Xlsx For AI MCP server

xlsx-for-ai

Short name: xfa — a real CLI command (xfa , xfa samples, xfa --version) and the prompt shorthand (e.g. "use xfa to read this file"). Same entrypoint as xlsx-for-ai; matches the internal xfa / XFA brand surface.

Verified values, preserved structure, up to 100MB

The missing reliability layer for spreadsheet work in LLM agents. Read, write, diff, validate, and analyze .xlsx files end-to-end — with merged cells, formulas, named ranges, conditional formatting, pivots, and charts preserved.

xlsx-for-ai makes Claude reliable on real-world Excel files. Forty-plus tools cover the structural surface that pandas-style sandboxes drop on the floor: merged cells, named ranges, formulas with results, conditional formatting, pivots, slicers, charts, comments, data validations, hyperlinks, cross-sheet topology, external links, form controls, VBA macros, document properties, and protection settings. Cross-engine validation catches the corruption other readers silently mask. A hosted recalc engine computes served values in-house — no third-party formula engine in the serve path.

npm install -g xlsx-for-ai

The global install puts the xlsx-for-ai-mcp binary on your PATH — that's what the canonical configs below point at. A pinned global install launches fast and works offline; upgrade with npm install -g xlsx-for-ai@latest when a new version ships.

Upgrading from 1.5.x? This is a re-architecture, not a feature bump: the heavy local engine is gone from the npm package. All rendering happens server-side. The cursor-reads-xlsx alias still works. See Migration below.

MCP configuration

Add the server to your agent runtime under the name xfa (so "use xfa to read this" resolves). First invocation auto-registers an anonymous client UUID — no email, no signup, no friction.

Claude Code

The global install auto-registers the xfa MCP server in ~/.claude.json — no extra step:

npm install -g xlsx-for-ai

If your environment skips install scripts (--ignore-scripts, CI, or a sudo install), register it manually:

claude mcp add xfa -- xlsx-for-ai-mcp

Verify: in a new Claude Code session, ask "what MCP tools do you have?" — 52 xlsx tools should appear, including xlsxdoctor (one-call health report — try it first on any unknown workbook).

Then run xfa samples (shorthand for xlsx-for-ai samples) to drop two demo workbooks in your working directory and get paste-ready prompts to try.

Cursor

Config file: ~/.cursor/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "xfa": {
      "command": "xlsx-for-ai-mcp"
    }
  }
}

Verify: open Cursor settings → MCP → confirm xfa shows 52 xlsx_* tools.

Continue

Config file: ~/.continue/config.json

{
  "mcpServers": [
    {
      "name": "xfa",
      "command": "xlsx-for-ai-mcp"
    }
  ]
}

Verify: restart VS Code, open the Continue panel, and check the MCP server list.

Codex CLI

Pass --mcp-server on the command line, or add to your Codex config:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "xfa": {
      "command": "xlsx-for-ai-mcp"
    }
  }
}

Verify: run codex --list-tools and confirm 52 xlsx_* tools are listed.

Zed

Config file: ~/.config/zed/settings.json

{
  "context_servers": {
    "xfa": {
      "command": {
        "path": "xlsx-for-ai-mcp"
      }
    }
  }
}

Verify: open Zed's assistant panel — the xlsx tools should appear in the tool picker.

Windsurf

Config file: ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "xfa": {
      "command": "xlsx-for-ai-mcp"
    }
  }
}

Verify: open Windsurf → Cascade → settings, confirm xfa is listed as an active MCP server.

Custom agents / API

Shortened. The full README is on GitHub.