Office Oxide MCP Rust Document Processor

office-oxide-mcp-rust-document-processor

Skill by ara.so — MCP Skills collection.

Overview

office-oxide-mcp is a Rust-native MCP (Model Context Protocol) server for processing Office documents (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, PDF). It provides sub-millisecond performance for reading, writing, and manipulating office files locally without external dependencies. Think of it as an open-source alternative to Aspose with native Rust performance.

Key capabilities:

• Read: Extract content from XLSX, DOCX, PPTX, PDF to JSON/Markdown/Text/Chunks
• Write: Create and modify Excel spreadsheets, Word documents, PowerPoint presentations
• PDF Forms: Fill AcroForm/XFA fields, overlay text at coordinates, analyze layout
• Skills System: Pre-built templates for invoices, reports, dashboards, pitch decks
• Coherence Engine: Maintain consistency across linked cells and documents

Performance: ~10-50× faster than Python equivalents (openpyxl, python-docx, etc.)

Installation

Install Binary

cargo install office-oxide-mcp

Or download from GitHub Releases.

Configure MCP Client

Claude Desktop (~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "office": {
      "command": "office-oxide-mcp",
      "args": ["--transport", "stdio"]
    }
  }
}

Cursor (~/.cursor/config.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "office-oxide-mcp": {
      "command": "office-oxide-mcp",
      "args": ["--transport", "stdio"]
    }
  }
}

VS Code Copilot (.vscode/mcp.json):

{
  "servers": {
    "office-oxide-mcp": {
      "command": "office-oxide-mcp",
      "args": ["--transport", "stdio"]
    }
  }
}

Build from Source

git clone https://github.com/Aimino-Tech/office-oxide-mcp.git
cd office-oxide-mcp
cargo build --release
# Binary at target/release/office-oxide-mcp

Core MCP Tools

Document Information

list_formats - List all supported formats:

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "name": "list_formats"
  },
  "id": 1
}

get_document_info - Get file metadata:

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "name": "get_document_info",
    "arguments": {
      "file_path": "/path/to/document.xlsx"
    }
  },
  "id": 2
}

Reading Documents

office_read - Read document content:

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "name": "office_read",
    "arguments": {
      "file_path": "/path/to/data.xlsx",
      "output_format": "json"
    }
  },
  "id": 3
}

Output formats: json, markdown, text, chunks (for RAG embeddings)

Excel Operations

Create Spreadsheet

office_create_xlsx - Create new Excel file:

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "name": "office_create_xlsx",
    "arguments": {
      "file_path": "/path/to/output.xlsx",
      "sheet_name": "Q1 Revenue"
    }
  },
  "id": 4
}

Write Data

office_write_cell - Write single cell:

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "name": "office_write_cell",
    "arguments": {
      "file_path": "/path/to/output.xlsx",
      "sheet_name": "Q1 Revenue",
      "cell": "A1",
      "value": "Revenue",
      "format": "bold"
    }
  },
  "id": 5
}

office_write_range - Write range of cells:

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "name": "office_write_range",
    "arguments": {
      "file_path": "/path/to/output.xlsx",
      "sheet_name": "Q1 Revenue",
      "start_cell": "A2",
      "data": [
        ["Jan", 120000, 95000],
        ["Feb", 135000, 102000],
        ["Mar", 148000, 110000]
      ]
    }
  },
  "id": 6
}

Formatting

office_format_range - Apply formatting:

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "name": "office_format_range",
    "arguments": {
      "file_path": "/path/to/output.xlsx",
      "sheet_name": "Q1 Revenue",
      "range": "B2:C4",
      "format": {
        "number_format": "$#,##0.00",
        "bold": false,
        "font_size": 11
      }
    }
  },
  "id": 7
}

Charts

office_create_chart - Create chart:

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "name": "office_create_chart",
    "arguments": {
      "file_path": "/path/to/output.xlsx",
      "sheet_name": "Q1 Revenue",
      "chart_type": "column",
      "data_range": "A1:C4",
      "title": "Quarterly Revenue vs Cost",
      "position": "E2"
    }
  },
  "id": 8
}

Chart types: column, bar, line, pie, scatter, area

Sheet Management

office_add_sheet - Add worksheet:

