Office CLI

Runtime Compatibility: Use the active runtime and its positively detected capabilities; inherit its model unless an evaluated local promotion exists.

OfficeCLI Skill

Use this skill when the user requests a PowerPoint deck, Word document, Excel spreadsheet, or any Office format export. OfficeCLI is a single-binary CLI that creates and edits .pptx, .docx, and .xlsx files — no Microsoft Office installation required.

Quick Path

1. Verify install: officecli --version; if missing, run the install script from Prerequisites.
2. Create the file: officecli create deck.pptx (or .docx / .xlsx).
3. Add elements with officecli add <file> <path> --type <type> --prop key=value — all attributes go through --prop, paths are 1-based and single-quoted, --index is 0-based.
4. For 3+ operations use officecli batch <file> --commands '<json>' --json for atomic multi-op writes.
5. Validate with officecli validate <file> and inspect structure via officecli view <file> outline.

Go deeper into the PowerPoint/Word/Excel workflow sections for element recipes, Common Pitfalls before debugging property errors, and Specialized Sub-Skills for pitch decks, academic papers, or data dashboards.

Prerequisites

Verify OfficeCLI is installed:

officecli --version

If not installed, run:

# Windows
irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/main/install.ps1 | iex

# macOS / Linux
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/main/install.sh | bash

Core Commands

Key Rules

1. All attributes use --prop — never --name "foo", always --prop name="foo"
2. Paths are 1-based — /slide[1] = first slide, /body/p[3] = third paragraph
3. Single-quote paths in shell — '/slide[1]/shape[2]' to avoid glob expansion
4. --index is 0-based — --index 0 = first position (for add/move)
5. PPT shape[1] is usually the title — content shapes start at shape[2]
6. Use officecli <format> set <element> when unsure about property names

PowerPoint Workflow

Create a Presentation from Content

# 1. Create blank deck
officecli create deck.pptx

# 2. Add title slide
officecli add deck.pptx / --type slide --prop title="Q4 Revenue Report" --prop background=1A1A2E

# 3. Add content shapes to slide 1
officecli add deck.pptx '/slide[1]' --type shape \
  --prop text="Revenue grew 25% YoY" \
  --prop x=2cm --prop y=5cm --prop w=20cm --prop h=3cm \
  --prop font=Arial --prop size=28 --prop color=FFFFFF

# 4. Add a second slide with a table
officecli add deck.pptx / --type slide --prop title="Breakdown"
officecli add deck.pptx '/slide[2]' --type table \
  --prop rows=4 --prop cols=3 \
  --prop x=2cm --prop y=4cm --prop w=22cm --prop h=10cm

# 5. Populate table cells
officecli set deck.pptx '/slide[2]/table[1]/row[1]/cell[1]' --prop text="Region" --prop bold=true
officecli set deck.pptx '/slide[2]/table[1]/row[1]/cell[2]' --prop text="Revenue" --prop bold=true
officecli set deck.pptx '/slide[2]/table[1]/row[1]/cell[3]' --prop text="Growth" --prop bold=true

# 6. Add image to a slide
officecli add deck.pptx '/slide[1]' --type picture \
  --prop file=logo.png --prop x=22cm --prop y=1cm --prop w=4cm --prop h=4cm

# 7. Validate
officecli validate deck.pptx

Batch Mode (Recommended for 3+ Operations)

officecli batch deck.pptx --commands '[
  {"command":"add","parent":"/","type":"slide","props":{"title":"Slide 3","background":"2D2D44"}},
  {"command":"add","parent":"/slide[3]","type":"shape","props":{"text":"Key Takeaways","x":"2cm","y":"3cm","w":"22cm","h":"2cm","font":"Arial","size":"32","bold":"true","color":"FFFFFF"}},
  {"command":"add","parent":"/slide[3]","type":"shape","props":{"text":"• Metric A up 15%\n• Metric B steady\n• Metric C needs attention","x":"2cm","y":"6cm","w":"22cm","h":"10cm","font":"Arial","size":"20","color":"E0E0E0"}}
]' --json

Word Document Workflow

Create a Report

# 1. Create blank document
officecli create report.docx

# 2. Set document defaults
officecli set report.docx / --prop docDefaults.font=Arial --prop docDefaults.fontSize=11pt

# 3. Add title
officecli add report.docx / --type paragraph \
  --prop text="Quarterly Business Review" --prop style=Heading1

# 4. Add body paragraphs
officecli add report.docx / --type paragraph \
  --prop text="This report covers Q4 performance metrics and strategic outlook."

# 5. Add a table
officecli add report.docx / --type table --prop rows=3 --prop cols=2

# 6. Populate table
officecli set report.docx '/body/table[1]/row[1]/cell[1]' --prop text="Metric" --prop bold=true
officecli set report.docx '/body/table[1]/row[1]/cell[2]' --prop text="Value" --prop bold=true

# 7. Add image
officecli add report.docx / --type image --prop file=chart.png --prop w=15cm

# 8. Validate
officecli validate report.docx

Excel Workflow

Create a Tracker/Dashboard

# 1. Create blank workbook
officecli create tracker.xlsx

# 2. Set header row
officecli batch tracker.xlsx --commands '[
  {"command":"set","path":"/Sheet1/A1","props":{"value":"Task","bold":"true","fill":"1A1A2E","color":"FFFFFF"}},
  {"command":"set","path":"/Sheet1/B1","props":{"value":"Owner","bold":"true","fill":"1A1A2E","color":"FFFFFF"}},
  {"command":"set","path":"/Sheet1/C1","props":{"value":"Status","bold":"true","fill":"1A1A2E","color":"FFFFFF"}},
  {"command":"set","path":"/Sheet1/D1","props":{"value":"Due Date","bold":"true","fill":"1A1A2E","color":"FFFFFF"}}
]' --json

# 3. Add data rows
officecli set tracker.xlsx '/Sheet1/A2' --prop value="Launch feature X"
officecli set tracker.xlsx '/Sheet1/B2' --prop value="Alice"
officecli set tracker.xlsx '/Sheet1/C2' --prop value="In Progress"

# 4. Add formulas
officecli set tracker.xlsx '/Sheet1/E1' --prop value="=COUNTA(A2:A100)" --prop bold=true

# 5. Add chart
officecli add tracker.xlsx /Sheet1 --type chart \
  --prop type=bar --prop source="Sheet1!A1:D10" \
  --prop x=6 --prop y=12 --prop w=10 --prop h=8

# 6. Validate
officecli validate tracker.xlsx

Common Pitfalls

Full Reference

For the complete command reference (L1/L2/L3 layers, pivot tables, raw XML, MCP server, specialized sub-skills):

curl -fsSL https://officecli.ai/SKILL.md

Or see the cached reference at .agent/skills/office-cli/references/upstream-SKILL.md.

Specialized Sub-Skills

For complex scenarios, OfficeCLI provides dedicated skill files:

Load these with: curl -fsSL https://officecli.ai/skills/<name>/SKILL.md