excel-mcp
Excel MCP Server skill for Windows workbook automation. Use when an assistant needs rich MCP tools to create, inspect, modify, format, or analyze Excel files. Supports Power Query (M), Data Model/DAX, PivotTables, Tables, Ranges, Charts, Slicers, formatting, screenshots, VBA macros, connections, and calculation mode. Triggers: Excel, spreadsheet, workbook, xlsx, xlsm, Power Query, DAX, PivotTable, chart, dashboard, VBA, MCP.
94
92%
Does it follow best practices?
Impact
Pending
No eval scenarios have been run
Advisory
Suggest reviewing before use
Quality
Discovery
100%Based on the skill's description, can an agent find and select it at the right time? Clear, specific descriptions lead to better discovery.
This is a strong skill description that clearly communicates what the skill does, when to use it, and provides comprehensive trigger terms. It lists specific capabilities in detail, uses third-person voice appropriately, and is distinctive enough to avoid conflicts with other skills. The explicit 'Triggers:' list is a nice touch for disambiguation.
| Dimension | Reasoning | Score |
|---|---|---|
Specificity | Lists multiple specific concrete actions ('create, inspect, modify, format, or analyze Excel files') and enumerates many specific capabilities (Power Query, DAX, PivotTables, Tables, Ranges, Charts, Slicers, formatting, screenshots, VBA macros, connections, calculation mode). | 3 / 3 |
Completeness | Clearly answers both 'what' (create, inspect, modify, format, analyze Excel files with specific feature support) and 'when' ('Use when an assistant needs rich MCP tools to create, inspect, modify, format, or analyze Excel files') with explicit trigger terms listed. | 3 / 3 |
Trigger Term Quality | Excellent coverage of natural terms users would say: 'Excel, spreadsheet, workbook, xlsx, xlsm, Power Query, DAX, PivotTable, chart, dashboard, VBA, MCP'. These cover both common user language and technical variations. | 3 / 3 |
Distinctiveness Conflict Risk | Clearly scoped to Excel/Windows workbook automation via MCP, with distinct triggers like 'xlsm', 'Power Query', 'DAX', 'VBA', and 'MCP' that differentiate it from generic spreadsheet or data analysis skills. | 3 / 3 |
Total | 12 / 12 Passed |
Implementation
85%Reviews the quality of instructions and guidance provided to agents. Good implementation is clear, handles edge cases, and produces reliable results.
This is a strong skill document that excels at actionability, workflow clarity, and progressive disclosure. The content provides concrete tool names, parameters, and step-by-step workflows with validation checkpoints. The main weakness is moderate verbosity - some rules explain rationale Claude doesn't need (e.g., why tables matter, why evaluate-first) and Rule 1's behavioral instruction could be more compact.
Suggestions
Trim explanatory 'Why' sections (Rules 4, 7, 8) to single-line comments or remove entirely - Claude understands the benefits of structured references, test-first development, and targeted updates.
Condense Rule 1 (Never Ask Clarifying Questions) - the table of bad/good examples is effective but the surrounding bold text and repeated emphasis is verbose.
| Dimension | Reasoning | Score |
|---|---|---|
Conciseness | Generally efficient but has some redundancy - Rule 4 explains 'Why' tables matter (Claude knows this), Rule 5 restates session lifecycle already shown in the workflow checklist, and some rules like 'NEVER Ask Clarifying Questions' are behavioral instructions that could be more compact. The tables and formatting are helpful but some explanations are unnecessary. | 2 / 3 |
Actionability | Highly actionable with specific tool names, action parameters, concrete format codes, and step-by-step sequences. The tool selection quick reference, workflow checklist, and inline code examples provide copy-paste ready patterns. Error response handling with suggestedNextActions is a concrete, executable pattern. | 3 / 3 |
Workflow Clarity | Excellent multi-step workflows with clear sequencing throughout - the main workflow checklist, calculation mode workflow, Power Query test-first lifecycle, Data Model prerequisites, and session lifecycle all have explicit ordered steps. The Power Query workflow includes validation (evaluate before create) and error recovery rationale. Rule 9 addresses error handling with suggestedNextActions. | 3 / 3 |
Progressive Disclosure | Exemplary progressive disclosure with a comprehensive overview in the main file and 20+ clearly labeled one-level-deep references in the references/ directory. Each reference link has a descriptive label making navigation easy. The main file contains enough actionable content to work without the references while pointing to detailed guidance. | 3 / 3 |
Total | 11 / 12 Passed |
Validation
100%Checks the skill against the spec for correct structure and formatting. All validation checks must pass before discovery and implementation can be scored.
Validation — 11 / 11 Passed
Validation for skill structure
No warnings or errors.
- Repository
- sbroenne/mcp-server-excel
- Commit
468809e
- Reviewed
Table of Contents
Is this your skill?
If you maintain this skill, you can claim it as your own. Once claimed, you can manage eval scenarios, bundle related skills, attach documentation or rules, and ensure cross-agent compatibility.