Word MCP Live

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word-mcp-live

The only MCP server that edits Word documents while they're open

Live editing · Tracked changes · Per-action undo · 120 tools · Cross-platform

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word-mcp-live gives any AI assistant that supports MCP full control of Microsoft Word. Open a document, tell the AI what you need, and watch it happen — formatting, tracked changes, comments, and all. Changes appear live in your open document.

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Without word-mcp-live

• AI can discuss your document but can't touch it
• You copy-paste between AI and Word, losing formatting
• Track changes? You do those manually after the fact
• Every edit means save → close → process → reopen

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With word-mcp-live

• "Add a tracked change replacing ABC Corp with XYZ Ltd" — done
• Changes appear live in your open Word document
• Every AI edit is one Ctrl+Z away
• Real tracked changes with your name, not XML hacks

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See it in action

https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/fbb09af4-1e25-4e49-94d0-45b363278810

What Sets This Apart

• Live editing — Edit documents while they're open in Word. No save-close-reopen cycle.
• Full undo — Every AI action is a single Ctrl+Z. Made a mistake? Just undo it.
• Native tracked changes — Real Word revisions with your name, not XML hacks.
• Threaded comments — Add, reply, resolve, and delete comments like a human reviewer.
• Layout diagnostics — Detects formatting problems before they become print disasters.
• Equations & cross-references — Insert math formulas and auto-updating references.
• 120 tools — The most comprehensive Word MCP server available.

Quick Start

pip install word-mcp-live

Or install from source:

git clone https://github.com/ykarapazar/word-mcp-live.git
cd word-mcp-live
pip install -e .

Client Installation

<details open> <summary><b>Claude Desktop</b></summary>

Add to your claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "word": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["word-mcp-live"],
      "env": {
        "MCP_AUTHOR": "Your Name",
        "MCP_AUTHOR_INITIALS": "YN"
      }
    }
  }
}

</details> <details> <summary><b>Claude Code</b></summary>

Add to your .mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "word": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["word-mcp-live"],
      "env": {
        "MCP_AUTHOR": "Your Name",
        "MCP_AUTHOR_INITIALS": "YN"
      }
    }
  }
}

</details> <details> <summary><b>Cursor</b></summary>

One-click: Click the install button at the top of this page.

Manual: Add to ~/.cursor/mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "word": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["word-mcp-live"],
      "env": {
        "MCP_AUTHOR": "Your Name",
        "MCP_AUTHOR_INITIALS": "YN"
      }
    }
  }
}

</details> <details> <summary><b>VS Code / Copilot</b></summary>

One-click: Install in VS Code

Manual: Add to your VS Code settings.json:

{
  "mcp": {
    "servers": {
      "word": {
        "command": "uvx",
        "args": ["word-mcp-live"],
        "env": {
          "MCP_AUTHOR": "Your Name",
          "MCP_AUTHOR_INITIALS": "YN"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

</details> <details> <summary><b>Windsurf</b></summary>

Add to ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "word": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["word-mcp-live"],
      "env": {
        "MCP_AUTHOR": "Your Name",
        "MCP_AUTHOR_INITIALS": "YN"
      }
    }
  }
}

</details> <details> <summary><b>OpenAI Codex (CLI, desktop app, IDE)</b></summary>

codex mcp add word --env MCP_AUTHOR="Your Name" -- uvx word-mcp-live

Or add to ~/.codex/config.toml:

[mcp_servers.word]
command = "uvx"
args = ["word-mcp-live"]
startup_timeout_sec = 60
tool_timeout_sec = 120

[mcp_servers.word.env]
MCP_AUTHOR = "Your Name"

In the desktop app: Settings → MCP servers → Add server. On Windows, run Codex natively, not under WSL — live tools need native Windows.

</details> <details> <summary><b>Docker</b></summary>

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "word": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": ["run", "-i", "--rm", "ghcr.io/ykarapazar/word-mcp-live"],
      "env": {
        "MCP_AUTHOR": "Your Name",
        "MCP_AUTHOR_INITIALS": "YN"
      }
    }
  }
}

Note: Docker mode supports cross-platform tools only. Live editing requires a native (non-Docker) install on Windows or macOS with Word running.

</details>

MCP_AUTHOR sets your name on tracked changes and comments (default: "Author"). MCP_AUTHOR_INITIALS sets comment initials.

Two Modes

	Works everywhere	Live editing (Word open)
What it does	Create and edit saved .docx files	Edit documents live while you work in Word
Platform	Windows, macOS, Linux	Windows (COM) and macOS (JXA)
Undo	File-level saves	Per-action Ctrl+Z (Windows); per-operation undo (macOS)
Best for	Batch processing, document generation	Interactive editing, formatting, review

Both modes work together. The AI picks the right one for the task.

macOS Live Editing (New in v1.5.0)

Live tools now work on macOS via JavaScript for Automation (JXA). Same tool names, same parameters — the server detects your platform and uses the right automation backend.

