iOfficeAI

iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI

OfficeCLI is the first and best Office suite purpose-built for AI agents to read, edit, and automate Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files. Free, open-source, single binary, no Office installation required.

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README.md

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# OfficeCLI

> **OfficeCLI is the world's first and the best Office suite designed for AI agents.**

**Give any AI agent full control over Word, Excel, and PowerPoint — in one line of code.**

Open-source. Single binary. No Office installation. No dependencies. Works everywhere.

**OfficeCLI's built-in HTML rendering engine reproduces documents with high fidelity — and that's what gives AI eyes.** It renders `.docx` / `.xlsx` / `.pptx` to HTML or PNG, closing the *render → look → fix* loop.

[![GitHub Release](https://img.shields.io/github/v/release/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI)](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/releases)
[![License](https://img.shields.io/badge/license-Apache%202.0-blue.svg)](LICENSE)

**English** | [中文](README_zh.md) | [日本語](README_ja.md) | [한국어](README_ko.md)

🌐 Website: <a href="https://officecli.ai" target="_blank">officecli.ai</a> &nbsp;|&nbsp; 💬 Community: <a href="https://discord.gg/2QAwJn7Egx" target="_blank">Discord</a>

PPT creation process using OfficeCLI on <a href="https://github.com/iOfficeAI/AionUi">AionUi</a>

PowerPoint Presentations

—
Word Documents

—
Excel Spreadsheets

All documents above were created entirely by AI agents using OfficeCLI — no templates, no manual editing.

## For AI Agents — Get Started in One Line

Paste this into your AI agent's chat — it will read the skill file and install everything automatically:

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

That's it. The skill file teaches the agent how to install the binary and use all commands.

## For Humans

**Option A — GUI:** Install [**AionUi**](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/AionUi) — a desktop app that lets you create and edit Office documents through natural language, powered by OfficeCLI under the hood. Just describe what you want, and AionUi handles the rest.

**Option B — CLI:** Download the binary for your platform from [GitHub Releases](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/releases), then run:

```bash
officecli install
```

This copies the binary to your PATH and installs the **officecli skill** into every AI coding agent it detects — Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, GitHub Copilot, and more. Your agent can immediately create, read, and edit Office documents on your behalf, no extra configuration needed.

## For Developers — See It Live in 30 Seconds

```bash
# 1. Install (macOS / Linux) — or: brew install officecli / npm install -g @officecli/officecli
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/main/install.sh | bash
# Windows (PowerShell): irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/main/install.ps1 | iex

# 2. Create a blank PowerPoint
officecli create deck.pptx

# 3. Start live preview — opens http://localhost:26315 in your browser
officecli watch deck.pptx

# 4. Open another terminal, add a slide — watch the browser update instantly
officecli add deck.pptx / --type slide --prop title="Hello, World!"
```

That's it. Every `add`, `set`, or `remove` command you run will refresh the preview in real time. Keep experimenting — the browser is your live feedback loop.

## Quick Start

```bash
# Create a presentation and add content
officecli create deck.pptx
officecli add deck.pptx / --type slide --prop title="Q4 Report" --prop background=1A1A2E
officecli add deck.pptx '/slide[1]' --type shape \
  --prop text="Revenue grew 25%" --prop x=2cm --prop y=5cm \
  --prop font=Arial --prop size=24 --prop color=FFFFFF

# View as outline
officecli view deck.pptx outline
# → Slide 1: Q4 Report
# →   Shape 1 [TextBox]: Revenue grew 25%

# View as HTML — opens a rendered preview in your browser, no server needed
officecli view deck.pptx html

# Get structured JSON for any element
officecli get deck.pptx '/slide[1]/shape[1]' --json

# Save and close — flushes the resident session to disk
officecli close deck.pptx
```

```json
{
  "tag": "shape",
  "path": "/slide[1]/shape[1]",
  "attributes": {
    "name": "TextBox 1",
    "text": "Revenue grew 25%",
    "x": "720000",
    "y": "1800000"
  }
}
```

## Why OfficeCLI?

What used to take 50 lines of Python and 3 separate libraries:

```python
from pptx import Presentation
from pptx.util import Inches, Pt
prs = Presentation()
slide = prs.slides.add_slide(prs.slide_layouts[0])
title = slide.shapes.title
title.text = "Q4 Report"
# ... 45 more lines ...
prs.save('deck.pptx')
```

