excel-cli

SKILL.md

Automate Microsoft Excel on Windows via CLI with 50+ commands for workbooks, tables, charts, and Power Pivot.

Windows-only tool using COM interop; requires Excel 2016+ installed; install via dotnet tool install --global Sbroenne.ExcelMcp.CLI

Supports 10+ command categories: worksheets, ranges, tables, charts, PivotTables, Power Query, Data Model/DAX, VBA, and conditional formatting

Batch mode processes 10+ commands in a single session with auto-captured session IDs, eliminating per-command overhead

Built-in session lifecycle management, calculation mode control for bulk writes, and screenshot capture for visual verification

Excel Automation with excelcli

Preconditions

Windows host with Microsoft Excel installed (2016+)

Uses COM interop — does NOT work on macOS or Linux

GitHub Copilot excel-cli plugin auto-downloads the latest Windows runtime on first use

Direct skill-only installs require excelcli.exe on PATH

Workflow Checklist

Step
Command
When

1. Session
session create/open
Always first

2. Sheets
worksheet create/rename
If needed

3. Write data
See below
If writing values

4. Save & close
session close --save
Always last

10+ commands? Use excelcli -q batch --input commands.json — sends all commands in one process with automatic session management. See Rule 8.