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How to use Microsoft Excel with VS Code

You want Microsoft Excel inside VS Code 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 VS Code 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.

  1. Create an Arcade account

    Sign up and open the dashboard. The free tier is enough to follow this through.

  2. 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.

  3. 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 VS Code

  1. Add the server

    VS Code 1.107.0 or higher. Command Palette → MCP: Add Server… → choose HTTP, paste your gateway URL, and name it something like mcp-arcade.

  2. Start it and authenticate

    Click Start next to the server in mcp.json or under Extensions → MCP Servers - Installed, then approve the Arcade sign-in and consent screens.

  3. Try it out

    Open the chat pane, switch to Agent mode, and ask it to use one of your Microsoft Excel tools.

Full VS Code guide in the docs steps verified 2026-08-13

Try these Excel prompts

VS Code 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.

Ready to actually ship your agent?

Free to start. Ready for enterprise when you are.

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