Now takes one command:

```bash
officecli add deck.pptx / --type slide --prop title="Q4 Report"
```

**What OfficeCLI can do:**

- **Create** documents from scratch -- blank or with content
- **Read** text, structure, styles, formulas -- in plain text or structured JSON
- **Analyze** formatting issues, style inconsistencies, and structural problems
- **Modify** any element -- text, fonts, colors, layout, formulas, charts, images
- **Reorganize** content -- add, remove, move, copy elements across documents

| Format | Read | Modify | Create |
|--------|------|--------|--------|
| Word (.docx) | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Excel (.xlsx) | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| PowerPoint (.pptx) | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |

**Word** — full [i18n & RTL support](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/i18n) (per-script font slots, per-script BCP-47 lang tags `lang.latin/ea/cs`, complex-script bold/italic/size, `direction=rtl` cascading through paragraph/run/section/table/style/header/footer/docDefaults, `rtlGutter` + `pgBorders` shorthand, locale-aware page numbering for Hindi/Arabic/Thai/CJK; `create --locale ar-SA` auto-enables RTL), [paragraphs](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/word-paragraph) (framePr, tabs shorthand, char-based indents), [runs](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/word-run) (underline.color, position half-pts), [tables](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/word-table) (virtual column ops add/remove/move/copyfrom, hMerge), [styles](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/word-style), [textbox](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/word-textbox) / [shape](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/word-shape) (textbox: rotation, `textDirection` `eaVert`/`vert270`, gradient, shadow, opacity), [headers/footers](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/word-header-footer), [images](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/word-picture) (PNG/JPG/GIF/SVG), [equations](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/word-equation) (LaTeX input), [diagrams](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/diagram) (mermaid → native editable shapes, or any mermaid type as a full-fidelity PNG), [comments](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/word-comment), [footnotes](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/word-footnote), [watermarks](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/word-watermark), [bookmarks](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/word-bookmark), [TOC](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/word-toc), [charts](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/word-chart), [hyperlinks](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/word-hyperlink), [sections](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/word-section), [form fields](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/word-formfield), [content controls (SDT)](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/word-sdt), [fields](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/word-field) (22 zero-param types + MERGEFIELD / REF / PAGEREF / SEQ / STYLEREF / DOCPROPERTY / IF), [OLE objects](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/word-ole), [revisions / tracked changes](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/word-revision) (`revision.type=ins\|del\|format\|moveFrom\|moveTo` + `revision.action=accept\|reject`, per-target `/revision[@author=Alice]` selector, tracked Find&Replace), page background color, [document properties](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/word-document)

**Excel** — [cells](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/excel-cell) (phonetic guide / furigana on add, Excel-UI `--shift left\|up` on remove / `shift=right\|down` on add), formulas (350+ built-in functions with auto-evaluation, spilling dynamic arrays with `_xlfn.` auto-prefix, financial / bond and statistical families, OFFSET/INDIRECT, defined-name formula bodies inlined at parse, formula-ref rewrite on row/col insert), [sheets](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/excel-sheet) (visible/hidden/veryHidden, print margins, printTitleRows/Cols, RTL `sheetView`, cascade-aware sheet rename, empty-cell bloat filter on open), boolean `and`/`or` selectors (`row[Salary>5000 and Region=EMEA]`), [tables](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/excel-table), [sort](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/excel-sort) (sheet / range, multi-key, sidecar-aware), [conditional formatting](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/excel-conditionalformatting), [charts](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/excel-chart) (including box-whisker, [pareto](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/excel-chart-add) with auto-sort + cumulative-%, log axis), [pivot tables](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/excel-pivottable) (multi-field, date grouping, showDataAs, sort, grandTotals, subtotals, compact/outline/tabular layout, repeat item labels, blank rows, calculated fields, persistent `labelFilter` / `topN` filters, cache CoW + cross-pivot sharing), [slicers](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/excel-slicer), [named ranges](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/excel-namedrange), [data validation](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/excel-validation), [images](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/excel-picture) (PNG/JPG/GIF/SVG with dual-representation fallback), [sparklines](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/excel-sparkline), [comments](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/excel-comment) (RTL), [autofilter](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/excel-autofilter), [shapes](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/excel-shape), [OLE objects](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/excel-ole), CSV/TSV import, `$Sheet:A1` cell addressing