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "name": "office_add_sheet",
    "arguments": {
      "file_path": "/path/to/output.xlsx",
      "sheet_name": "Q2 Revenue"
    }
  },
  "id": 9
}

office_merge_cells - Merge cells:

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "name": "office_merge_cells",
    "arguments": {
      "file_path": "/path/to/output.xlsx",
      "sheet_name": "Q1 Revenue",
      "range": "A1:D1"
    }
  },
  "id": 10
}

Word Operations

Create Document

office_create_docx - Create Word document:

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "name": "office_create_docx",
    "arguments": {
      "file_path": "/path/to/report.docx",
      "title": "Annual Business Report 2024"
    }
  },
  "id": 11
}

Write from Markdown

office_write_docx_from_md - Convert Markdown to DOCX:

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "name": "office_write_docx_from_md",
    "arguments": {
      "file_path": "/path/to/report.docx",
      "markdown": "# Executive Summary\n\nQ1 2024 revenue increased **23%** to $1.2M.\n\n## Key Metrics\n\n- Revenue: $1,200,000\n- Growth: 23%\n- Customers: 450"
    }
  },
  "id": 12
}

Add Elements

office_add_table - Insert table:

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "name": "office_add_table",
    "arguments": {
      "file_path": "/path/to/report.docx",
      "rows": [
        ["Metric", "Q1", "Q2", "Q3"],
        ["Revenue", "$1.2M", "$1.4M", "$1.6M"],
        ["Profit", "$320K", "$410K", "$520K"]
      ],
      "style": "grid"
    }
  },
  "id": 13
}

office_add_image - Insert image:

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "name": "office_add_image",
    "arguments": {
      "file_path": "/path/to/report.docx",
      "image_path": "/path/to/chart.png",
      "width": 400,
      "height": 300
    }
  },
  "id": 14
}

PowerPoint Operations

Create Presentation

office_create_pptx - Create PowerPoint:

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "name": "office_create_pptx",
    "arguments": {
      "file_path": "/path/to/deck.pptx",
      "title": "Q4 Strategy Review"
    }
  },
  "id": 15
}

Add Slides

office_add_slide - Add slide:

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "name": "office_add_slide",
    "arguments": {
      "file_path": "/path/to/deck.pptx",
      "layout": "title_and_content",
      "title": "Market Overview",
      "content": "• Total addressable market: $2.5B\n• Current penetration: 3.2%\n• Growth rate: 18% YoY"
    }
  },
  "id": 16
}

Layouts: title, title_and_content, section_header, two_content, comparison, blank

office_add_chart - Add chart to slide:

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "name": "office_add_chart",
    "arguments": {
      "file_path": "/path/to/deck.pptx",
      "slide_index": 2,
      "chart_type": "bar",
      "data": {
        "categories": ["Q1", "Q2", "Q3", "Q4"],
        "series": [
          {"name": "Revenue", "values": [1.2, 1.4, 1.6, 1.9]},
          {"name": "Profit", "values": [0.32, 0.41, 0.52, 0.68]}
        ]
      },
      "title": "Quarterly Performance"
    }
  },
  "id": 17
}

PDF Operations

Read PDF

office_read - Extract PDF content:

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "name": "office_read",
    "arguments": {
      "file_path": "/path/to/document.pdf",
      "output_format": "markdown"
    }
  },
  "id": 18
}

Form Filling

office_list_pdf_fields - List form fields:

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "name": "office_list_pdf_fields",
    "arguments": {
      "file_path": "/path/to/form.pdf"
    }
  },
  "id": 19
}

office_fill_pdf_form - Fill form fields:

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "name": "office_fill_pdf_form",
    "arguments": {
      "file_path": "/path/to/form.pdf",
      "output_path": "/path/to/filled_form.pdf",
      "fields": {
        "full_name": "John Smith",
        "date_of_birth": "1985-03-15",
        "email": "john.smith@example.com",
        "address": "123 Main St, Boston, MA 02101"
      }
    }
  },
  "id": 20
}

Overlay Text on Flat PDFs

office_analyze_pdf_layout - Find coordinates for text placement:

