--- name: officecli description: Create, analyze, proofread, and modify Office documents (.docx, .xlsx, .pptx) using the officecli CLI tool. Use when the user wants to create, inspect, check formatting, find issues, add charts, or modify Office documents. --- # officecli AI-friendly CLI for .docx, .xlsx, .pptx. Single binary, no dependencies, no Office installation needed. ## Install If `officecli` is not installed: ```bash # macOS / Linux curl -fsSL https://d.officecli.ai/install.sh | bash # Windows (PowerShell) irm https://d.officecli.ai/install.ps1 | iex ``` Verify with `officecli --version`. If still not found after install, open a new terminal. --- ## Strategy **L1 (read) → L2 (DOM edit) → L3 (raw XML)**. Always prefer higher layers. Add `--json` for structured output. **Before doc work, check Specialized Skills** (bottom of this file). Fundraising decks, academic papers, financial models, dashboards, and Morph animations need their own skill loaded first — `load_skill` once, then proceed. --- ## Help System (IMPORTANT) **When unsure about property names, value formats, or command syntax, ALWAYS run help instead of guessing.** One help query beats guess-fail-retry loops. `officecli help` ≡ `officecli --help`, and `officecli --help` ≡ `officecli help ` — same content. ```bash officecli help # All commands + global options + schema entry points officecli help docx # List all docx elements officecli help docx paragraph # Full schema: properties, aliases, examples, readbacks officecli help docx set paragraph # Verb-filtered: only props usable with `set` officecli help docx paragraph --json # Structured schema (machine-readable) ``` Format aliases: `word`→`docx`, `excel`→`xlsx`, `ppt`/`powerpoint`→`pptx`. Verbs: `add`, `set`, `get`, `query`, `remove`. MCP exposes the same schema via the single `command` string param: `{"command":"help docx paragraph"}` (not a structured `{"format":...,"type":...}` object — the MCP tool has exactly one param, `command`, and passes it through to the CLI verbatim). --- ## Performance: Resident Mode **Every command auto-starts a resident on first access** (60s idle timeout) — file-lock conflicts are automatically avoided. Explicit `open`/`close` is still recommended for longer sessions (12min idle): ```bash officecli open report.docx # explicitly keep in memory officecli set report.docx ... # no file I/O overhead officecli close report.docx # save and release ``` Opt out of auto-start: `OFFICECLI_NO_AUTO_RESIDENT=1`. **Flush only at the non-officecli boundary.** officecli's own reads (`get`/`query`/`view`/`dump`) always see your latest edits, so you never need to save mid-workflow. Run `save` (keeps the resident) or `close` (flush + release) only **before a non-officecli program reads the file** — python-docx/openpyxl, Word, a renderer, delivery/upload. (Idle sessions auto-flush within seconds; `OFFICECLI_RESIDENT_FLUSH=each` makes every mutation flush before returning.) --- ## Quick Start **PPT:** ```bash officecli create slides.pptx officecli add slides.pptx / --type slide --prop title="Q4 Report" --prop background=1A1A2E officecli add slides.pptx '/slide[1]' --type shape --prop text="Revenue grew 25%" --prop x=2cm --prop y=5cm --prop font=Arial --prop size=24 --prop color=FFFFFF ``` **Word:** ```bash officecli create report.docx officecli add report.docx /body --type paragraph --prop text="Executive Summary" --prop style=Heading1 officecli add report.docx /body --type paragraph --prop text="Revenue increased by 25% year-over-year." ``` **Excel:** ```bash officecli create data.xlsx officecli set data.xlsx /Sheet1/A1 --prop value="Name" --prop bold=true officecli set data.xlsx /Sheet1/A2 --prop value="Alice" ``` --- ## L1: Create, Read & Inspect ```bash officecli create # Create blank .docx/.xlsx/.pptx (type from extension) officecli view # outline | stats | issues | text | annotated | html officecli get --depth N # Get a node and its children [--json] officecli query # CSS-like query officecli validate # Validate against OpenXML schema ``` ### view modes | Mode | Description | Useful flags | |------|-------------|-------------| | `outline` | Document