**PowerPoint** — [slides](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/ppt-slide) (header/footer/date/slidenum toggles, hidden), [shapes](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/ppt-shape) (pattern fill, blur effect, hyperlink tooltip + slide-jump links, **highlight color** on runs, `slideMaster`/`slideLayout` typed add/set/remove, arrow alias, effective.X + effective.X.src), [images](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/ppt-picture) (PNG/JPG/GIF/SVG, fill modes: stretch/contain/cover/tile, brightness/contrast/glow/shadow, rotation, link + tooltip), [tables](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/ppt-table) (built-in PowerPoint style catalogue, virtual `/col[C]` get + swap/copyFrom, row/col Move/CopyFrom, fill/background alias), [charts](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/ppt-chart) (pieOfPie, barOfPie, per-attr axisLine/gridline setters, series add/remove with theme palette, `anchor=x,y,w,h` shorthand), [animations](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/ppt-shape-set) (15 emphasis + 16 exit template-backed presets, multi-effect chains, motion-path presets, repeat/restart/autoReverse, chart animations + `chartBuild`), [transitions](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/ppt-morph-check) (morph + p14 + 12 p15 PowerPoint 2013+ presets), [3D models (.glb)](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/ppt-3dmodel) (combined `rotation=ax,ay,az`), [slide zoom](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/ppt-zoom), [equations](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/ppt-equation) (LaTeX input), [diagrams](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/diagram) (mermaid flowchart / sequence → native editable shapes, or any mermaid type as a full-fidelity PNG), [themes](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/ppt-theme), [connectors](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/ppt-connector) (`from`/`to` accept a full `/slide[N]/shape[@name=Foo]` path), [video/audio](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/ppt-video) (loop, autoStart), [groups](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/ppt-group) (link + tooltip; Get/Query/Add/Remove all descend into groups), [notes](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/ppt-notes) (RTL, lang), [comments](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/ppt-comment) (RTL, legacy + modern p188 threaded round-trip), SmartArt (round-trip via add-part + raw-set), [OLE objects](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/ppt-ole), [placeholders](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/ppt-placeholder) (add/set by phType)

## Use Cases

**For Developers:**
- Automate report generation from databases or APIs
- Batch-process documents (bulk find/replace, style updates)
- Build document pipelines in CI/CD environments (generate docs from test results)
- Headless Office automation in Docker/containerized environments

**For AI Agents:**
- Generate presentations from user prompts (see examples above)
- Extract structured data from documents to JSON
- Validate and check document quality before delivery

**For Teams:**
- Clone document templates and populate with data
- Automated document validation in CI/CD pipelines

## Installation

Ships as a single self-contained binary. The .NET runtime is embedded -- nothing to install, no runtime to manage.

**One-line install:**

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

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

**Or via a package manager:**

```bash
# Homebrew (macOS / Linux)
brew install officecli

# Scoop (Windows)
scoop install officecli

# npm (all platforms — fetches the native binary for your platform)
npm install -g @officecli/officecli
```

**Or download manually** from [GitHub Releases](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/releases):

| Platform | Binary |
|----------|--------|
| macOS Apple Silicon | `officecli-mac-arm64` |
| macOS Intel | `officecli-mac-x64` |
| Linux x64 | `officecli-linux-x64` |
| Linux ARM64 | `officecli-linux-arm64` |
| Windows x64 | `officecli-win-x64.exe` |
| Windows ARM64 | `officecli-win-arm64.exe` |

Verify installation: `officecli --version`

**Or self-install from a downloaded binary (or run bare `officecli` to auto-install):**

```bash
officecli install    # explicit
officecli            # bare invocation also triggers install
```

Updates are checked automatically in the background. Disable with `officecli config autoUpdate false` or skip per-invocation with `OFFICECLI_SKIP_UPDATE=1`. Configuration lives under `~/.officecli/config.json`.

## Key Features

### Built-in Engines & Generation Primitives

OfficeCLI is self-contained. The capabilities below ship inside the binary — **no Office required**.

