office-cli

name	office-cli
description	Create, read, and edit Word (.docx), Excel (.xlsx), and PowerPoint (.pptx) files using OfficeCLI. Use when user requests Office documents, presentations, spreadsheets, or exports to Office formats.

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

Command	Purpose
officecli create <file>	Create a blank document
officecli add <file> <path> --type <type> --prop key=value	Add elements
officecli set <file> <path> --prop key=value	Modify properties
officecli get <file> <path> [--json]	Read element properties
officecli view <file> outline	View document structure
officecli view <file> html	Preview in browser
officecli batch <file> --commands '<json>'	Multi-op atomic writes
officecli remove <file> <path>	Delete elements
officecli validate <file>	Check document integrity
officecli watch <file>	Live preview (auto-refresh)

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

Pitfall	Fix
--name "foo"	Use --prop name="foo" — all attributes go through --prop
Negative coordinates x=-3cm	Not supported. Use x=0cm minimum
PPT shape[1] for content	shape[1] is usually the title placeholder. Use shape[2]+
Guessing property names	Run officecli <format> set <element> to see exact names
Editing an open file	Close the file in Office/WPS first
\n in shell strings	Use \\n for newlines in --prop text="..."
Unquoted paths	Always single-quote: '/slide[1]' to prevent shell glob

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:

Skill	Use Case
officecli-pptx	General slide decks
officecli-pitch-deck	Investor/sales pitch decks with charts
morph-ppt	Morph-animated cinematic presentations
officecli-docx	Word reports, letters, memos
officecli-academic-paper	Academic papers with TOC, equations, bibliography
officecli-xlsx	Financial models, trackers, formulas
officecli-data-dashboard	CSV/data → Excel dashboards with charts

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