structure | | | `stats` | Statistics (pages, words, shapes) | | | `issues` | Formatting/content/structure problems | `--type format\|content\|structure`, `--limit N` | | `text` | Plain text extraction | `--start N --end N`, `--max-lines N` | | `annotated` | Text with formatting annotations | | | `html` | Static HTML snapshot — same renderer as `watch`, no server needed | `--browser`, `--page N` (docx), `--start N --end N` (pptx) | | `screenshot` / `svg` / `pdf` / `forms` | PNG via headless browser / SVG (pptx slide) / PDF via exporter plugin / form-fields JSON via format-handler plugin | `-o`, `--screenshot-width/-height`, pptx `--grid N` | Use `view html` for one-shot snapshots (CI artifacts, archival, diffing); use `watch` when you need live refresh or browser-side click-to-select. ### get Any XML path via element localName. Use `--depth N` to expand children. Add `--json` for structured output. Default text output is grep-friendly: `path (type) "text" key=val key=val ...` ```bash officecli get report.docx '/body/p[3]' --depth 2 --json officecli get slides.pptx '/slide[1]' --depth 1 # list all shapes on slide 1 officecli get data.xlsx '/Sheet1/B2' --json ``` ### Stable ID Addressing Elements with stable IDs return `@attr=value` paths instead of positional indices. Prefer these in multi-step workflows — positional indices shift on insert/delete, stable IDs do not. ``` /slide[1]/shape[@id=550950021] # PPT shape /slide[1]/table[@id=1388430425]/tr[1]/tc[2] # PPT table /body/p[@paraId=1A2B3C4D] # Word paragraph /comments/comment[@commentId=1] # Word comment ``` PPT also accepts `@name=` (e.g. `shape[@name=Title 1]`), with morph `!!` prefix awareness. Elements without stable IDs (slide, run, tr/tc, row) fall back to positional indices. ### query CSS-like selectors: `[attr=value]`, `[attr!=value]`, `[attr~=text]`, `[attr>=value]`, `[attr<=value]`, `:contains("text")`, `:empty`, `:has(formula)`, `:no-alt`. Boolean `and`/`or` supported across `query`/`set`/`remove`: `cell[value>5000 or value<100]`, `cell[(type=Number or type=Date) and value>0]`. Excel row-by-column-name: `Sheet1!row[Salary>5000]`. `set` accepts selectors and Excel-native paths (parity with `get`/`query`). Bare unscoped selectors rejected on `set`/`remove`. ```bash officecli query report.docx 'paragraph[style=Normal] > run[font!=Arial]' officecli query slides.pptx 'shape[fill=FF0000]' ``` --- ## Watch & Interactive Selection Live HTML preview that auto-refreshes on every file change. Browsers can click / shift-click / box-drag to select shapes; the CLI can read the current browser selection and act on it. ```bash officecli watch [--port N] # Start preview server (default port 26315) officecli unwatch # Stop officecli goto # Scroll watching browser(s) to element (docx: p / table / tr / tc) ``` Open the printed `http://localhost:N` URL. Click to select; shift/cmd/ctrl+click to multi-select; drag from empty space to box-select. PPT/Word use blue outline; Excel uses native-style green selection (double-click cell to edit inline; drag a chart to reposition). ### `get selected` — read what the user clicked ```bash officecli get selected [--json] ``` Returns DocumentNodes for whatever is currently selected. Empty result if nothing selected. Exit code != 0 if no watch is running. ```bash # User clicks shapes in the browser, then asks "make these red" PATHS=$(officecli get deck.pptx selected --json | jq -r '.data.Results[].path') for p in $PATHS; do officecli set deck.pptx "$p" --prop fill=FF0000; done ``` ### Key properties - **Selection survives file edits.** Paths use stable `@id=` form. - **All connected browsers share one selection.** Last-write-wins. - **Same-file single-watch.** A given file can have only one watch process at a time. - **Group shapes select as a whole.** Drilling into individual children of a group is not supported in v1. - **Coverage:** `.pptx` shapes/pictures/tables/charts/connectors/groups; `.docx` top-level paragraphs and tables. Inherited layout/master decorations and Word nested elements (table cells, run-level) are not addressable. **`.xlsx` does not emit `data-path`** — `mark`/`selection` on xlsx always resolve `stale=true` (v2 candidate). ### Marks — edit proposals waiting for review Use `mark` when changes need human review BEFORE they hit the file. Marks live in the watch process only; a separate `set` pipeline applies accepted ones. For one-shot changes use `set` directly; for permanent file annotations use `add --type comment` (Word native). ```bash officecli mark [--prop find=... color=... note=... tofix=... regex=true] [--json] officecli unmark [--path

