word-mcp-live

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

Live editing · Tracked changes · Per-action undo · 114 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.

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.
• 114 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

Claude Desktop

Add to your claude_desktop_config.json:

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

Claude Code

Add to your .mcp.json:

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

Cursor

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"
      }
    }
  }
}

VS Code / Copilot

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"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Windsurf

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

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

Docker

{
  "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	Windows with Word open
What it does	Create and edit saved .docx files	Edit documents live while you work in Word
Platform	Windows, macOS, Linux	Windows only
Undo	File-level saves	Per-action Ctrl+Z
Best for	Batch processing, document generation	Interactive editing, formatting, review

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

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

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

Category	Count
Cross-platform (python-docx)	75
Windows Live (COM automation)	39

Requirements

• Python 3.11+
• python-docx, fastmcp, msoffcrypto-tool (installed automatically)
• Windows Live tools only: Windows 10/11 + Microsoft Word + pywin32

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.

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