macOS Office 365 MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that enables AI assistants to create and manipulate Microsoft Office documents (PowerPoint, Word, and Excel) on macOS. This is a Proof of Concept and a personal project that is not an official MCP Server. Let me know if you have any issues.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bluhmadam/

Features

PowerPoint

• Create presentations with custom titles and themes
• Add slides with various layouts
• Insert text, images, and speaker notes
• Save presentations in multiple formats

Word

• Create documents from scratch or templates
• Add headings, paragraphs, lists, and tables
• Apply text formatting and styles
• Save documents in multiple formats

Excel

• Create workbooks with multiple worksheets
• Write data to cells and ranges
• Add formulas and calculations
• Create charts (bar, line, pie)
• Apply cell formatting and styles
• Save workbooks in multiple formats

Prerequisites

System Requirements

• macOS 10.15 or later
• Python 3.8 or later
• Microsoft Office for Mac (PowerPoint, Word, and/or Excel)

Python Dependencies

pip install mcp
pip install python-pptx
pip install python-docx
pip install openpyxl
pip install aiofiles

Installation

1. Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/vAirpower/macos-office365-mcp-server.git
   cd macos-office365-mcp-server

2. Install dependencies

pip install -r requirements.txt

3. Set up macOS permissions

The server uses AppleScript to control Office applications. You need to grant permissions:

a. Open System Preferences → Security & Privacy → Privacy

b. Select Automation in the left sidebar

c. Find your terminal application (Terminal, iTerm2, VS Code, etc.)

d. Check the boxes for:

• Microsoft PowerPoint
• Microsoft Word
• Microsoft Excel

If prompted when first running the server, click "OK" to allow automation.

Configuration

MCP Client Configuration

Add the server to your MCP client configuration:

For Claude Desktop

Edit ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "office365": {
      "command": "python",
      "args": ["/path/to/macos-office365-mcp-server/src/office365_mcp_server.py"]
    }
  }
}

For Cline (VS Code)

Edit your Cline MCP settings:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "office365": {
      "command": "python",
      "args": ["/path/to/macos-office365-mcp-server/src/office365_mcp_server.py"]
    }
  }
}

Usage

Once configured, the AI assistant can use the following tools:

PowerPoint Tools

• create_presentation - Create a new presentation
• add_slide - Add a slide to a presentation
• add_text_to_slide - Add text content to a slide
• add_image_to_slide - Add an image to a slide
• add_speaker_notes - Add speaker notes to a slide
• save_presentation - Save the presentation to a file

Word Tools

• create_document - Create a new document
• add_heading - Add a heading to a document
• add_paragraph - Add a paragraph with optional formatting
• add_list - Add a bulleted or numbered list
• add_table - Add a table with data
• save_document - Save the document to a file

Excel Tools

• create_workbook - Create a new workbook
• add_worksheet - Add a worksheet to a workbook
• write_cell - Write data to a specific cell
• write_range - Write data to a range of cells
• add_formula - Add a formula to a cell
• create_chart - Create a chart from data
• save_workbook - Save the workbook to a file
• list_worksheets - List all worksheets in a workbook

Utility Tools

• list_active_presentations - List all open presentations
• list_active_documents - List all open documents
• list_active_workbooks - List all open workbooks
• check_office_status - Check if Office apps are available

Example Usage

Creating a PowerPoint Presentation

# AI Assistant can execute:
result = await create_presentation(
    title="Q4 Sales Report",
    theme="modern"
)

slide = await add_slide(
    presentation_id=result["presentation_id"],
    layout="Title and Content"
)

await add_text_to_slide(
    slide_id=slide["slide_id"],
    text="Revenue increased by 25%",
    placeholder="content"
)

await save_presentation(
    presentation_id=result["presentation_id"],
    file_path="~/Desktop/Q4_Sales.pptx"
)

Creating a Word Document

# AI Assistant can execute:
doc = await create_document(title="Project Proposal")

await add_heading(
    document_id=doc["document_id"],
    text="Executive Summary",
    level=1
)

await add_paragraph(
    document_id=doc["document_id"],
    text="This proposal outlines our approach...",
    formatting={"font_size": 12, "font_name": "Arial"}
)

await save_document(
    document_id=doc["document_id"],
    file_path="~/Desktop/proposal.docx"
)

Creating an Excel Workbook

# AI Assistant can execute:
workbook = await create_workbook(title="Sales Analysis")

# Add data
data = [
    ["Product", "Q1", "Q2", "Q3", "Q4"],
    ["Laptops", 100, 150, 200, 180],
    ["Tablets", 80, 90, 110, 120],
    ["Phones", 200, 250, 300, 350]
]

await write_range(
    workbook_id=workbook["workbook_id"],
    sheet_name="Sheet1",
    start_cell="A1",
    data=data,
    formatting={"bold": True}  # Bold headers
)

# Add a formula
await add_formula(
    workbook_id=workbook["workbook_id"],
    sheet_name="Sheet1",
    cell="F2",
    formula="=SUM(B2:E2)"
)

# Create a chart
await create_chart(
    workbook_id=workbook["workbook_id"],
    sheet_name="Sheet1",
    chart_type="bar",
    data_range="A1:E4",
    chart_title="Quarterly Sales",
    position="G2"
)

await save_workbook(
    workbook_id=workbook["workbook_id"],
    file_path="~/Desktop/sales_analysis.xlsx"
)

Troubleshooting

Permission Issues

If you see "Not authorized to send Apple events", ensure:

1. Your terminal has automation permissions for Office apps

2. Office applications are installed and have been opened at least once

3. You may need to restart your terminal after granting permissions

Import Errors

If you see import errors:

1. Ensure all dependencies are installed: pip install -r requirements.txt

2. Check Python version: python --version (should be 3.8+)

3. Verify MCP is installed: pip show mcp

Office Not Found

If Office applications aren't detected:

1. Ensure Microsoft Office for Mac is installed

2. Try opening PowerPoint/Word/Excel manually first

3. Check if Office is installed in the standard Applications folder

Development

Project Structure

macos-office365-mcp-server/
├── src/
│   ├── office365_mcp_server.py    # Main MCP server
│   ├── controllers/
│   │   ├── powerpoint_controller.py
│   │   ├── word_controller.py
│   │   └── excel_controller.py
│   ├── integrations/
│   │   └── applescript_bridge.py  # AppleScript automation
│   └── utils/
│       ├── config.py
│       ├── logger.py
│       └── validators.py
├── requirements.txt
└── README.md

Adding New Features

1. Add new methods to the appropriate controller

2. Register new tools in office365_mcp_server.py

3. Update this README with usage examples

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please:

1. Fork the repository

2. Create a feature branch

3. Add tests for new functionality

4. Submit a pull request

Support

For issues and questions:

• Open an issue on GitHub
• Check existing issues for solutions
• Ensure you've followed all setup steps

Acknowledgments

• Built with the Model Context Protocol (MCP)
• Uses python-pptx, python-docx, and openpyxl for document manipulation
• AppleScript integration for native Office control