| --all] [--json] officecli get-marks [--json] ``` Props: `find` (literal or regex when `regex=true`; raw form `find='r"[abc]"'`), `color` (hex / `rgb(...)` / 22 named whitelist), `note`, `tofix` (drives apply pipeline). **Path** must be `data-path` format from watch HTML — see subskills for full pipeline. --- ## L2: DOM Operations ### set — modify properties ```bash officecli set --prop key=value [--prop ...] ``` **Any XML attribute is settable** via element path (found via `get --depth N`) — even attributes not currently present. Without `find=`, `set` applies format to the entire element. **Value formats:** | Type | Format | Examples | |------|--------|---------| | Colors | Hex (with/without `#`), named, RGB, theme | `FF0000`, `#FF0000`, `red`, `rgb(255,0,0)`, `accent1`..`accent6` | | Spacing | Unit-qualified | `12pt`, `0.5cm`, `1.5x`, `150%` | | Dimensions | EMU or suffixed | `914400`, `2.54cm`, `1in`, `72pt`, `96px` | **Dotted-attr aliases** — `font.` forms accepted on shape/run/paragraph/table/row/cell/section/styles, e.g. `--prop font.color=red --prop font.bold=true --prop font.size=14pt`. Run `officecli help ` for the full list. ### find — format or replace matched text Use top-level `--find` / `--replace` on `set` (and `--find` on `query`). Legacy `--prop find=X` still works but emits a hint. ```bash # Format matched text (auto-splits runs) officecli set doc.docx '/body/p[1]' --find weather --prop bold=true --prop color=red # Regex matching (regex= still a prop flag) officecli set doc.docx '/body/p[1]' --find '\d+%' --prop regex=true --prop color=red # Replace text (use `/` for whole-document scope) officecli set doc.docx / --find draft --replace final # docx: tracked Find&Replace officecli set doc.docx / --find draft --replace final --prop revision.author=Alice # PPT — same syntax, different paths officecli set slides.pptx / --find draft --replace final ``` **Path controls search scope:** `/` = whole document, `/body/p[1]` or `/slide[N]/shape[M]` = specific element, `/header[1]` / `/footer[1]` = headers/footers. **Notes:** - Case-sensitive by default. Case-insensitive: `--prop 'find=(?i)error' --prop regex=true` - Matches work across run boundaries - No match = silent success. `--json` includes `"matched": N` - **Excel:** only `find` + `replace` supported (no find + format props) ### add — add elements or clone ```bash officecli add --type [--prop ...] officecli add --type --after [--prop ...] # insert after anchor officecli add --type --before [--prop ...] # insert before anchor officecli add --type --index N [--prop ...] # 0-based position (legacy) officecli add --from # clone existing element ``` `--after`, `--before`, `--index` are mutually exclusive. No position flag = append to end. **Element types (with aliases):** | Format | Types | |--------|-------| | **pptx** | slide (incl. hidden), shape (font.latin/ea/cs, direction=rtl, underline.color, highlight=COLOR (Add/Set/Get/HTML preview), effective.X+effective.X.src; arrow alias for rightArrow; slideMaster/slideLayout typed add/set/remove), picture (SVG, brightness/contrast/glow/shadow, rotation, link, tooltip), chart (direction=rtl, pieOfPie, barOfPie, axisLine/gridline per-attr setters, animation+chartBuild=byCategory|bySeries, line dropLines/hiLowLines/upDownBars, anchor=x,y,w,h shorthand), table (cell direction=rtl, fill/background, built-in PowerPoint style catalogue, /col[C] get + swap/copyFrom, row/col Move/CopyFrom), row (tr), connector (from/to accept full-path `@name=`/`@id=` forms — bare `@name=Foo` is rejected, must be `/slide[N]/shape[@name=Foo]` — startshape/endshape SetByPath; edge-to-edge anchoring