Excel Analytics Server

A self-evolving data analytics toolkit for Claude Desktop. Drop your Excel files in, ask questions in plain English, and build up a personal library of reusable analysis tools — no coding required.

What It Does

• Upload Excel/CSV files via a web dashboard
• Ask Claude questions about your data in natural language
• Save analyses as reusable tools you can run again and again
• Create custom tools that Claude can use on your behalf
• Everything stays local — your data never leaves your machine

Install

Option 1: PyPI (recommended)

Requires Python 3.10+ and uv.

# Install uv if you don't have it
curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh

# Install and configure Claude Desktop
uvx excel-analytics-mcp --setup

That's it. Restart Claude Desktop and start asking questions.

Option 2: From source

git clone https://github.com/blakethom8/excel-mcp.git
cd excel-mcp
bash install.sh

The install script will:

1. Check for Python 3.10+ and install uv if needed
2. Install all dependencies in an isolated virtual environment
3. Configure Claude Desktop automatically
4. Create the data directory at ~/Documents/Excel Analytics/

How to Use

1. Upload Your Data

Open the dashboard at http://localhost:8765 (starts automatically when Claude Desktop launches the server) and drag your Excel or CSV files into the upload zone.

2. Ask Claude Questions

In Claude Desktop, try prompts like:

• "What datasets do I have?"
• "Describe the sales table"
• "Show me the top 10 customers by revenue"
• "What's the average order value by month?"
• "Find all invoices over $5,000 from last week"

3. Save Reusable Analyses

When you find a useful query, ask Claude to save it:

• "Save this as a tool called 'Top Customers'"
• "Create a reusable analysis for monthly revenue trends"

4. Manage Your Tools

Visit the Tools tab in the dashboard to:

• View all your saved analyses and custom tools
• Edit tool parameters
• Test tools with different inputs
• Delete tools you no longer need

How It Works

Claude Desktop ←→ MCP Server (stdio) ←→ SQLite DB
                         ↓
                    REST API (port 8765) ←→ Web Dashboard

• MCP Server communicates with Claude Desktop via stdio (the Model Context Protocol)
• REST API runs in a background thread on localhost:8765 to power the dashboard
• SQLite stores your data locally — Excel/CSV files are converted on upload
• Both the MCP server and dashboard share the same database and tool registry

Data Ingestion

When you upload an Excel file:

1. Each sheet becomes a separate SQLite table
2. Column names are cleaned (lowercase, underscores)
3. Numeric columns are auto-detected and properly typed
4. Headers are auto-detected (no manual configuration needed)

Available Tools

Core Tools (always available)

Tool	Description
list_datasets	Show all loaded tables with row/column counts
describe_dataset	Column names, types, sample values, and basic stats
query	Run read-only SQL queries against your data
summarize	Statistical summary of a table or specific column

Meta Tools (for building your toolkit)

Tool	Description
save_analysis	Save a SQL query as a reusable named tool
create_tool	Build a custom Python tool (sandboxed)
list_my_tools	See all your saved tools
edit_tool	Update an existing tool
delete_tool	Remove a tool
test_tool	Run a tool with test parameters

Dynamic Tools

Tools you create (via Claude or the dashboard) are saved as JSON files and automatically registered as MCP tools on startup. They persist across sessions and can be shared.

Dashboard

The web dashboard at http://localhost:8765 provides:

• Data Manager — upload files, browse tables, preview data, see column stats
• Tool Workshop — view core tools, manage saved analyses, test tools with auto-generated forms

The dashboard is a single HTML file with no build step — it works in any modern browser.

Where Your Data Lives

All data stays on your machine in a visible, browsable folder:

Path	Purpose
~/Documents/Excel Analytics/data.db	SQLite database with all your uploaded data
~/Documents/Excel Analytics/tools/	Saved analyses and custom tools (JSON files)
~/Documents/Excel Analytics/output/	Generated output files
~/Documents/Excel Analytics/config.json	User configuration

You can override the base directory with the EXCEL_MCP_HOME environment variable.

Security

• SQL: Read-only queries only (SELECT). No writes, drops, or schema changes.
• Python tools: Sandboxed execution with restricted imports. No file system access, no network calls, no dangerous operations.
• Local only: All data stored in ~/Documents/Excel Analytics/. Nothing is sent to external servers. The MCP server communicates only with Claude Desktop on your machine.
• No telemetry: No usage tracking, no analytics, no phone-home.

Configuration

Edit ~/Documents/Excel Analytics/config.json:

{
  "port": 8765,
  "auto_scan": false
}

Setting	Default	Description
port	8765	Dashboard port
auto_scan	false	Auto-scan a directory for Excel files on startup

Development

git clone https://github.com/blakethom8/excel-mcp.git
cd excel-mcp
uv sync
uv run python -m excel_mcp

Requirements

• Python 3.10+
• Claude Desktop
• macOS, Windows, or Linux

License

MIT