Feature	Windows	macOS
Text read/write/find/replace	COM	JXA
Formatting (bold, font, style)	COM	JXA
Track changes & revisions	COM	JXA
Comments (add, delete, list)	COM	JXA
Tables (add, read, modify rows/cells)	COM	JXA
Page layout, headers, bookmarks	COM	JXA
Table formatting (word_live_format_table)	COM	Not available
Images, multi-paragraph insert	COM	Not available
Equations, cross-references	COM	Not available
Snapshot diff/status, document properties	COM	Not available
Threaded comment replies	COM	Not available
Comment resolve/unresolve	COM	Not available
Undo history inspection	COM	Not available
Watermarks	COM	Not available

Configuration

Variable	Default	Description
MCP_AUTHOR	"Author"	Author name for tracked changes and comments
MCP_AUTHOR_INITIALS	""	Author initials for comments
MCP_TRANSPORT	stdio	Transport type: stdio, sse, or streamable-http
MCP_HOST	0.0.0.0	Host to bind (for SSE/HTTP transports)
MCP_PORT	8000	Port to bind (for SSE/HTTP transports)

For remote deployment, see RENDER_DEPLOYMENT.md.

Example Prompts

Just tell the AI what you want in plain language:

"Draft a contract with tracked changes so my colleague can review"
"Format all headings as Cambria 13pt bold and add automatic numbering"
"Add a comment on paragraph 3 asking about the deadline"
"Find every mention of 'ABC Corp' and replace with 'XYZ Ltd' as a tracked change"
"Set the page to A4 landscape with 2cm margins"
"Insert a table of contents based on the document headings"
"Add page numbers in the footer and our company name in the header"
"Insert a cross-reference to Heading 2 in paragraph 5"

Usage Examples

Example 1: Read a document (cross-platform)

Tool call: get_document_text

{ "filename": "C:/Documents/report.docx" }

Expected output:

{
  "status": "success",
  "paragraphs": [
    {"index": 0, "text": "Quarterly Report", "style": "Heading 1"},
    {"index": 1, "text": "Revenue increased by 15% compared to Q3.", "style": "Normal"},
    {"index": 2, "text": "Key Metrics", "style": "Heading 2"}
  ],
  "total_paragraphs": 3
}

Example 2: Live editing with tracked changes (Windows)

Tool call: word_live_replace_text

{
  "filename": "report.docx",
  "find_text": "ABC Corporation",
  "replace_text": "XYZ Ltd",
  "match_case": true,
  "replace_all": true,
  "track_changes": true
}

Expected output:

{
  "status": "success",
  "replacements": 4,
  "message": "Replaced 4 occurrences (tracked changes enabled)"
}

The replacements appear as tracked changes in Word with strikethrough on "ABC Corporation" and underline on "XYZ Ltd".

Example 3: Add a comment anchored to text (cross-platform)

Tool call: add_comment

{
  "filename": "C:/Documents/contract.docx",
  "target_text": "payment within 30 days",
  "comment_text": "Should we extend this to 45 days?",
  "author": "Jane Smith"
}

Expected output:

{
  "status": "success",
  "message": "Comment added by Jane Smith on 'payment within 30 days'"
}

The comment appears in Word's Review panel, anchored to the specified text.

Tool Reference

120 tools across two modes — see the complete tool reference for details.

Category	Count
Cross-platform (python-docx)	75
Windows Live (COM automation)	45 (44 word_live_* + word_screen_capture)
macOS Live (JXA automation)	32 (of the 45 live tools)

Requirements

• Python 3.11+
• python-docx, fastmcp, msoffcrypto-tool (installed automatically)
• Windows Live tools: Windows 10/11 + Microsoft Word + pywin32 (installed automatically)
• macOS Live tools: macOS + Microsoft Word for Mac (uses built-in JXA — no extra dependencies)

The cross-platform tools work without Word installed — only python-docx is needed.

Contributing

See CONTRIBUTING.md for development setup, code style, and how to add new tools.

Found a bug? Open an issue. Have an idea? Request a feature.

Acknowledgments

Built on top of GongRzhe/Office-Word-MCP-Server by GongRzhe (MIT License).

Additional libraries: python-docx · FastMCP · pywin32

Privacy

This server runs entirely on your local machine. No data is collected, transmitted, or stored. See the full Privacy Policy.

Support

• Bug reports: Open an issue
• Feature requests: Request a feature
• Discussions: GitHub Discussions

License

MIT License — see LICENSE for details.

Star History

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