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "name": "office_analyze_pdf_layout",
    "arguments": {
      "file_path": "/path/to/template.pdf"
    }
  },
  "id": 21
}

office_overlay_pdf_text - Insert text at coordinates:

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "name": "office_overlay_pdf_text",
    "arguments": {
      "file_path": "/path/to/template.pdf",
      "output_path": "/path/to/filled.pdf",
      "fields": [
        {"page": 1, "x": 120, "y": 680, "text": "John Smith", "font_size": 12},
        {"page": 1, "x": 120, "y": 650, "text": "1985-03-15", "font_size": 10},
        {"page": 1, "x": 120, "y": 620, "text": "123 Main St", "font_size": 10}
      ]
    }
  },
  "id": 22
}

Skills System

Pre-built templates for common document workflows.

skill_list - List available skills:

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "name": "skill_list"
  },
  "id": 23
}

Available skills:

• excel.basic - Financial statements, dashboards, reports
• word.invoice - Invoices
• word.report - Business reports, contracts
• ppt.deck - Pitch decks, QBR presentations

skill_run - Execute skill:

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "name": "skill_run",
    "arguments": {
      "skill_name": "excel.basic",
      "template": "pnl",
      "output_path": "/path/to/pnl.xlsx",
      "data": {
        "company": "Acme Corp",
        "period": "Q1 2024",
        "revenue": [
          {"category": "Products", "amount": 850000},
          {"category": "Services", "amount": 320000}
        ],
        "expenses": [
          {"category": "Cost of Sales", "amount": 520000},
          {"category": "Operating", "amount": 280000}
        ]
      }
    }
  },
  "id": 24
}

Common Patterns

Generate Excel Report from Data

// 1. Create workbook
{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "name": "office_create_xlsx",
    "arguments": {
      "file_path": "/tmp/sales_report.xlsx",
      "sheet_name": "Sales"
    }
  },
  "id": 1
}

// 2. Write headers
{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "name": "office_write_range",
    "arguments": {
      "file_path": "/tmp/sales_report.xlsx",
      "sheet_name": "Sales",
      "start_cell": "A1",
      "data": [["Month", "Revenue", "Cost", "Profit"]]
    }
  },
  "id": 2
}

// 3. Write data rows
{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "name": "office_write_range",
    "arguments": {
      "file_path": "/tmp/sales_report.xlsx",
      "sheet_name": "Sales",
      "start_cell": "A2",
      "data": [
        ["Jan", 120000, 85000, "=B2-C2"],
        ["Feb", 135000, 92000, "=B3-C3"],
        ["Mar", 148000, 98000, "=B4-C4"]
      ]
    }
  },
  "id": 3
}

// 4. Format currency columns
{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "name": "office_format_range",
    "arguments": {
      "file_path": "/tmp/sales_report.xlsx",
      "sheet_name": "Sales",
      "range": "B2:D4",
      "format": {"number_format": "$#,##0"}
    }
  },
  "id": 4
}

// 5. Add chart
{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "name": "office_create_chart",
    "arguments": {
      "file_path": "/tmp/sales_report.xlsx",
      "sheet_name": "Sales",
      "chart_type": "column",
      "data_range": "A1:D4",
      "title": "Q1 Sales Performance",
      "position": "F2"
    }
  },
  "id": 5
}

Convert Excel to JSON for Analysis

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "name": "office_read",
    "arguments": {
      "file_path": "/path/to/data.xlsx",
      "output_format": "json"
    }
  },
  "id": 1
}

Response structure:

{
  "sheets": [
    {
      "name": "Sales",
      "rows": [
        {"Month": "Jan", "Revenue": 120000, "Cost": 85000, "Profit": 35000},
        {"Month": "Feb", "Revenue": 135000, "Cost": 92000, "Profit": 43000}
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Generate Word Report from Template

// Create document
{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "name": "office_create_docx",
    "arguments": {
      "file_path": "/tmp/monthly_report.docx",
      "title": "Monthly Business Report - March 2024"
    }
  },
  "id": 1
}

