Skip to content
Get packs

Guide · Agent skill

How to use the OfficeCLI Office Documents agent skill

Updated · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data

The officecli skill teaches an AI agent to create, read, check and modify Word (.docx), Excel (.xlsx) and PowerPoint (.pptx) files through the officecli command-line tool. It is useful for people who want an agent to draft or fix a deck, report or workbook, or to run routine audits across many Office files. After this guide you will know what the skill does, how to install it, how to phrase requests so it triggers, and what safety points to check first.

OfficeCLI Office DocumentsiOfficeAI/OfficeCLI · Apache-2.0

Quick start

  1. 1Download the ZIP. Download the officecli skill ZIP from this page.
  2. 2Unzip into a skills folder. Extract it into ~/.claude/skills/ for all projects, or .claude/skills/ inside one project.
  3. 3Install the binary. Run the install script for your system, then check with officecli --version.
  4. 4Confirm your agent sees the skill. Start a session and check that the skill is listed, or upload the ZIP under Settings → Capabilities → Skills in the Claude apps.
  5. 5Make a backup copy. Copy the Office file you want to change so the original is preserved.
  6. 6Ask for a task in plain language. Name the file and the outcome, such as checking formatting or adding a chart.
  7. 7Review and save. Ask for a view issues or view text check, then run save or close so other programs can read the file.

What is an agent skill and what does this one do?

An agent skill is a folder containing a SKILL.md file that tells an AI agent when and how to use a tool. This skill, named officecli, covers Office documents. Once it is installed and the officecli binary is available, the agent can create blank Office files, add slides, paragraphs, shapes, charts or spreadsheet cells, list document structure, extract text, and check for formatting or content problems.

The tool works without Microsoft Office installed. The skill also tells the agent to run built-in help for command syntax instead of guessing property names.

  • Create .docx, .xlsx and .pptx files from the terminal
  • Read structure with view modes such as outline, stats, issues and text
  • Edit elements by path, for example a paragraph or a spreadsheet cell
  • Export previews as HTML, PNG screenshots, SVG or PDF

Install the officecli skill

Download the skill ZIP from this page and unzip it into one of two places: ~/.claude/skills/ for your user account, or .claude/skills/ inside a project folder. Alternatively, in the Claude apps, go to Settings → Capabilities → Skills and upload the ZIP.

The skill also needs the officecli binary. If it is not already installed, the skill's install step uses the script below. On Windows, the skill uses the PowerShell installer instead. Afterwards, run the version check; if the command is not found, open a new terminal.

  • Requires network access for the install step
  • Optional: the .NET toolchain is only needed if you build from source using dev-install.sh or build.sh
curl -fsSL https://d.officecli.ai/install.sh | bash officecli --version

Trigger the skill with natural requests

You do not need a special command. The skill's description says it applies when you want to create, inspect, check formatting, find issues, add charts, or modify Office documents. Name the file and say what you want done.

Good requests name the file type and the outcome, for example asking the agent to check a report for formatting issues or to add a chart to a workbook. Requests that touch specialised outputs such as fundraising decks, academic papers, financial models, dashboards or Morph animations need their own skill loaded first, according to the skill.

  • "Check report.docx for formatting problems and list them."
  • "Add a title slide to deck.pptx with the text Q4 Report."
  • "Set the header row of data.xlsx to bold and add a total in row 20."

Inspect and check a document

Inspection is the safest place to start because it reads the file. The view command accepts modes such as outline, stats, issues and text. The issues mode can be filtered by type (format, content or structure) and limited to a set number of results.

The get and query commands read specific parts of a file. Use get with a path and --depth to expand children, and add --json for structured output.

  • view modes: outline, stats, issues, text, annotated, html, screenshot, svg, pdf, forms
  • Use --json for machine-readable output
officecli view report.docx issues --type format --limit 20 officecli get report.docx '/body/p[3]' --depth 2 --json

Make edits safely

The skill recommends preferring the higher-level DOM edit layer over raw XML. Commands use paths such as /slide[1] or /Sheet1/A1. Where an element has a stable ID, the path uses that ID rather than a position, which is safer in multi-step workflows because positions shift when items are inserted or deleted.

The tool modifies documents in place. The skill describes a resident mode that keeps files in memory and says to run save or close before a non-officecli program reads the file. Keep a backup of any file you do not want overwritten.

  • Always back up originals before asking for bulk edits
  • Ask the agent to run view issues or view text after changes to confirm the result
  • Run save or close before opening the file in Word, Excel or a Python library
officecli set data.xlsx /Sheet1/A1 --prop value="Name" --prop bold=true officecli close data.xlsx

Safety notes: scripts and network access

This skill runs scripts and uses the network. The install step downloads and runs a script from d.officecli.ai (or a PowerShell installer on Windows), and the skill notes that the binary can also be obtained from GitHub releases. Check that this fits your security policy before you run it. If your policy does not allow installing a downloaded binary through a curl-to-bash script, do not use this skill as published.

Because edits happen in place, run the skill only on copies or files under version control until you have reviewed its changes.

  • Requires the officecli binary and network access for installation
  • Runs scripts during installation
  • Review SECURITY.md and the project README in the source repository before installing
  • Apache-2.0 licence, per the project listing

What people use it for

  • Running a formatting audit across a folder of Word reports using view issues
  • Bulk updating spreadsheet cells or adding totals in Excel workbooks
  • Drafting a PowerPoint deck with slides, text shapes and charts from the terminal
  • Generating report files in a CI job or script and exporting HTML snapshots as artifacts
  • Extracting plain text from documents for review

Frequently asked questions

How do I install the officecli skill?

Download the skill ZIP from this page and unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/ or a project's .claude/skills/ folder. In the Claude apps you can instead upload the ZIP under Settings → Capabilities → Skills. The skill also needs the officecli binary, which its install step fetches using the install script.

Do I need Microsoft Office installed?

No. According to the skill, officecli is a single binary with no dependencies and does not need Office installed. It works directly on .docx, .xlsx and .pptx files.

Is officecli free?

The project is licensed under Apache-2.0, as listed on this page. This page does not give pricing details beyond that, so check the project repository for current terms.

What do I need to run it?

You need the officecli binary, network access for the install step, and optionally the .NET toolchain if you build from source with dev-install.sh or build.sh. The skill runs scripts and uses the network.

Why does the agent say it cannot find officecli?

The skill says that if officecli is still not found after installing, you should open a new terminal and check again with officecli --version. Make sure the install finished without errors.

Will it overwrite my original files?

The tool modifies documents in place, so edits can replace your originals. Keep backups, review changes with view issues or view text, and use save or close deliberately.

New agent skills, repos and AI tools — every week

The best new skills and open-source projects, the fastest-growing repos, and one free prompt. Five minutes to read. Unsubscribe anytime.

Our verdict

Use this skill if you need an agent to create, audit or bulk-edit Word, Excel or PowerPoint files and you are comfortable installing a command-line binary and keeping backups. Pick another option if your security policy blocks curl-to-bash installs or if you need specialised outputs such as financial models, which the skill says require separate skills.

Download the skill