#### Rendering engine — high-fidelity, built-in

OfficeCLI's keystone: a from-scratch, high-fidelity HTML rendering engine that lets an AI agent *see* the rendered document instead of guessing from the DOM. It covers shapes, charts (trendlines, error bars, waterfall, candlestick, sparklines), equations (OMML → LaTeX, rendered with KaTeX), 3D `.glb` models via Three.js, morph transitions, slide zoom, and shape effects. Per-page PNG screenshots are produced by piping the rendered HTML through a headless browser. Three modes:

- **`view html`** — standalone HTML file, assets inlined. Open in any browser.
- **`view screenshot`** — per-page PNG, ready for multimodal agents to read.
- **`watch`** — local HTTP server with auto-refreshing preview; every `add` / `set` / `remove` updates the browser instantly. Excel watch supports inline cell editing and drag-to-reposition charts.

```bash
officecli view deck.pptx html -o /tmp/deck.html
officecli view deck.pptx screenshot -o /tmp/deck.png # add --page 1-N for more slides
officecli watch deck.pptx                            # http://localhost:26315
```

> Without visualization, an agent generating slides is flying blind — it can read the DOM but can't tell if the title overflows or two shapes overlap. Because rendering is built into the binary, the *render → look → fix* loop works in CI, in Docker, on a server with no display — anywhere the binary runs.

#### Formula & pivot engine

350+ built-in Excel functions evaluated automatically on write — write `=SUM(A1:A2)`, `get` the cell, the value is already there. No round-trip through Office to recalc. Covers spilling dynamic arrays (`FILTER` / `SORT` / `UNIQUE` / `SEQUENCE` / `LET` / `LAMBDA` / `MAP`), `VLOOKUP` / `XLOOKUP` / `INDEX` / `MATCH`, financial & bond math (`XIRR` / `PRICE` / `YIELD` / `DURATION` / `COUPNUM`), statistical distributions, tests & regression (`NORM.DIST` / `T.TEST` / `LINEST`), and date & text functions.

Plus native OOXML pivot tables from a source range with one command — multi-field rows/cols/filters, 10 aggregations, `showDataAs` modes, date grouping, calculated fields, top-N, layouts. Pivot cache + definition are written to OOXML, so Excel opens the file with the aggregation already populated:

```bash
officecli add sales.xlsx '/Sheet1' --type pivottable \
  --prop source='Data!A1:E10000' --prop rows='Region,Category' \
  --prop cols=Quarter --prop values='Revenue:sum,Units:avg' \
  --prop showDataAs=percentOfTotal
```

#### Template merge — generate once, fill many

`merge` replaces `{{key}}` placeholders in any `.docx` / `.xlsx` / `.pptx` with JSON data — across paragraphs, table cells, shapes, headers, footers, and chart titles. Agent designs the layout once (expensive); production code fills it N times (cheap, deterministic, zero token cost). Avoids the failure mode where an agent regenerates each report from scratch and produces N inconsistent layouts.

```bash
officecli merge invoice-template.docx out-001.docx --data '{"client":"Acme","total":"$5,200"}'
officecli merge q4-template.pptx q4-acme.pptx --data data.json
```

#### Round-trip dump — learn from existing docs

`dump` serializes any `.docx`, `.pptx`, or `.xlsx` — whole document **or any subtree** (a single paragraph, table, slide, worksheet, the styles part, numbering, theme, or settings) — into a replayable batch JSON; `batch` replays it. Given a sample the user wants to imitate, an agent reads the structured spec instead of raw OOXML XML, mutates, and replays. Bridges "I have an existing template" and "generate me 100 variations."

```bash
officecli dump existing.docx -o blueprint.json                  # whole document
officecli dump existing.docx /body/tbl[1] -o table.json         # any subtree
officecli dump existing.xlsx /Sheet1 -o sheet.json              # a single worksheet
officecli batch new.docx --input blueprint.json
```

### Resident Mode & Batch

For multi-step workflows, resident mode keeps the document in memory. Batch mode applies multiple operations in a single pass.

```bash
# Resident mode — near-zero latency via named pipes
officecli open report.docx
officecli set report.docx /body/p[1]/r[1] --prop bold=true
officecli set report.docx /body/p[2]/r[1] --prop color=FF0000
officecli close report.docx

# Batch mode — multi-command execution (atomic by default: any failed item rolls back the whole batch)
echo '[{"command":"set","path":"/slide[1]/shape[1]","props":{"text":"Hello"}},
      {"command":"set","path":"/slide[1]/shape[2]","props":{"fill":"FF0000"}}]' \
  | officecli batch deck.pptx --json

# Inline batch with --commands (no stdin needed)
officecli batch deck.pptx --commands '[{"op":"set","path":"/slide[1]/shape[1]","props":{"text":"Hi"}}]'

# Keep whatever succeeds even if some items fail (pre-1.0.137 behavior)
officecli batch deck.pptx --input updates.json --best-effort --json

# Stop at the first failing command instead of running the rest (still rolls back everything unless combined with --best-effort)
officecli batch deck.pptx --input updates.json --stop-on-error --json
```

