office-oxide-mcp-rust-document-processor

name	office-oxide-mcp-rust-document-processor
description	Rust-native MCP server for Office document processing (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, PDF) with sub-millisecond performance
triggers	["process office documents with rust","read and write excel word powerpoint files","fill pdf forms programmatically","generate office documents from data","extract data from office files","create xlsx docx pptx files with rust","automate office document workflows","convert office documents to json markdown"]

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]
      ]
    
  
   

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": 
    
  
   

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,   
                
        
      
       
    
  
   

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": "[e-mail]",
        "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":       
                 
      
    
  
   

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":   
        
         
             
             
        
      
    
  
   

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"
       
       
          
    
  
   




   
   
   
     
     
       
       
       
       
           
           
           
      
    
  
   




   
   
   
     
     
       
       
       
        
    
  
   




   
   
   
     
     
       
       
       
       
       
       
    
  
   

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"
       
    
  
   




   
   
   
     
     
       
       
           
           
           
      
    
  
   

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": 
       
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
      
    
  
   

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