XLSX Reader

You can run the XLSX Reader MCP to read and analyze Excel files directly through MCP clients. It supports multiple Excel formats, flexible data access, and outputs that are easy to integrate into your workflows or dashboards.

How to use

Use an MCP client to connect to the XLSX Reader MCP and perform read or analyze actions on your Excel files. You can read entire sheets, specific ranges, or targeted cells, and you can choose the output format you need such as JSON, CSV, or a formatted table. For analysis, you can request structure details, data type analysis, and statistics for deeper insights. You can work with multiple sheets and get clear overviews and well-formatted outputs. Empty rows are automatically filtered out to keep results clean, and you can tune performance with configurable limits on rows and preview size.

How to install

Prerequisites: you need Node.js installed on your system to run the MCP server locally. You also need npm to install dependencies and build the project.

Clone the project repository and install dependencies, then build the MCP server.

git clone https://github.com/guangxiangdebizi/xlsx-reader-mcp.git
cd xlsx-reader-mcp
npm install
npm run build

Usage with Claude Desktop

There are two common ways to run the XLSX Reader MCP for Claude Desktop integration: a local stdio mode and a server-sent events (SSE) mode. Choose the method that fits your development or production needs.

Method 1: Stdio Mode (Recommended for Development)

Configure Claude Desktop to launch the local MCP server using a Node process that runs the built entry point.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "xlsx-reader": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["path/to/xlsx-reader-mcp/build/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

Method 2: SSE Mode (Recommended for Production)

Start an SSE server and point Claude Desktop to the SSE endpoint for scalable, event-driven access.

# Start the SSE server
npm run sse

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "xlsx-reader": {
      "type": "sse",
      "url": "http://localhost:3100/sse",
      "timeout": 600
    }
  }
}

Notes on usage

The server supports reading by sheet, range, or individual cells, and can output in JSON, CSV, or table formats. It also provides analysis features and performance controls. When you configure the client, you can select the file path, optional sheet name, and optional range. For searches, you can specify a column, value, and search type such as exact or contains.

Examples

Read the first sheet of a file and format as a table.

Read the Excel file "data.xlsx" and show the first sheet as a table

Project structure and development

The source code is organized to separate the MCP entry point from the Excel processing tools. You will find the MCP entry point at the top level and dedicated tools for reading and analyzing Excel files.

Security and maintenance

Keep dependencies up to date and restrict access to the server endpoints in production. Use the provided configuration options to limit resource usage and enable proper timeouts for stable operation.

Troubleshooting

If the MCP server fails to start, verify that Node.js and npm are installed, then ensure the build output path exists (path/to/xlsx-reader-mcp/build/index.js). Check the logs for any module or path errors and confirm that your Claude Desktop configuration points to the correct command or SSE URL.

Examples of supported tools

The MCP server exposes tools to read and analyze Excel files. You can use read_xlsx to extract data with format and range options, and analyze_xlsx to inspect structure, data types, and statistics.

Available tools

read_xlsx

Excel File Reader that reads data from a file with options for sheet, range, format, headers, and search capabilities.

analyze_xlsx

Excel File Analyzer that provides structure, data types, and statistics for a given file.