> **Reading the file with another tool? Flush to disk first.**
> officecli's own reads (`get`/`query`/`view`) always see your latest edits, so within officecli you never need to save. But a live resident defers the disk write, so **before a non‑officecli program reads the file** — python‑docx/openpyxl, Microsoft Word, a renderer, delivery/upload — flush it:
> ```bash
> officecli set report.docx /body/p[1] --prop bold=true
> officecli save report.docx           # flush, keep the resident warm (or `close` to flush + release)
> python my_reader.py report.docx      # now sees the edit
> ```
> A live resident also auto‑flushes shortly after going idle (adaptive 2–10s, scaled to the document's measured save cost). For a pipeline where another program reads after every command, set `OFFICECLI_RESIDENT_FLUSH=each` — every mutation is on disk before the command returns, while the resident stays warm. Full flush model (`each`/`auto`/fixed/`off`, save / close, env tuning): [wiki → open / close](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/command-open#when-the-file-on-disk-is-refreshed).

### Three-Layer Architecture

Start simple, go deep only when needed.

| Layer | Purpose | Commands |
|-------|---------|----------|
| **L1: Read** | Semantic views of content | `view` (text, annotated, outline, stats, issues, html, svg, screenshot) |
| **L2: DOM** | Structured element operations | `get`, `query`, `set`, `add`, `remove`, `move`, `swap` |
| **L3: Raw XML** | Direct XPath access — universal fallback | `raw`, `raw-set`, `add-part`, `validate` |

```bash
# L1 — high-level views
officecli view report.docx annotated
officecli view budget.xlsx text --cols A,B,C --max-lines 50

# L2 — element-level operations
officecli query report.docx "run:contains(TODO)"
officecli add budget.xlsx / --type sheet --prop name="Q2 Report"
officecli move report.docx /body/p[5] --to /body --index 1

# L3 — raw XML when L2 isn't enough
officecli raw deck.pptx '/slide[1]'
officecli raw-set report.docx document \
 --xpath "//w:p[1]" --action append \
 --xml '<w:r><w:t>Injected text</w:t></w:r>'
```

## AI Integration

### MCP Server

Built-in [MCP](https://modelcontextprotocol.io) server — register with one command:

```bash
officecli mcp claude       # Claude Code
officecli mcp cursor       # Cursor
officecli mcp vscode       # VS Code / Copilot
officecli mcp lmstudio     # LM Studio
officecli mcp opencode     # OpenCode
officecli mcp list         # Check registration status
```

Exposes all document operations as tools over JSON-RPC — no shell access needed.

### Direct CLI Integration

Get OfficeCLI working with your AI agent in two steps:

1. **Install the binary** -- one command (see [Installation](#installation))
2. **Done.** OfficeCLI automatically detects your AI tools (Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, Codex) by checking known config directories and installs its skill file. Your agent can immediately create, read, and modify any Office document.

<details>
<summary>Manual setup (optional)</summary>

If auto-install doesn't cover your setup, you can install the skill file manually:

**Feed SKILL.md to your agent directly:**

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

**Install as a local skill for Claude Code:**

```bash
curl -fsSL https://officecli.ai/SKILL.md -o ~/.claude/skills/officecli.md
```

