word-mcp-live

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

Live editing · Tracked changes · Per-action undo · 124 tools · Cross-platform

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.

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

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

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.
• 124 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

Add to your claude_desktop_config.json:

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

Add to your .mcp.json:

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

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"
      }
    }
  }
}

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"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

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

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

{
  "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 Windows install.

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 (read, write, add rows) | COM | JXA | | Page layout, headers, bookmarks | COM | JXA | | Equations, cross-references | COM | JXA | | 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

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

| Category | Count | |----------|-------| | Cross-platform (python-docx) | 80 | | Windows Live (COM automation) | 44 | | macOS Live (JXA automation) | 40 (of the 44 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](https://gi