WriterAgent, LibrePy & LibreHarper

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Python, NumPy, and Agentic AI for LibreOffice (Writer, Calc, and Draw)

Run Python and scientific compute directly in spreadsheet formulas, edit documents with private local-first AI, conduct autonomous web research, generate diagrams, and automate office workflows — without cloud lock-in.

The project is distributed as three standalone extension packages (*install only one at a time*):

**Download .oxt Releases** · Feature Index · NumPy in LibreOffice Guide · Discussions

Key Capabilities

🐍 Python & Scientific Computing (Calc & Writer)

• Native `=PY()` Spreadsheet Formulas — Execute Python, NumPy, and pandas expressions directly inside Calc cells with automatic array spill, shared workbook kernels, and persistent scripts.
  • `=PY("np.mean(data)"; A1:A10)` — Calculate array statistics directly on Calc ranges.
  • `=PY("data.to_pandas(date_cols=True)"; A1:C10)` — Load sheet data into pandas with automatic type and date parsing.
  • NumPy in LibreOffice Guide · Data Shapes & Type Mapping
• Embedded Monaco Code Editor — Write, test, and debug multi-line Python scripts directly inside cells or through the Tools → Run Python Script environment with syntax highlighting, autocomplete, and diagnostics.
• Built-in Scientific & Analytics Domains — Ready-to-use helpers for EDA, outlier detection, OLS regression, KMeans clustering, Monte Carlo simulations, symbolic algebra (SymPy), plotting, and physical unit conversions (`convert_quantity(60, "mph", "m/s")` → `26.8224 m/s`). Domain Reference · Analysis Helpers
• **Spreadsheet → Python Converter *(WriterAgent)*** — Translate 235+ classic Calc/Excel formulas into clean Python expressions using the built-in `calc.*` parity library while preserving constants, dates, and cell formats. Details
• Local Vision & OCR — Extract text from embedded images or scanned documents directly into Writer and Calc via offline Docling OCR. Vision Guide
• Jupyter Notebook Support — File → Open… a `.ipynb` (or double-click / `soffice notebook.ipynb`) creates a Writer document with markdown, editable code fields, and ▶ run buttons against a shared Python kernel. Jupyter in Writer

🤖 Local-First Agentic AI & Writing (Writer)

• Sidebar Chat with Multi-turn Tool Calling — Edit, restructure, or expand documents using natural language. 9 core tools plus dozens of specialized sub-agents for page layout, footnotes, bookmarks, revisions, and forms.
• Format-Preserving Edits — Surgical redlines and section rewrites maintain your existing formatting (bold, italics, highlights, font sizes, tables, and nested lists) without clobbering styles.
• Autonomous Web Research — Integrated private smolagents loop with DuckDuckGo. Synthesizes multiple web sources and updates open documents with real-time facts and citations. Agent Search
• Real-Time Grammar & Proofreading — Local, privacy-preserving grammar checking via Harper (fast, auto-installing), LanguageTool, or LLM endpoints with mixed-language sentence detection. Details
• Math & LaTeX Import — Converts LaTeX and MathML into native, editable LibreOffice Math objects. Math Guide

📊 Diagrams, Slides & Multi-Modal (Draw & Impress)

• Diagram & Presentation Generation — Generate, adjust, and style flowcharts, shapes, connectors, speaker notes, and slide transitions through chat commands or Python scripts. Details
• LO-DOM Semantic Tree — Structural understanding of headings, sections, tables, and relationships across entire documents. Semantic Tree
• Cross-Document Search & Memory — Query other documents in the same folder via local embeddings / hybrid search, with persistent cross-session agent memory. Embeddings · Memory

🔌 Integrations & Extensibility

• Model Context Protocol (MCP) Server — Connect external IDEs and agents (Cursor, Claude Desktop, LM Studio) to read and edit open LibreOffice documents over `http://localhost:18765/mcp`. MCP Protocol
• Pluggable Agent Backends — Switch the chat engine to external agents such as Hermes, Claude Code, Mistral Vibe, Grok Build, or OpenCode via ACP. Cursor Plugin · LO Skill

Full catalog of capabilities: **docs/features.md**.

Installation & Setup

1. Download your chosen `.oxt` package from **Latest Releases and double-click to install (or open LibreOffice and go to Tools → Extension Manager → Add**). *Remember to install only one extension package.*

2. Restart LibreOffice.

3. Quick Configuration:

> UI Modes: In classic toolbar mode, access tools through the top menubar. In tabbed/ribbon interfaces, use the WriterAgent chat sidebar and/or the Python sidebar (Writer + Calc): Settings `⚙`, Python `🐍`, LaTeX math or Edit cell, search `🔍` (WriterAgent chat only), and full menus via `☰`.

For detailed setup instructions, see the **Install and Troubleshooting Guide**.

Showcase

Python in LibreOffice Writer

Spreadsheet Analytics & Dashboard

Hermes + Opus 4.6 (Autonomous Web Research)

Math Expressions & LaTeX

Arch Linux Resume

Diagrams in Draw

Benchmarks & Evaluation

WriterAgent's LLM Evaluation Suite benchmarks models on Writer, Calc, and Draw tasks. The 2026-09-01 snapshot uses the 17-task string harness — it emulates document and tool behavior without running LibreOffice (OpenRouter, live token pricing). Full methodology: docs/eval/benchmarks.md.

Distance-to-frontier view: docs/eval/pareto-distance.svg.

Documentation & Architecture

Under the hood, all agentic interactions are governed by a formally verified finite state machine with strict type checking and static analysis.

Project Evolution

A chronicle of building a Python runtime and AI suite inside LibreOffice:

• Week 1: Initial fork, sidebar chat, multi-turn tools, and async streaming
• Week 2 & 3: MCP, research sub-agent, voice support, and evaluation dashboard
• Week 4–6: State machines, formal verification, and specialized toolsets
• Week 6 & 7: Async grammar checking and TeX import support
• Week 8+: NumPy compute bridge, `=PY()` Calc add-in, Monaco editor, and LibrePy core split

Contributing & Development

Discussions

Prerequisites: Python 3.11–3.13 for development (pinned to 3.13 via `.python-version`), uv. Run `make check-setup` to verify. On macOS: install `make`, `gettext`.

git clone https://github.com/KeithCu/writeragent.git
cd writeragent
uv python install 3.13
uv sync
make deploy          # Builds & installs WriterAgent.oxt (or: make deploy writer)
make test
make help

To build and test the standalone extension variants:

# Standalone Python / NumPy compute suite (LibrePy)
make build-core      # Produces build/LibrePy.oxt
make deploy-core     # Installs LibrePy.oxt (removes WriterAgent)

# Standalone Harper grammar checker (LibreHarper)
make build-harper    # Produces build/LibreHarper.oxt
make deploy-harper   # Installs LibreHarper.oxt

See AGENTS.md (invariants), docs/repo-map.md (entry points), and docs/scripting/librepy-split.md for architecture details.

Credits

License

GNU GPL v3 (or later) — see `LICENSE`. Originally MPL 2.0; relicensed in 2026 for stronger reciprocity and library compatibility.