// Write content from markdown
{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "name": "office_write_docx_from_md",
    "arguments": {
      "file_path": "/tmp/monthly_report.docx",
      "markdown": "# Executive Summary\n\nMarch revenue reached $148K, representing 9.6% growth over February.\n\n## Financial Highlights\n\n- **Revenue**: $148,000 (+9.6%)\n- **Operating Margin**: 33.8%\n- **New Customers**: 12\n\n## Outlook\n\nQ2 pipeline indicates continued growth trajectory."
    }
  },
  "id": 2
}

// Add performance table
{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "name": "office_add_table",
    "arguments": {
      "file_path": "/tmp/monthly_report.docx",
      "rows": [
        ["Metric", "Jan", "Feb", "Mar"],
        ["Revenue", "$120K", "$135K", "$148K"],
        ["Margin", "29.2%", "31.9%", "33.8%"]
      ]
    }
  },
  "id": 3
}

Batch Fill PDF Forms

// First, analyze form structure
{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "name": "office_list_pdf_fields",
    "arguments": {
      "file_path": "/path/to/application_form.pdf"
    }
  },
  "id": 1
}

// Fill for each applicant
{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "name": "office_fill_pdf_form",
    "arguments": {
      "file_path": "/path/to/application_form.pdf",
      "output_path": "/path/to/filled/applicant_001.pdf",
      "fields": {
        "applicant_name": "Sarah Johnson",
        "ssn": "XXX-XX-XXXX",
        "address": "456 Oak Ave, Seattle, WA 98101",
        "phone": "(206) 555-0123",
        "email": "sarah.j@example.com",
        "income": "85000",
        "signature_date": "2024-03-15"
      }
    }
  },
  "id": 2
}

Troubleshooting

MCP Server Not Found

Problem: AI agent can't find office-oxide-mcp command

Solution: Ensure binary is in PATH:

which office-oxide-mcp
# If not found, add cargo bin to PATH
export PATH="$HOME/.cargo/bin:$PATH"

Or use full path in config:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "office": {
      "command": "/Users/username/.cargo/bin/office-oxide-mcp",
      "args": ["--transport", "stdio"]
    }
  }
}

File Permission Errors

Problem: Cannot write to output path

Solution: Check directory permissions:

mkdir -p /path/to/output
chmod 755 /path/to/output

Chart Not Appearing in Excel

Problem: Chart created but not visible

Solution: Ensure data_range includes headers and data:

{
  "data_range": "A1:C10",  // Include header row A1
  "chart_type": "column"
}

PDF Form Fields Not Filling

Problem: office_fill_pdf_form completes but fields empty

Solution:

1. List fields first to get exact field names:

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "name": "office_list_pdf_fields",
    "arguments": {"file_path": "/path/to/form.pdf"}
  },
  "id": 1
}

2. Use exact field names from response (case-sensitive)
3. For flat PDFs without form fields, use office_overlay_pdf_text instead

Large File Performance

Problem: Processing large XLSX file (>100MB) is slow

Solution: Use chunked reading:

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "name": "office_read",
    "arguments": {
      "file_path": "/path/to/large.xlsx",
      "output_format": "chunks",
      "chunk_size": 1000  // Process 1000 rows at a time
    }
  },
  "id": 1
}

Memory Issues

Problem: Server crashes with large documents

Solution: Process in batches or use streaming:

# Increase stack size if needed
ulimit -s 16384
office-oxide-mcp --transport stdio

Performance Tips

1. Batch operations: Use office_write_range instead of multiple office_write_cell calls
2. Reuse files: Open file once, make multiple edits, save once
3. JSON format: Use output_format: "json" for structured data extraction (faster than markdown)
4. Chunks for RAG: Use output_format: "chunks" for embedding large documents
5. PDF analysis: Run office_analyze_pdf_layout once, save coordinates for reuse

Environment Variables

# Optional: Custom temp directory for large file processing
export OFFICE_OXIDE_TEMP_DIR="/path/to/temp"

# Optional: Log level (error, warn, info, debug, trace)
export RUST_LOG=office_oxide_mcp=info

# Optional: Max concurrent operations
export OFFICE_OXIDE_MAX_CONCURRENT=4

Resources

• GitHub: https://github.com/Aimino-Tech/office-oxide-mcp
• Discussions: https://github.com/Aimino-Tech/office-oxide-mcp/discussions
• Examples: showcase/ directory in repository
• License: MIT OR Apache-2.0