How to integrate Excel MCP with Claude Agent SDK

GET STARTED FOR FREE
Framework Integration Gradient
Excel Logo
Claude Agent SDK Logo
divider

Introduction

This guide walks you through connecting Excel to the Claude Agent SDK using the Composio tool router. By the end, you'll have a working Excel agent that can add sales data row to q2 table, create bar chart from revenue column, share this workbook with my manager, clear outdated entries from worksheet range through natural language commands.

This guide will help you understand how to give your Claude Agent SDK agent real control over a Excel account through Composio's Excel MCP server.

Before we dive in, let's take a quick look at the key ideas and tools involved.

TL;DR

Here's what you'll learn:
  • Get and set up your Claude/Anthropic and Composio API keys
  • Install the necessary dependencies
  • Initialize Composio and create a Tool Router session for Excel
  • Configure an AI agent that can use Excel as a tool
  • Run a live chat session where you can ask the agent to perform Excel operations

What is Claude Agent SDK?

The Claude Agent SDK is Anthropic's official framework for building AI agents powered by Claude. It provides a streamlined interface for creating agents with MCP tool support and conversation management.

Key features include:

  • Native MCP Support: Built-in support for Model Context Protocol servers
  • Permission Modes: Control tool execution permissions
  • Streaming Responses: Real-time response streaming for interactive applications
  • Context Manager: Clean async context management for sessions

What is the Excel MCP server, and what's possible with it?

The Excel MCP server is an implementation of the Model Context Protocol that connects your AI agent and assistants like Claude, Cursor, etc directly to your Excel account. It provides structured and secure access to your spreadsheets, so your agent can perform actions like adding data, creating tables, managing worksheets, generating charts, and sharing workbooks on your behalf.

  • Automated data entry and updates: Let your agent add rows, columns, or clear specific ranges in any worksheet—keeping your data fresh, organized, and accurate.
  • Effortless table and worksheet management: Direct your agent to create tables, add new worksheets, or organize data structures for seamless tracking and reporting.
  • Dynamic chart generation: Have your agent visualize your data instantly by adding charts to any worksheet for quick insights and analysis.
  • Advanced filtering and sorting: Ask your agent to apply filters or custom sorts to tables, making it easy to focus on what matters most in your datasets.
  • Secure sharing and permission control: Empower your agent to grant access or update permissions on workbooks, ensuring your team can collaborate safely and efficiently.

Supported Tools & Triggers

Tools
Add ChartAdd a chart to a worksheet using microsoft graph api.
Add SharePoint WorksheetAdd a new worksheet to a sharepoint excel workbook using microsoft graph sites api.
Add TableCreate a table in a workbook using microsoft graph api.
Add Table ColumnAdd a column to a table using microsoft graph api.
Add Table RowAdd a row to a table using microsoft graph api.
Add Workbook PermissionTool to grant access to a workbook via invite.
Add WorksheetAdd a new worksheet to an excel workbook using microsoft graph api.
Apply Table FilterApply a filter to a table column using microsoft graph api.
Apply Table SortApply a sort to a table using microsoft graph api.
Clear RangeTool to clear values, formats, or contents in a specified worksheet range.
Clear Table FilterClear a filter from a table column using microsoft graph api.
Close Excel SessionTool to close an existing excel workbook session.
Convert Table To RangeConvert a table to a range using microsoft graph api.
Create WorkbookTool to create a new workbook file at a specified drive path.
Delete Table ColumnDelete a column from a table using microsoft graph api.
Delete Table RowDelete a row from a table using microsoft graph api.
Delete WorksheetTool to delete a worksheet from the workbook.
Get Chart AxisTool to retrieve a specific axis from a chart.
Get Chart Data LabelsTool to retrieve the data labels object of a chart.
Get Chart LegendTool to retrieve the legend object of a chart.
Get RangeGet a range from a worksheet using microsoft graph api.
Create Excel SessionCreate a session for an excel workbook using microsoft graph api.
Get SharePoint RangeGet a range from a worksheet in sharepoint using microsoft graph sites api.
Get SharePoint WorksheetGet a worksheet by name or id from a sharepoint excel workbook using microsoft graph sites api.
Get Table ColumnTool to retrieve a specific column from a workbook table.
Get workbookTool to retrieve the properties and relationships of a workbook.
Get WorksheetGet a worksheet by name or id from an excel workbook using microsoft graph api.
Insert RangeTool to insert a new cell range into a worksheet, shifting existing cells down or right.
List ChartsList charts in a worksheet using microsoft graph api.
List Chart SeriesTool to list all data series in a chart.
List CommentsTool to list comments in an excel workbook.
List Drive FilesList files and folders in a drive root or specified path.
List Named ItemsList named items in a workbook using microsoft graph api.
List SharePoint TablesList tables in a sharepoint worksheet using microsoft graph sites api.
List SharePoint WorksheetsList worksheets in an excel workbook stored in sharepoint using microsoft graph sites api.
List Table ColumnsList columns in a table using microsoft graph api.
List Table RowsList rows in a table using microsoft graph api.
List TablesList tables in a worksheet using microsoft graph api.
List Workbook PermissionsTool to list permissions set on the workbook file.
List WorksheetsList worksheets in an excel workbook using microsoft graph api.
Merge CellsMerge cells in a worksheet range using microsoft graph api.
Protect WorksheetTool to protect a worksheet using optional protection options.
Sort RangeSort a range in a worksheet using microsoft graph api.
Update ChartUpdate a chart in a worksheet using microsoft graph api.
Update Chart LegendTool to update formatting or position of a chart legend.
Update RangeUpdate a range in a worksheet using microsoft graph api.
Update SharePoint RangeUpdate a range in a sharepoint worksheet using microsoft graph sites api.
Update TableUpdate a table in a workbook using microsoft graph api.
Update WorksheetUpdate worksheet properties (name, position) in an excel workbook using microsoft graph api.