by default, fromSide/toSide to force an edge, fromIdx/toIdx for raw cxn index), group (link, tooltip, deep walk by get/query/add/remove, ungroup=true dissolves back to slide-absolute), align/distribute (targets= accepts shape[@id=N] paths, not just positional), video/audio (loop, autoStart alias), equation, notes (direction=rtl, lang), comment (legacy + modern p188 threaded round-trip), animation (15 emphasis + 16 exit presets, multi-effect chains, motion-path presets, repeat/restart/autoReverse, chart animations), transition (12 p15 presets + morph/p14), paragraph (para), run, zoom, ole (preview=, full dump round-trip via add-part+raw-set), placeholder (phType=...), model3d (rotation=ax,ay,az; full dump round-trip), smartart (dump round-trip via add-part), diagram (add-only mermaid → native shapes or rendered image, `--type diagram`/`flowchart`). | | **docx** | paragraph (direction/font.latin/ea/cs, bold.cs/italic.cs/size.cs, lang.latin/ea/cs, wordWrap, framePr.\*, tabs shorthand), run (lang slots, direction, underline.color, position half-pts, **revision.type=ins\|del\|format\|moveFrom\|moveTo + revision.action=accept\|reject** with .author/.date — bare `@author=`/`@type=` selector on `set /revision[...]` for filtered accept/reject, but `query 'revision[...]'` needs the dotted `revision.author=`/`revision.type=` form; move+revision is run-level paths only, not paragraph-level; **range=START:END** on a paragraph/shape path formats a char span by explicit 0-based half-open offset instead of addressing a run — the offset sibling of find=), table (direction=rtl, hMerge, cantSplit on row/nowrap on cell (both add+set), **virtual column ops**: add/remove/move/copyfrom on /body/tbl[N]/col), row (tr), cell (td), image, header/footer (direction), section (pageNumFmt full enum, direction=rtl, rtlGutter, pgBorders=box), bookmark, comment, footnote, endnote, formfield, sdt, chart, equation, field (28 types), hyperlink, style (direction, indents, pbdr, lineSpacing on Add/Set), toc, watermark, break, ole, **num/abstractNum/lvl**, **tab**, **textbox/shape** (add-mostly — Get returns raw XML preview only, no structured readback; Set is limited to width/height/geometry/fill/line.\*; position is `anchor.x`/`anchor.y` not bare x/y; **textbox-only** `textDirection`/rotation/gradient/shadow — docx shape itself has neither rotation nor gradient), embedded **OLE round-trip on dump→batch**, **diagram** (add-only mermaid → native shapes or rendered image, `--type diagram`/`flowchart`, no x/y at add-time — reposition via `set /body/group[N]`). docDefaults.rtl, autoHyphenation, `get /` exposes locale + /comments /footnotes /endnotes. `create --minimal` for raw OOXML scaffolding. | | **xlsx** | sheet (visible/hidden/veryHidden, print margins, printTitleRows/Cols, rightToLeft sheetView, cascade-aware rename), row (c{N}= cell-content shorthand; add accepts --from /Sheet/col[L]; formula-ref rewrite on insert), col (formula-ref rewrite, named-range follow on move), cell (type=richtext+runs, merge=range/sweep, direction=rtl, phonetic; **--shift left\|up on remove, shift=right\|down on add** — Excel UI dialog parity; formula auto-detect; OFFSET/INDIRECT in calc), chart (per-axis RTL/title, anchor=x,y,w,h, pareto), image (SVG), comment (direction=rtl), table (listobject), namedrange (definedname, volatile, `[@name=X]`; formula-body inlined at parse), pivottable (cache CoW + cross-pivot sharing, labelFilter=field:type:value add-time-only, topN=integer add-time-only, fillDownLabels is an alias of repeatLabels not a separate feature, calculatedField), sparkline, validation, autofilter, shape, textbox, CF (databar/colorscale/iconset/formulacf/cellIs/topN/aboveAverage), ole, csv. Query supports `merge`/`mergedrange`. Workbook: password. Shape selector enumerates leaves inside grpSp. | ### Pivot tables (xlsx) ```bash officecli add data.xlsx /Sheet1 --type pivottable \ --prop source="Sheet1!A1:E100" --prop rows=Region,Category \ --prop cols=Year --prop values="Sales:sum,Qty:count" \ --prop grandTotals=rows --prop subtotals=off --prop sort=asc ``` Key props: `rows`, `cols`, `values` (Field:func[:showDataAs]), `filters`, `source`, `position`, `layout` (compact/outline/tabular), `repeatLabels`, `blankRows`, `aggregate`, `showDataAs` (percent_of_total/row/col, running_total), `grandTotals`, `subtotals`, `sort`. Aggregators: sum, count, average, max, min, product, stdDev, stdDevp, var, varp, countNums. Date columns auto-group. Run `officecli help xlsx pivottable` for full schema. ### Document-level properties (all formats) ```bash officecli set doc.docx / --prop docDefaults.font=Arial --prop docDefaults.fontSize=11pt officecli set doc.docx / --prop protection=forms --prop evenAndOddHeaders=true officecli set data.xlsx / --prop calc.mode=manual --prop calc.refMode=r1c1 officecli set slides.pptx / --prop defaultFont=Arial --prop show.loop=true --prop print.what=handouts ``` Run `officecli help /` for all document-level properties (docDefaults, docGrid, CJK spacing, calc, print, show, theme, extended). ### Sort (xlsx) ```bash officecli set data.xlsx /Sheet1 --prop sort="C desc" --prop sortHeader=true officecli set data.xlsx '/Sheet1/A1:D100' --prop sort="A asc" --prop sortHeader=true ``` Format: `COL DIR[, COL DIR ...]`. Rejects ranges with merged cells or formulas. Sidecar metadata (hyperlinks, comments, conditional formatting, drawings) follows rows automatically. ### Text-anchored insert (`--after find:X` / `--before find:X`) Locate an insertion point by text match within a paragraph. Inline types (run, picture, hyperlink) insert within the paragraph; block types (table, paragraph) auto-split it. PPT only supports inline. ```bash # Word: inline run after matched text officecli add doc.docx '/body/p[1]' --type run --after find:weather --prop text=" (sunny)" # Word: block table after matched text (auto-splits paragraph) officecli add doc.docx '/body/p[1]' --type table --after "find:First sentence." --prop rows=2 --prop cols=2 ``` ### Clone `officecli add / --from '/slide[1]'` — copies with all cross-part relationships. ### move, swap, remove ```bash officecli move [--to ] [--index N] [--after ] [--before ] officecli swap officecli remove '/body/p[4]' ``` When using `--after` or `--before`, `--to` can be omitted — the target container is inferred from the anchor. ### batch — multiple operations in one save cycle **Atomic by default (v1.0.137+):** every item still runs and is reported (so `N succeeded, M failed` stays meaningful and every failure surfaces), but if *any* item fails the whole batch rolls back — the file on disk is left byte-identical to before the batch ran (confirmed live in both standalone and resident mode). Use `--best-effort` to restore the old apply-what-succeeds behavior (useful for lossy `dump→batch` replays where losing the whole thing over one unsupported item is worse than a partial result). `--stop-on-error` only changes how early the run stops (remaining items are `skipped`), not whether what ran gets kept — combine it with `--best-effort` if you want "stop at first failure but keep what already succeeded." `--force` is unrelated — it's only the docx-protection bypass. Failed items carry a machine-readable `code` field (same list as `error.code`); a rolled-back batch's JSON summary carries `"atomicRolledBack": true`. `officecli dump []` emits a replayable batch JSON for round-trip — `.docx` (full coverage), `.pptx` (text/tables/pictures/charts/notes/theme + OLE/3D/video/audio/SmartArt/morph/p15 transitions via raw-set passthrough), and `.xlsx` (cells/formulas/styles + tables, conditional formatting, validations, comments, charts, sparklines, pictures, shapes, pivot tables; slicers/chartEx/OLE via verbatim carrier). Path defaults to `/` (whole document); pass a subtree path (docx: `/body`, `/body/p[N]`, `/body/tbl[N]`, `/theme`, `/settings`, `/numbering`, `/styles`; xlsx: `/SheetName`, `/sheet[N]`) to scope the dump. `officecli refresh ` recalculates TOC page numbers / PAGE / cross-references after replay (Word backend on Windows; headless-HTML fallback elsewhere). `officecli plugins list` extends support to `.doc`, `.hwpx`, `.pdf` export. ```bash echo '[ {"command":"set","path":"/Sheet1/A1","props":{"value":"Name","bold":"true"}}, {"command":"set","path":"/Sheet1/B1","props":{"value":"Score","bold":"true"}} ]' | officecli