OfficeCLI

Project Overview

OfficeCLI turns a single terminal command into a deliverable Word, Excel or PowerPoint file, with no Office installation and no Python document libraries. It ships as one self-contained .NET executable that bundles the document engine, a renderer and a formula/pivot engine, and elements are addressed by stable paths rather than XML namespaces. The current release is v1.0.160 under Apache-2.0, with binaries published separately for six platform and architecture combinations.

Item	Value
Platform	Windows, macOS, Linux on x64 and ARM64
Runtime	Self-contained .NET, no separate install
Formats	.docx, .xlsx, .pptx
License	Apache-2.0
Latest release	1.0.160

Agents can write a document, render it, and revise it again, all inside one binary.

Core Commands

Command	Action
create	Create a blank docx, xlsx or pptx
add	Append an element by path, such as / --type slide
set / remove	Modify or delete the element at a path
view	Print text, outline, html, screenshot or other views
get / query	Read element JSON or find elements by selector
merge	Fill {{key}} placeholders with JSON data
batch	Run several commands in one pass, optionally with --force
watch	Serve a live preview at http://localhost:26315
mcp	Register the MCP server for Claude, Cursor, VS Code or LM Studio

Key Features

• Three formats: docx, xlsx and pptx can all be read, modified and created
• Path addressing: paths such as /slide[1]/shape[2] use 1-based indexes and local element names, so XML namespaces stay out of the way
• Three layers: L1 view for semantic views, L2 DOM commands for element edits, L3 raw and raw-set for direct XML
• Built-in rendering: view html writes a self-contained HTML file, view screenshot exports PNG pages, and watch refreshes automatically
• Formula evaluation: 150+ Excel functions evaluate on write, with dynamic array functions getting the _xlfn. prefix automatically
• Native pivot tables: add ... --type pivottable writes the pivot cache and definition straight into OOXML
• Template merge: merge replaces placeholders in paragraphs, table cells, shapes, headers, footers and chart titles
• Structured output: every command supports --json, and codes such as not_found and invalid_value return suggestions and valid ranges
• Resident and batch modes: open keeps a document in memory, and batch --force continues after errors

Target Audience

• Engineers building AI agents and tool calls
• Developers writing document automation scripts
• Teams maintaining CI/CD documentation pipelines
• Server and container users who cannot install Office
• Data teams that generate reports in bulk

Quick Start

1. Run install.sh (or install.ps1 on Windows), or download a binary and run officecli install to put it on PATH
2. Create a deck: officecli create deck.pptx
3. Start the preview: officecli watch deck.pptx and open http://localhost:26315
4. In another terminal add a slide: officecli add deck.pptx / --type slide --prop title='Q4 Report'
5. Print the outline: officecli view deck.pptx outline
6. Read element JSON: officecli get deck.pptx '/slide[1]/shape[1]' --json

System Requirements

Item	Requirement
OS	macOS (Apple Silicon, Intel), Linux x64/ARM64, Windows x64/ARM64
Runtime	.NET is bundled; Office and Python are not required
Screenshots	view screenshot needs a local headless browser
Installation	install.sh, install.ps1, or a single-file binary from Releases

Notes

• Config file: stored at ~/.officecli/config.json; officecli config autoUpdate false disables automatic updates
• Release filenames: officecli-mac-arm64, officecli-mac-x64, officecli-linux-x64, officecli-linux-arm64, officecli-win-x64.exe and officecli-win-arm64.exe
• Not XPath: paths use 1-based indexes and local element names; use raw and raw-set when XPath is required
• Screenshots need a browser: view screenshot captures the rendered HTML through a headless browser, so a bare container must provide one
• Skip one update check: updates are checked in the background by default; set OFFICECLI_SKIP_UPDATE=1 to skip a single check