What is the Composio tool router, and how does it fit here?

What is Tool Router?

Composio's Tool Router helps agents find the right tools for a task at runtime. You can plug in multiple toolkits (like Gmail, HubSpot, and GitHub), and the agent will identify the relevant app and action to complete multi-step workflows. This can reduce token usage and improve the reliability of tool calls. Read more here: Getting started with Tool Router

The tool router generates a secure MCP URL that your agents can access to perform actions.

How the Tool Router works

The Tool Router follows a three-phase workflow:

  1. Discovery: Searches for tools matching your task and returns relevant toolkits with their details.
  2. Authentication: Checks for active connections. If missing, creates an auth config and returns a connection URL via Auth Link.
  3. Execution: Executes the action using the authenticated connection.

Step-by-step Guide

Prerequisites

Before starting, make sure you have:
  • Composio API Key and Claude/Anthropic API Key
  • Primary know-how of Claude Agents SDK
  • A Excel account
  • Some knowledge of Python

Getting API Keys for Claude/Anthropic and Composio

Claude/Anthropic API Key
  • Go to the Anthropic Console and create an API key. You'll need credits to use the models.
  • Keep the API key safe.
Composio API Key
  • Log in to the Composio dashboard.
  • Navigate to your API settings and generate a new API key.
  • Store this key securely as you'll need it for authentication.

Install dependencies

pip install composio-anthropic claude-agent-sdk python-dotenv

Install the Composio SDK and the Claude Agents SDK.

What's happening:

  • composio-anthropic provides Composio integration for Anthropic
  • claude-agent-sdk is the core agent framework
  • python-dotenv loads environment variables

Set up environment variables

bash
COMPOSIO_API_KEY=your_composio_api_key_here
USER_ID=your_user_id_here
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=your_anthropic_api_key_here

Create a .env file in your project root.

What's happening:

  • COMPOSIO_API_KEY authenticates with Composio
  • USER_ID identifies the user for session management
  • ANTHROPIC_API_KEY authenticates with Anthropic/Claude

Import dependencies

import asyncio
from claude_agent_sdk import ClaudeSDKClient, ClaudeAgentOptions
import os
from composio import Composio
from dotenv import load_dotenv

load_dotenv()
What's happening:
  • We're importing all necessary libraries including the Claude Agent SDK and Composio
  • The load_dotenv() function loads environment variables from your .env file
  • This setup prepares the foundation for connecting Claude with Excel functionality

Create a Composio instance and Tool Router session

async def chat_with_remote_mcp():
    api_key = os.getenv("COMPOSIO_API_KEY")
    if not api_key:
        raise RuntimeError("COMPOSIO_API_KEY is not set")

    composio = Composio(api_key=api_key)

    # Create Tool Router session for Excel
    mcp_server = composio.create(
        user_id=os.getenv("USER_ID"),
        toolkits=["excel"]
    )

    url = mcp_server.mcp.url

    if not url:
        raise ValueError("Session URL not found")
What's happening:
  • The function checks for the required COMPOSIO_API_KEY environment variable
  • We're creating a Composio instance using our API key
  • The create method creates a Tool Router session for Excel
  • The returned url is the MCP server URL that your agent will use

Configure Claude Agent with MCP

# Configure remote MCP server for Claude
options = ClaudeAgentOptions(
    permission_mode="bypassPermissions",
    mcp_servers={
        "composio": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": url,
            "headers": {
                "x-api-key": os.getenv("COMPOSIO_API_KEY")
            }
        }
    },
    system_prompt="You are a helpful assistant with access to Excel tools via Composio.",
    max_turns=10
)
What's happening:
  • We're configuring the Claude Agent options with the MCP server URL
  • permission_mode="bypassPermissions" allows the agent to execute operations without asking for permission each time
  • The system prompt instructs the agent that it has access to Excel
  • max_turns=10 limits the conversation length to prevent excessive API usage

Create client and start chat loop

# Create client with context manager
async with ClaudeSDKClient(options=options) as client:
    print("\nChat started. Type 'exit' or 'quit' to end.\n")

    # Main chat loop
    while True:
        user_input = input("You: ").strip()
        if user_input.lower() in {"exit", "quit"}:
            print("Goodbye!")
            break