**Other agents:** Include the contents of `SKILL.md` in your agent's system prompt or tool description.

</details>

### Why your agent will thrive on OfficeCLI

- **Deterministic JSON output** — every command supports `--json` with consistent schemas. No regex parsing, no scraping stdout.
- **Path-based addressing** — every element has a stable path (`/slide[1]/shape[2]`). Agents navigate documents without understanding XML namespaces. (OfficeCLI syntax: 1-based indexing, element local names — not XPath.)
- **Progressive complexity (L1 → L2 → L3)** — agents start with read-only views, escalate to DOM ops, fall back to raw XML only when needed. Minimizes token usage.
- **Self-healing workflow** — `validate`, `view issues`, and the structured error codes (`not_found`, `invalid_value`, `unsupported_property`) return suggestions and valid ranges. Agents self-correct without human intervention.
- **Built-in agent-friendly rendering engine** — `view html` / `view screenshot` / `watch` emit HTML and PNG natively. No Office required. Agents can *see* their output and fix layout issues, even inside CI / Docker / headless environments.
- **Built-in formula & pivot engine** — 350+ Excel functions auto-evaluated on write (incl. spilling dynamic arrays, financial / bond and statistical families); native OOXML pivot tables from a source range with one command. Agents read computed values and shipped aggregations immediately, without round-tripping through Office.
- **Template merge** — agent designs the layout once, downstream code fills `{{key}}` placeholders N times. Avoids burning tokens regenerating every report from scratch.
- **Round-trip dump** — `dump` turns any `.docx`, `.pptx`, or `.xlsx` into replayable batch JSON. Agents learn from human-authored samples by reading a structured spec, not raw OOXML XML.
- **Built-in help** — when unsure about property names or value formats, the agent runs `officecli <format> set <element>` instead of guessing.
- **Auto-install** — OfficeCLI detects your AI tooling (Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code, …) and configures itself. No manual skill-file setup.

### Built-in Help

Don't guess property names — drill into the help:

```bash
officecli help pptx set              # All settable elements and properties
officecli help pptx set shape        # Detail for one element type
officecli help docx query            # Selector reference: attributes, :contains, :has(), etc.
```

Run `officecli --help` for the full overview.

### JSON Output Schemas

All commands support `--json`. The general response shapes:

**Single element** (`get --json`):

```json
{"tag": "shape", "path": "/slide[1]/shape[1]", "attributes": {"name": "TextBox 1", "text": "Hello"}}
```

**List of elements** (`query --json`):

```json
[
  {"tag": "paragraph", "path": "/body/p[1]", "attributes": {"style": "Heading1", "text": "Title"}},
  {"tag": "paragraph", "path": "/body/p[5]", "attributes": {"style": "Heading1", "text": "Summary"}}
]
```

**Errors** return a non-zero exit code with a structured error object including error code, suggestion, and valid values when available:

```json
{
  "success": false,
  "error": {
    "error": "Slide 50 not found (total: 8)",
    "code": "not_found",
    "suggestion": "Valid Slide index range: 1-8"
  }
}
```

Error codes: `not_found`, `invalid_value`, `unsupported_property`, `invalid_path`, `unsupported_type`, `missing_property`, `file_not_found`, `file_locked`, `invalid_selector`. Property names are auto-corrected -- misspelling a property returns a suggestion with the closest match.

**Error Recovery** -- Agents self-correct by inspecting available elements:

```bash
# Agent tries an invalid path
officecli get report.docx /body/p[99] --json
# Returns: {"success": false, "error": {"error": "...", "code": "not_found", "suggestion": "..."}}

# Agent self-corrects by checking available elements
officecli get report.docx /body --depth 1 --json
# Returns the list of available children, agent picks the right path
```

**Mutation confirmations** (`set`, `add`, `remove`, `move`, `create` with `--json`):

```json
{"success": true, "path": "/slide[1]/shape[1]"}
```

**Exit codes.** `0` — the operation landed. `1` — it did not (process or business failure; the envelope carries `error`). `2` — it ran with caveats: an `unsupported_property` was dropped, or a validator raised a warning. Exit 2 covers both "landed with a warning" (`success: true`) and "nothing applied" (`success: false`, e.g. every property refused), so scripts must read `success` in the envelope, not the exit code alone; `warnings[]` lists what was dropped. The MCP server derives `isError` from the envelope the same way.

## Comparison

| | OfficeCLI | Microsoft Office | LibreOffice | python-docx / openpyxl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open source & free | ✓ (Apache 2.0) | ✗ (paid license) | ✓ | ✓ |
| AI-native CLI + JSON | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Zero install (single binary) | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ (Python + pip) |
| Call from any language | ✓ (CLI) | ✗ (COM/Add-in) | ✗ (UNO API) | Python only |
| Path-based element access | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Raw XML fallback | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | Partial |
| Built-in agent-friendly rendering engine | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Headless HTML/PNG output | ✓ | ✗ | Partial | ✗ |
| Template merge (`{{key}}`) across formats | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Round-trip dump → batch JSON | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Live preview (auto-refresh on edit) | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Headless / CI | ✓ | ✗ | Partial | ✓ |
| Cross-platform | ✓ | Windows/Mac | ✓ | ✓ |
| Word + Excel + PowerPoint | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Separate libs |

