Excel CLI for AI Agents

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Introduction

CLIs are eating MCPs. The industry is converging on the very same idea. MCPs for all their merit can be token hungry, slow, and unreliable for complex tool chaining. However, coding agents have become incredibly good at working with CLIs, and in fact they are far more comfortable working with CLI tools than MCP.

With Composio's Universal CLI, your coding agents can talk to over 850+ SaaS applications. With Excel, agents can add sales data row to q2 table, create bar chart from revenue column, share this workbook with your manager, and more — all without worrying about authentication.

This guide walks you through Composio Universal CLI and explains how you can connect it with coding agents like Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, etc, for end-to-end Excel automation.

Also integrate Excel with

What is Universal CLI and why use it?

The idea behind building the universal CLI is to give agents a single command interface to interact with all your external applications. Here's what you'll get with it:

  • Agent-friendly: Coding agents like Claude Code, Codex, and OpenCode can use CLI tools natively — no MCP setup required.
  • Authentication handled: Connect once via OAuth or API Key, and all CLI commands work with your credentials automatically.
  • Tool discovery: Search, inspect, and execute 20,000+ tools across 850+ apps from one interface.
  • Trigger support: Use triggers to listen for events across your apps, powered by real-time webhooks or polling under the hood.
  • Type generation: Generate typed schemas for autocomplete and type safety in your projects.

Prerequisites

Install the Composio CLI, authenticate, and initialize your project:

bash
# Install the Composio CLI
curl -fsSL https://composio.dev/install | bash

# Authenticate with Composio
composio login

During login you'll be redirected to sign in page, finish the complete flow and you're all set.

Composio CLI authentication flow

Connecting Excel to Coding Agents via Universal CLI

Once it is installed, it's essentially done. Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, OpenClaw, or any other agent will be able to access the CLI. A few steps to give agents access to your apps.

  1. Launch your Coding Agent — Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, anything you prefer.
  2. Prompt it to "Authenticate with Excel"
  3. Complete the authentication and authorization flow and your Excel integration is all set.
  4. Start asking anything you want.

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.

Universal CLI Commands for Excel

You can also manually execute CLI commands to interact with your Excel.

Connect your Excel account

Link your Excel account and verify the connection:

bash
# Connect your Excel account (opens OAuth flow)
composio connected-accounts link excel

# Verify the connection
composio connected-accounts list --toolkits excel

Discover Excel tools

Search and inspect available Excel tools:

bash
# List all available Excel tools
composio tools list --toolkit excel

# Search for Excel tools by action
composio tools search "excel"

# Inspect a tool's input schema
composio tools info EXCEL_ADD_CHART

Common Excel Actions

Add Chart — Add a chart to a worksheet using microsoft graph api

bash
composio tools execute EXCEL_ADD_CHART \
  --type "<string>" \
  --item_id "<string>" \
  --worksheet "<string>" \
  --sourcedata "<string>"

Add SharePoint Worksheet — Add a new worksheet to a sharepoint excel workbook using microsoft graph sites api

bash
composio tools execute EXCEL_ADD_SHAREPOINT_WORKSHEET \
  --name "<string>" \
  --item_id "<string>" \
  --site_id "contoso.sharepoint.com,2C712604-1370-44E7-A1F5-426573FDA80A,2D2244C3-251A-49EA-93A8-39E1C3A060FE"

Add Table — Create a table in a workbook using microsoft graph api

bash
composio tools execute EXCEL_ADD_TABLE \
  --name "<string>" \
  --item_id "<string>" \
  --table_id "<string>" \
  --hasHeaders "<boolean>"

Add Table Column — Add a column to a table using microsoft graph api

bash
composio tools execute EXCEL_ADD_TABLE_COLUMN \
  --index "<integer>" \
  --values "<array>" \
  --item_id "<string>" \
  --table_id "<string>"

Generate Type Definitions

Generate typed schemas for Excel tools to get autocomplete and type safety in your project:

bash
# Auto-detect language
composio generate --toolkits excel

# TypeScript
composio ts generate --toolkits excel

# Python
composio py generate --toolkits excel

Tips & Tricks

  • Always inspect a tool's input schema before executing: composio tools info <TOOL_NAME>
  • Pipe output with jq for better readability: composio tools execute TOOL_NAME -d '{}' | jq
  • Set COMPOSIO_API_KEY as an environment variable for CI/CD pipelines
  • Use composio dev logs tools to inspect execution logs and debug issues

Next Steps

  • Try asking your coding agent to perform various Excel operations
  • Explore cross-app workflows by connecting more toolkits
  • Set up triggers for real-time automation
  • Use composio generate for typed schemas in your projects

How to build Excel MCP Agent with another framework

OpenAI Agents SDK

OpenAI Agents SDK

Use Excel MCP with OpenAI Agents SDK

Claude Agent SDK

Claude Agent SDK

Use Excel MCP with Claude Agent SDK

Claude Code

Claude Code

Use Excel MCP with Claude Code

Codex

Codex

Use Excel MCP with Codex

OpenClaw

OpenClaw

Use Excel MCP with OpenClaw

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

FAQ

What is the Composio Universal CLI?

The Composio Universal CLI is a single command-line interface that lets coding agents and developers interact with 850+ SaaS applications. It handles authentication, tool discovery, action execution, and trigger setup — all from the terminal, without needing to configure MCP servers.

Which coding agents work with the Composio CLI?

Any coding agent that can run shell commands works with the Composio CLI — including Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, OpenClaw, and others. Once the CLI is installed, agents automatically discover and use the composio commands to interact with Excel and other connected apps.

How is the CLI different from using an MCP server for Excel?

MCP servers require configuration and can be token-heavy for complex workflows. The CLI gives agents a direct, lightweight interface — no server setup needed. Agents simply call composio commands like any other shell tool. It's faster to set up, more reliable for multi-step tool chaining, and works natively with how coding agents already operate.

How safe is my Excel data when using the Composio CLI?

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. You can also bring your own OAuth credentials for full control.

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

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