        # Send query
        await client.query(user_input)

        # Receive and print response
        print("Claude: ", end="", flush=True)
        async for message in client.receive_response():
            if hasattr(message, "content"):
                for block in message.content:
                    if hasattr(block, "text"):
                        print(block.text, end="", flush=True)
        print()
What's happening:
  • The Claude SDK client is created using the async context manager pattern
  • The agent processes each query and streams the response back in real-time
  • The chat loop continues until the user types 'exit' or 'quit'

Run the application

if __name__ == "__main__":
    asyncio.run(chat_with_remote_mcp())
What's happening:
  • This entry point runs the async chat_with_remote_mcp() function using asyncio.run()
  • The application will start, create the MCP connection, and begin the interactive chat session

Complete Code

Here's the complete code to get you started with Excel and Claude Agent SDK:

import asyncio
from claude_agent_sdk import ClaudeSDKClient, ClaudeAgentOptions
import os
from composio import Composio
from dotenv import load_dotenv

load_dotenv()

async def chat_with_remote_mcp():
    api_key = os.getenv("COMPOSIO_API_KEY")
    if not api_key:
        raise RuntimeError("COMPOSIO_API_KEY is not set")

    composio = Composio(api_key=api_key)

    # Create Tool Router session for Excel
    mcp_server = composio.create(
        user_id=os.getenv("USER_ID"),
        toolkits=["excel"]
    )

    url = mcp_server.mcp.url

    if not url:
        raise ValueError("Session URL not found")

    # Configure remote MCP server for Claude
    options = ClaudeAgentOptions(
        permission_mode="bypassPermissions",
        mcp_servers={
            "composio": {
                "type": "http",
                "url": url,
                "headers": {
                    "x-api-key": os.getenv("COMPOSIO_API_KEY")
                }
            }
        },
        system_prompt="You are a helpful assistant with access to Excel tools via Composio.",
        max_turns=10
    )

    # Create client with context manager
    async with ClaudeSDKClient(options=options) as client:
        print("\nChat started. Type 'exit' or 'quit' to end.\n")

        # Main chat loop
        while True:
            user_input = input("You: ").strip()
            if user_input.lower() in {"exit", "quit"}:
                print("Goodbye!")
                break

            # Send query
            await client.query(user_input)

            # Receive and print response
            print("Claude: ", end="", flush=True)
            async for message in client.receive_response():
                if hasattr(message, "content"):
                    for block in message.content:
                        if hasattr(block, "text"):
                            print(block.text, end="", flush=True)
            print()

if __name__ == "__main__":
    asyncio.run(chat_with_remote_mcp())

Conclusion

You've successfully built a Claude Agent SDK agent that can interact with Excel through Composio's Tool Router.

Key features:

  • Native MCP support through Claude's agent framework
  • Streaming responses for real-time interaction
  • Permission bypass for smooth automated workflows
You can extend this by adding more toolkits, implementing custom business logic, or building a web interface around the agent.

How to build Excel MCP Agent with another framework

OpenAI Agents SDK

OpenAI Agents SDK

Use Excel MCP with OpenAI Agents SDK

Google ADK

Google ADK

Use Excel MCP with Google ADK

LangChain

LangChain

Use Excel MCP with LangChain

Vercel AI SDK

Vercel AI SDK

Use Excel MCP with Vercel AI SDK

Mastra AI

Mastra AI

Use Excel MCP with Mastra AI

LlamaIndex

LlamaIndex

Use Excel MCP with LlamaIndex

CrewAI

CrewAI

Use Excel MCP with CrewAI

Claude Code

Claude Code

Use Excel MCP with Claude Code

FAQ

What are the differences in Tool Router MCP and Excel MCP?

With a standalone Excel MCP server, the agents and LLMs can only access a fixed set of Excel tools tied to that server. However, with the Composio Tool Router, agents can dynamically load tools from Excel and many other apps based on the task at hand, all through a single MCP endpoint.

Can I use Tool Router MCP with Claude Agent SDK?

Yes, you can. Claude Agent SDK fully supports MCP integration. You get structured tool calling, message history handling, and model orchestration while Tool Router takes care of discovering and serving the right Excel tools.

Can I manage the permissions and scopes for Excel while using Tool Router?

Yes, absolutely. You can configure which Excel scopes and actions are allowed when connecting your account to Composio. You can also bring your own OAuth credentials or API configuration so you keep full control over what the agent can do.

How safe is my data with Composio Tool Router?

All sensitive data such as tokens, keys, and configuration is fully encrypted at rest and in transit. Composio is SOC 2 Type 2 compliant and follows strict security practices so your Excel data and credentials are handled as safely as possible.

Used by agents from

Context
Letta
glean
HubSpot
Agent.ai
Altera
DataStax
Entelligence
Rolai
Context
Letta
glean
HubSpot
Agent.ai
Altera
DataStax
Entelligence
Rolai
Context
Letta
glean
HubSpot
Agent.ai
Altera
DataStax
Entelligence
Rolai

Never worry about agent reliability

We handle tool reliability, observability, and security so you never have to second-guess an agent action.

Book a call↗Get started for free