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Reported issues for Excel MCP Server

Pod holds 23 of 53 GitHub reports that passed its relevance review. This can include external user reports, maintainer-confirmed bugs, and concrete feature gaps. Treat them as evidence to inspect, not a count of distinct defects.

Back to Excel MCP Server.

Most discussed

Unable to get the excel-mcp-server started in claud desktop

OS - Mac, macbook pro m3. Steps followed to setup:

  1. Git clone https://github.com/haris-musa/excel-mcp-server.git
  2. cd to excel-mcp-server folder
  3. ran this command. "uv pip install -e ."
  4. Used the below claud config( i have added directory args to specific the location of the git clone of this project) { "mcpServers": { "excel": { "command": "uv", "transport": "sse", "env": { "EXCEL_FILES_PATH": "/Users/xxx/Downloads/excel" }, "args": […

Read the thread · 2025-04-02 · closed · external user · 8 comments

使用fastgpt作为客户端 连接使用 docker 部署的 excel-mcp-server 时报错

使用fastgpt作为客户端 连接使用 docker 部署的 excel-mcp-server 时报错：

uv run excel-mcp-server sse Excel MCP Server - SSE mode

Press Ctrl+C to exit INFO: Started server process [89] INFO: Waiting for application startup. INFO: Application startup complete. INFO: Uvicorn running on http://127.0.0.1:8000 (Press CTRL+C to quit)

curl http://127.0.0.1:8000/ curl: (7) 0 毫秒后无法连接到 127.0.0.1 端口 8000：无法连接到服务器

telnet 127.0.0.1 8000 Trying 127.0.0.1... telnet: 无法连接到远程主机: 连接被拒绝

Read the thread · 2025-07-03 · closed · external user · 7 comments

我指定了FASTMCP_PORT参数,但是端口仍然是8000,请问是什么原因造成的?

Image

Read the thread · 2025-08-04 · closed · external user · 6 comments

uv run excel-mcp-server error

(base) ➜ ~ pip list | grep excel
excel-mcp-server 0.1.1 (base) ➜ ~ uv run excel-mcp-server

Traceback (most recent call last): File "/opt/homebrew/Caskroom/miniconda/base/bin/excel-mcp-server", line 4, in from excel_mcp.main import main ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'excel_mcp'

Read the thread · 2025-04-07 · closed · external user · 6 comments

running on http://127.0.0.1:9080 监听地址能否修改成0.0.0.0:9080或者ip:port ？

我的服务调用在网络层面似乎有些问题，我的大模型编排工具是dify。

Image

Read the thread · 2025-06-21 · closed · external user · 5 comments

Unable to read_data_from_excel, get "Error executing tool read_data_from_excel: File is not a zip file"

{ "params": { "filepath": "myExcel.xlsx", "sheet_name": "Sheet1" }, "response": { "content": [ { "type": "text", "text": "Error executing tool read_data_from_excel: File is not a zip file" } ], "isError": true } }

Read the thread · 2025-05-22 · closed · external user · 5 comments

program not found

Hi, i'm not able to run this server

uv run excel-mcp-server error: Failed to spawn: excel-mcp-server Caused by: program not found

Read the thread · 2025-04-01 · closed · external user · 5 comments

Security consideration: Arbitrary file path access and unrestricted Excel formula injection

Hi @haris-musa,

While reviewing MCP server security across the ecosystem, I identified two input validation gaps in excel-mcp-server that could be exploited via indirect prompt injection.

Vector 1: Arbitrary file path access

The create_workbook function accepts any filepath parameter and creates parent directories automatically:

# workbook.py line 23-24
path = Path(filepath)
path.parent.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
wb.save(str(path))

No path validation or…

Read the thread · 2026-03-24 · closed · external user · 4 comments

Most recent

Arbitrary file read/write in stdio mode (no path confinement) and case-sensitive formula denylist bypass

reported on 5 June 2026 https://github.com/haris-musa/excel-mcp-server/security/advisories/GHSA-9h7m-8h6c-6jh7 - no response so trying here:

Summary

In stdio mode (the default transport for desktop MCP clients), the path resolver applies no confinement: EXCEL_FILES_PATH is set only for the SSE/streamable-http transports, so in stdio it is None and get_excel_path accepts any absolute path. The read/write tools therefore read and write arbitrary files anywhere the process can access. 2) The…

Read the thread · 2026-07-08 · closed · external user · 1 comment

[BUG] Missing authentication in network transports allows unauthenticated Excel tool invocation

Summary

excel-mcp-server has missing authentication and missing Host/Origin validation in its SSE and streamable HTTP transports. The FastMCP server defaults to 0.0.0.0 and starts mcp.run(transport="sse") or mcp.run(transport="streamable-http") without requiring credentials or enforcing a trusted Host/Origin policy, exposing Excel file tools to unauthenticated network clients.

