp-server

Use a custom port (e.g., 8080):

# Bash/Linux/macOS
export FASTMCP_PORT=8080 && uv run spire-xls-mcp-server

# Windows PowerShell
$env:FASTMCP_PORT = "8080"; uv run spire-xls-mcp-server

Integration with AI Tools

Cursor IDE Integration

1. Add this configuration to Cursor:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "excel": {
      "url": "http://localhost:8000/sse",
      "env": {
        "EXCEL_FILES_PATH": "/path/to/excel/files"
      }
    }
  }
}

2. The Excel tools will be available through your AI assistant.

Remote Hosting & Transport Protocols

This server uses Server-Sent Events (SSE) transport protocol. For different use cases:

1. Using with Claude Desktop (requires stdio):

   • Use Supergateway to convert SSE to stdio

2. Hosting Your MCP Server:

   • Follow the Remote MCP Server Guide provided by Cloudflare

Environment Variables

Variable	Description	Default
FASTMCP_PORT	Server port	8000
EXCEL_FILES_PATH	Directory for Excel files	./excel_files

Features and Capabilities

Basic Operations

• Create, read, write, and delete Excel worksheets or workbooks
• Manage worksheets: rename, move, hide, freeze panes

Data Processing

• Read and write cell data
• Apply formulas
• Sort and filter data
• Analyze Excel data

Formatting

• Apply styles
• Merge cells
• Set fonts and colors

Advanced Features

• Create various chart types for visual dashboards
• Create and manipulate pivot tables
• Apply conditional formatting

Conversion Capabilities

• Convert Excel to PDF, HTML, CSV, image, XML with high fidelity

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use Spire.XLS MCP Server for any directory?

Yes, Spire.XLS MCP Server works for any directory.

Is Spire.XLS MCP Server free to use?

Yes, it is licensed under the MIT License, allowing free use and modification.

What programming languages does Spire.XLS MCP Server support?

It is built with Python.

How to install this MCP server

For Claude Code

To add this MCP server to Claude Code, run this command in your terminal:

claude mcp add-json "excel" '{"url":"http://localhost:8000/sse","env":{"EXCEL_FILES_PATH":"/path/to/excel/files"}}'

See the official Claude Code MCP documentation for more details.

For Cursor

There are two ways to add an MCP server to Cursor. The most common way is to add the server globally in the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file so that it is available in all of your projects.

If you only need the server in a single project, you can add it to the project instead by creating or adding it to the .cursor/mcp.json file.

Adding an MCP server to Cursor globally

To add a global MCP server go to Cursor Settings > Tools & Integrations and click "New MCP Server".

When you click that button the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file will be opened and you can add your server like this:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "excel": {
            "url": "http://localhost:8000/sse",
            "env": {
                "EXCEL_FILES_PATH": "/path/to/excel/files"
            }
        }
    }
}

Adding an MCP server to a project

To add an MCP server to a project you can create a new .cursor/mcp.json file or add it to the existing one. This will look exactly the same as the global MCP server example above.

How to use the MCP server

Once the server is installed, you might need to head back to Settings > MCP and click the refresh button.

The Cursor agent will then be able to see the available tools the added MCP server has available and will call them when it needs to.

You can also explicitly ask the agent to use the tool by mentioning the tool name and describing what the function does.

For Claude Desktop

To add this MCP server to Claude Desktop:

1. Find your configuration file:

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
• Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
• Linux: ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

2. Add this to your configuration file:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "excel": {
            "url": "http://localhost:8000/sse",
            "env": {
                "EXCEL_FILES_PATH": "/path/to/excel/files"
            }
        }
    }
}

3. Restart Claude Desktop for the changes to take effect