## Command Reference

| Command | Description |
|---------|-------------|
| [`create`](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/command-create) | Create a blank .docx, .xlsx, or .pptx (type from extension) |
| [`view`](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/command-view) | View content (modes: `outline`, `text`, `annotated`, `stats` (`--page-count`), `issues`, `html`, `svg`, `screenshot`, `pdf` (via exporter plugin), `forms` (via format-handler plugin)). docx supports `--render auto\|native\|html`. |
| [`load_skill`](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/command-skills) | Print embedded SKILL.md content for a specialized skill (no install) |
| [`get`](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/command-get) | Get element and children (`--depth N`, `--json`) |
| [`query`](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/command-query) | CSS-like query with boolean `and`/`or`, row-by-column-name (`row[Salary>5000]`), `--find` flag |
| [`set`](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/command-set) | Modify element properties; accepts selectors and Excel-native paths (parity with `get`/`query`), `--find`/`--replace` flags |
| [`add`](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/command-add) | Add element (or clone with `--from <path>`) |
| [`remove`](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/command-remove) | Remove an element |
| [`move`](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/command-move) | Move element (`--to <parent>`, `--index N`, `--after <path>`, `--before <path>`) |
| [`swap`](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/command-swap) | Swap two elements |
| [`validate`](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/command-validate) | Validate against OpenXML schema |
| `view <file> issues` | Enumerate document issues (text overflow, missing alt text, formula errors, ...) |
| [`batch`](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/command-batch) | Multiple operations applied in a single pass (stdin, `--input`, or `--commands`; atomic by default — any failed item rolls back the whole batch — `--best-effort` to keep partial progress, `--stop-on-error` to abort early) |
| [`dump`](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/command-dump) | Serialize a `.docx`, `.pptx`, or `.xlsx` into a replayable batch JSON (round-trip via `batch`); accepts a subtree path |
| [`refresh`](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/command-refresh) | Recalculate TOC page numbers / `PAGE` / cross-references (`.docx`; Word backend on Windows, headless-HTML fallback) |
| [`plugins`](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/command-plugins) | List / inspect / lint installed plugins (extend to `.doc`, `.hwpx`, `.pdf` export via dump-reader / exporter / format-handler kinds) |
| [`merge`](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/command-merge) | Template merge — replace `{{key}}` placeholders with JSON data |
| [`watch`](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/command-watch) | Live HTML preview in browser with auto-refresh |
| [`mcp`](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/command-mcp) | Start MCP server for AI tool integration |
| [`raw`](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/command-raw) | View raw XML of a document part |
| [`raw-set`](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/command-raw) | Modify raw XML via XPath |
| `add-part` | Add a new document part (header, chart, etc.) |
| [`open`](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/command-open) | Start resident mode (keep document in memory) |
| `close` | Save and close resident mode |
| [`install`](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/command-install) | Install binary + skills + MCP (`all`, `claude`, `cursor`, etc.) |
| `config` | Get or set configuration |
| `help <format> <command>` | [Built-in help](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/command-reference) (e.g. `officecli help pptx set shape`) |

## End-to-End Workflow Example

A typical self-healing agent workflow: create a presentation, populate it, verify, and fix issues -- all without human intervention.

```bash
# 1. Create
officecli create report.pptx

# 2. Add content
officecli add report.pptx / --type slide --prop title="Q4 Results"
officecli add report.pptx '/slide[1]' --type shape \
  --prop text="Revenue: $4.2M" --prop x=2cm --prop y=5cm --prop size=28
officecli add report.pptx / --type slide --prop title="Details"
officecli add report.pptx '/slide[2]' --type shape \
  --prop text="Growth driven by new markets" --prop x=2cm --prop y=5cm

# 3. Verify
officecli view report.pptx outline
officecli validate report.pptx

# 4. Fix any issues found
officecli view report.pptx issues --json
# Address issues based on output, e.g.:
officecli set report.pptx '/slide[1]/shape[1]' --prop font=Arial
```