batch data.xlsx --json officecli batch data.xlsx --commands '[{"op":"set","path":"/Sheet1/A1","props":{"value":"Done"}}]' --json officecli batch data.xlsx --input updates.json --best-effort --json # keep whatever succeeds even if some items fail ``` Supports: `add`, `set`, `get`, `query`, `remove`, `move`, `swap`, `view`, `raw`, `raw-set`, `validate`. Fields: `command` (or `op`), `path`, `parent`, `type`, `from`, `to`, `index`, `after`, `before`, `props`, `selector`, `mode`, `depth`, `part`, `xpath`, `action`, `xml`. --- ## L3: Raw XML Use when L2 cannot express what you need. No xmlns declarations needed — prefixes auto-registered. ```bash officecli raw # view raw XML officecli raw-set --xpath "..." --action replace --xml '...' officecli add-part # create new document part (returns rId) ``` `raw-set` actions: `append`, `prepend`, `insertbefore`, `insertafter`, `replace`, `remove`, `setattr`. Run `officecli help raw` for available parts. --- ## Common Pitfalls | Pitfall | Correct Approach | |---------|-----------------| | `--name "foo"` | Use `--prop name="foo"` — all attributes go through `--prop` | | Unquoted `[N]` paths in zsh/bash | Always quote: `'/slide[1]'` or `"/slide[1]"` (shell glob-expands brackets) | | PPT `shape[1]` for content | `shape[1]` is typically the title placeholder. Use `shape[2]+` for content shapes | | `/shape[myname]` | Name indexing not supported. Use numeric index or `@name=` (PPT only) | | Guessing property names | Run `officecli help ` to see exact names | | Modifying an open file | Close the file in PowerPoint/WPS first | | `\n` in shell strings | Use `\\n` for newlines in `--prop text="..."` | | `$` in shell text | `--prop text="$15M"` strips `$15`. Use single quotes: `--prop text='$15M'`, or heredoc batch | --- ## Specialized Skills `officecli load_skill ` — output is a SKILL.md, follow its rules. **Loading rule**: - Pick the most specific match in "When to use"; if none fits, load the format default (`word` / `pptx` / `excel`). - Scenes already contain the format default's rules — load **one** skill per artifact, never stack. - Loaded rules persist across turns; don't re-load each reply. - Two distinct artifacts → two separate loads. ### Word (.docx) | Name | When to use | |------|-------------| | `word` | Reports, letters, memos, proposals, generic documents | | `academic-paper` | Journal / conference / thesis: APA / Chicago / IEEE / MLA citations, equations, SEQ + PAGEREF cross-refs, multi-column journal layout, bibliography. NOT for business reports or letters (route those to `word`) | ### PowerPoint (.pptx) | Name | When to use | |------|-------------| | `pptx` | Generic decks: board reviews, sales decks, all-hands, product launches | | `pitch-deck` | **Fundraising only** — seed / Series A-C / SAFE / convertible / strategic raise. NOT for sales / product / board decks (route those to `pptx`) | | `morph-ppt` | Cinematic Morph-animated presentations. NOT for static decks (route those to `pptx`) | | `morph-ppt-3d` | 3D Morph: GLB models, camera moves, depth. NOT for 2D-only Morph (route those to `morph-ppt`) | ### Excel (.xlsx) | Name | When to use | |------|-------------| | `excel` | Generic workbooks, formulas, pivots, trackers | | `financial-model` | Financial models, scenarios, projections. NOT for general data analysis (route those to `excel`) | | `data-dashboard` | CSV/tabular data → KPI / analytics / executive dashboards with charts and sparklines. NOT for raw data tracking (route those to `excel`) | Example: a fundraising deck task → `officecli load_skill pitch-deck` → use the printed rules. --- ## Notes - Paths are **1-based** (XPath convention): `'/body/p[3]'` = third paragraph - `--index` is **0-based** (array convention): `--index 0` = first position - **Excel exception**: for `add --type row` and `add --type col`, `--index N` is **1-based** (matches OOXML RowIndex / column letter index). `--index 5` inserts at row 5 / column 5. - After modifications, verify with `validate` and/or `view issues` - **When unsure**, run `officecli help ` instead of guessing