Cursor

How to use Microsoft Excel with Cursor

You want Microsoft Excel inside Cursor so it can audit workbook data quality, summarize operational spreadsheets, review spreadsheet comments, and update and save a workbook — without you copy-pasting between tabs. Here is the whole setup, once.

Create your Microsoft Excel gateway

The gateway is the thing Cursor connects to, and it is where you decide which Microsoft Excel tools an agent may use. You create it once and every client reuses it.

Create an Arcade account

Sign up and open the dashboard. The free tier is enough to follow this through.
Create an MCP Gateway and select your Microsoft Excel tools

In the dashboard, create a gateway and pick the Microsoft Excel tools you want to expose. The gateway is what your client connects to, and it is where tool access is decided.
Copy your gateway URL

Every client below needs it.
```
https://api.arcade.dev/mcp/<YOUR-GATEWAY-SLUG>
```

Create a Microsoft Excel gateway Opens the gateway builder in your Arcade dashboard.

Connect the gateway to Cursor

Heads up

Cursor does not refresh MCP OAuth tokens automatically. For a persistent connection, set Authorization to “Arcade Headers” on the gateway in the dashboard.

Open MCP settings

Command Palette (⌘⇧P / Ctrl+Shift+P) → Open MCP Settings, then click “New MCP Server”.

Add the gateway to mcpServers

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-arcade": {
      "url": "https://api.arcade.dev/mcp/<YOUR-GATEWAY-SLUG>"
    }
  }
}

Try it out

Ask Cursor to use one of your Microsoft Excel tools.

Full Cursor guide in the docs steps verified 2026-08-13

Try these Excel prompts

Cursor can now act on your Microsoft Excel account. Click a prompt to copy it.

Use Contextual Access policies to limit an agent to reading workbook data or require approval before it changes a cell, deletes a worksheet, or uploads a complete workbook.

How to use Microsoft Excel with Cursor

Create your Microsoft Excel gateway

Create an Arcade account

Create an MCP Gateway and select your Microsoft Excel tools

Copy your gateway URL

Connect the gateway to Cursor

Open MCP settings

Add the gateway to mcpServers

Try it out

Try these Excel prompts

Ready to actually ship your agent?