### Units & Colors

All dimension and color properties accept flexible input formats:

| Type | Accepted formats | Examples |
|------|-----------------|----------|
| **Dimensions** | cm, in, pt, px, or raw EMU | `2cm`, `1in`, `72pt`, `96px`, `914400` |
| **Colors** | Hex, named, RGB, theme | `#FF0000`, `FF0000`, `red`, `rgb(255,0,0)`, `accent1` |
| **Font sizes** | Bare number or pt-suffixed | `14`, `14pt`, `10.5pt` |
| **Spacing** | pt, cm, in, or multiplier | `12pt`, `0.5cm`, `1.5x`, `150%` |

## Common Patterns

```bash
# Replace all Heading1 text in a Word doc
officecli query report.docx "paragraph[style=Heading1]" --json | ...
officecli set report.docx /body/p[1]/r[1] --prop text="New Title"

# Export all slide content as JSON
officecli get deck.pptx / --depth 2 --json

# Bulk-update Excel cells
officecli batch budget.xlsx --input updates.json --json

# Import CSV data into an Excel sheet
officecli add budget.xlsx / --type sheet --prop name="Q1 Data"
officecli import budget.xlsx "/Q1 Data" sales.csv --header

# Template merge for batch reports
officecli merge invoice-template.docx invoice-001.docx --data '{"client":"Acme","total":"$5,200"}'

# Check document quality before delivery
officecli validate report.docx && officecli view report.docx issues --json
```

**From Python or Node.js** — install one of the thin resident-pipe SDKs (no per-call process spawn):

```python
# Python — `pip install officecli-sdk`
import officecli
with officecli.create("deck.pptx") as doc:          # or officecli.open("deck.pptx")
    doc.send({"command": "add", "parent": "/", "type": "slide"})
    print(doc.send({"command": "get", "path": "/slide[1]"}))
```

```javascript
// Node.js — `npm install @officecli/sdk`
const oc = require("@officecli/sdk");
const doc = await oc.create("deck.pptx");            // or oc.open("deck.pptx")
await doc.send({ command: "add", parent: "/", type: "slide" });
console.log(await doc.send({ command: "get", path: "/slide[1]" }));
await doc.close();
```

Both SDKs auto-provision the native CLI when missing (mirror-first, Windows-capable) and announce the install rather than doing it silently.

Or wrap subprocess directly, one-shot:

```python
import json, subprocess
def cli(*args):
    return json.loads(subprocess.check_output(["officecli", *args, "--json"], text=True))
cli("create", "deck.pptx")
```

## Documentation

The [Wiki](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki) has detailed guides for every command, element type, and property:

- **By format:** [Word](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/word-reference) | [Excel](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/excel-reference) | [PowerPoint](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/powerpoint-reference)
- **Workflows:** [End-to-end examples](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/workflows) -- Word reports, Excel dashboards, PowerPoint decks, batch modifications, resident mode
- **Runnable examples:** [examples/](examples/) -- copy-paste scripts (.sh/.py) for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, with output files included
- **Troubleshooting:** [Common errors and solutions](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/troubleshooting)
- **AI agent guide:** [Decision tree for navigating the wiki](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/wiki/agent-guide)

## Build from Source

Requires [.NET 10 SDK](https://dotnet.microsoft.com/download) for compilation only. The output is a self-contained, native binary -- .NET is embedded in the binary and is not needed at runtime.

```bash
./build.sh
```

## License

[Apache License 2.0](LICENSE)

Bug reports and contributions are welcome on [GitHub Issues](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/issues).

---

If you find OfficeCLI useful, please [give it a star on GitHub](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI) — it helps others discover the project.

[OfficeCLI.AI](https://OfficeCLI.AI) | [GitHub](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI)

<!--
yaml-frontmatter:
 name: officecli
 version: see GitHub Releases
 description: The standard CLI for AI agents to create, read, and modify Office documents
 formats: [docx, xlsx, pptx]
 platforms: [macos, linux, windows]
 license: Apache-2.0
 keywords: [office, cli, ai-agent, automation, docx, xlsx, pptx, openxml, document-generation, mcp-server, word, excel, powerpoint]
 ai-agent-compatible: true
 mcp-server: true
 skill-file: SKILL.md

install-command-unix: curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/main/install.sh | bash
  install-command-windows: irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/main/install.ps1 | iex
-->

Repository info

Default branch: main
Latest version: v1.0.157
Created: 2026-03-15
Last activity: 2026-10-13
License: Apache-2.0
Open issues: 78
Watchers: 91

Topics

agent ai claude-code cli codex docx excel office openclaw pptx presentation skills word xlsx

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