To reproduce

Create a temporary Excel files directory:


[Read the thread](https://github.com/haris-musa/excel-mcp-server/issues/145) · 2026-06-30 · closed · external user · 1 comment

### Security: know which user is calling your Excel MCP server?

Hey! Great work on excel-mcp-server. 

One concern I had when deploying it: once Claude Desktop users connect to your server, can you tell *which specific user* triggered each tool call? For example, if someone writes to a spreadsheet file they shouldn't have access to, do you have any way to identify them?

I built a lightweight identity middleware that adds caller verification to MCP servers (like OAuth for MCP tools). Happy to help wire it up if you think it'd be useful for your users. Takes…

[Read the thread](https://github.com/haris-musa/excel-mcp-server/issues/138) · 2026-06-09 · closed · external user · 1 comment

### Security scan results for excel-mcp-server — MCPSafe AIVSS 84/100 (Grade B)

Hi team 👋

I ran a free deep security scan of **haris-musa/excel-mcp-server** using [MCPSafe](https://mcpsafe.io) — a purpose-built scanner for MCP servers using a 5-LLM consensus panel to detect prompt injection risks, over-scoped tool schemas, supply chain issues, and more.

## Results: 84/100 · Grade B

| Severity | Count |
|----------|-------|
| 🔴 Critical | 0 |
| 🟠 High | 0 |
| 🟡 Medium | 27 |
| 🟢 Low | 0 |

**Summary:** 27 medium-severity findings around Excel file access and formula…

[Read the thread](https://github.com/haris-musa/excel-mcp-server/issues/135) · 2026-05-12 · closed · external user · 1 comment

### write_data_to_excel can bypass unsafe formula validation

Hi @haris-musa,

While testing security and quality patterns across MCP servers, we noticed a small but important validation gap in `excel-mcp-server`.

This may overlap with the broader formula injection discussion in #119 / #120, but this issue is more specific: `apply_formula()` validates formulas before writing them, while `write_data_to_excel()` can currently write the same unsafe formula directly into a workbook through the bulk data path.

We are also working on…

[Read the thread](https://github.com/haris-musa/excel-mcp-server/issues/134) · 2026-05-12 · closed · external user · 1 comment

### Add policy enforcement for file write operations

This server exposes ~20 tools that write to the local filesystem:

- `write_data_to_excel` -- overwrites cell ranges in any Excel file
- `create_workbook` -- creates files at any path
- `apply_formula` -- can reference external data sources

In stdio mode, the server has unrestricted filesystem write access. An agent can overwrite existing Excel files or create files at arbitrary paths.

**Suggestion:** Consider documenting support for…

[Read the thread](https://github.com/haris-musa/excel-mcp-server/issues/131) · 2026-04-12 · closed · external user · 1 comment

### Security: Command Injection via unsanitized file path in create_workbook (+ 22 tools affected)

## Summary

[mcpfuzz](https://github.com/8endit/mcpfuzz) (dynamic security scanner for MCP servers) detected **1 CRITICAL** command injection vulnerability in `create_workbook` and **22 warnings** across other tools that accept file path parameters without sanitization.

## Affected Tools

- **CRITICAL:** `create_workbook` — confirmed exploitation
- **WARNING (22 tools):** `apply_formula`, `validate_formula_syntax`, `format_range`, `read_data_from_excel`, `create_worksheet`, `create_chart`,…

[Read the thread](https://github.com/haris-musa/excel-mcp-server/issues/128) · 2026-04-06 · closed · external user · 1 comment

### Security consideration: Arbitrary file path access and unrestricted Excel formula injection

Hi @haris-musa,

While reviewing MCP server security across the ecosystem, I identified two input validation gaps in excel-mcp-server that could be exploited via indirect prompt injection.

### Vector 1: Arbitrary file path access

The `create_workbook` function accepts any `filepath` parameter and creates parent directories automatically:

```python
# workbook.py line 23-24
path = Path(filepath)
path.parent.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
wb.save(str(path))

No path validation or…

Read the thread · 2026-03-23 · closed · external user · 1 comment

mcp init returns a non-JSON response

Command:   authprobe scan --llm-max-tokens=1080 --openai-api-key=***REDACTED*** http://localhost:8023/mcp
Scanning:  http://localhost:8023/mcp
Scan time: Feb 20, 2026 06:56:08 UTC
Github:    https://github.com/authprobe/authprobe

Funnel
  [1] MCP probe (401 + WWW-Authenticate)      [-] SKIP
        probe returned 405; checking PRM for OAuth config

  [2] MCP initialize + tools/list             [X] FAIL
        initialize -> 200 (non-JSON response)

  [3] PRM fetch matrix…

[Read the thread](https://github.com/haris-musa/excel-mcp-server/issues/116) · 2026-02-20 · closed · external user · 1 comment

### Security Audit: Path traversal in SSE mode file resolution

## AgentAudit Security Report

**Package:** excel-mcp-server v0.1.7
**Result:** ✅ safe (risk score: 5/100)
**Report:** https://agentaudit.dev/skills/excel-mcp-server

### Finding: No path containment check in SSE mode file resolution

| Field | Value |
|-------|-------|
| **Severity** | medium |
| **Pattern** | MCP_TRAVERSAL_001 |
| **File** | `src/excel_mcp/server.py:86` |
| **Confidence** | medium |

**Description:** In SSE mode, `get_excel_path()` joins `EXCEL_FILES_PATH` with the…

[Read the thread](https://github.com/haris-musa/excel-mcp-server/issues/115) · 2026-02-13 · closed · external user · 1 comment

### Error occurred on OpenCode：JSON Schema not supported: could not understand the instance `{}`

Error occurred on OpenCode：JSON Schema not supported: could not understand the instance `{}`.

Compatibility issues with JSON schema. Perhaps some tools have defined empty inputSchema: {}, and OpenCode's schema parser is stricter than Claude Desktop and does not accept empty objects. Is this the reason? Please fix it

[Read the thread](https://github.com/haris-musa/excel-mcp-server/issues/114) · 2026-02-04 · closed · external user · 1 comment

### API Error: 400

excel - get_workbook_metadata (MCP) returned below error message:

API Error: 400 {"type":"error","error":{"type":"invalid_request_error”,” message":"messages.6: tool_use ids were found without tool_result blocks immediately after: toolu_015YPaaHQ8KUXwBm9Grao5rn. Each tool_use block must have a corresponding tool_result block in the next message."},"request_id":”req_011CV8fGjSSPVjWkuajuNeqU”}


[Read the thread](https://github.com/haris-musa/excel-mcp-server/issues/109) · 2025-11-15 · closed · external user · 1 comment

### Cannot find the filepath after deploying via Docker

Hi,

I am consistently getting the following error while trying to access the file. Can you please advise?

Consequently, I cannot retrieve or share the details contained within the spreadsheet.

To proceed, please consider one of the following actions:

Verify the File Path and Permissions

Ensure that the file indeed exists at the exact location indicated above.
Confirm that the executing environment has read permissions for the file and its containing directory.
Provide an Accessible Path or…

[Read the thread](https://github.com/haris-musa/excel-mcp-server/issues/104) · 2025-11-05 · closed · external user · 1 comment

### The result of reading the file content will be a json syntax error.

Read any excel file through mcp. Put the read text content into json parsing and check. It cannot be parsed normally. You need the last layer of newline symbols....

[Read the thread](https://github.com/haris-musa/excel-mcp-server/issues/101) · 2025-10-18 · closed · external user · 1 comment

### MacOS Using Codex Can’t start excel mcpserver

■ MCP client for `excel` failed to start: No such file or directory (os error 2)

This is my Toml setting:
[mcp_servers.excel]
command = "uvx"
args = ["excel-mcp-server", "stdio"]

[Read the thread](https://github.com/haris-musa/excel-mcp-server/issues/100) · 2025-10-16 · closed · external user · 1 comment

The remaining reports are on [the project's issue tracker](https://github.com/haris-musa/excel-mcp-server/issues).