PPT_MCP_Server

This MCP server provides PowerPoint automation capabilities that Claude Desktop can invoke through the Model Control Protocol (MCP). It exposes functions to create, open, close, and manage PowerPoint presentations, including adding slides, inserting text boxes, updating slide content, and retrieving slide information. The server is designed to run on Windows with PowerPoint installed and communicates with Claude Desktop so that Claude can orchestrate PowerPoint tasks as part of automated workflows. After starting the MCP server, Claude can issue commands like creating a new presentation, adding slides with specific layouts, inserting and updating text, or saving a presentation to disk. The available functions map directly to common PowerPoint automation needs, enabling scripted PowerPoint workflows in Claude without manual GUI interaction.

Prerequisites:

• Windows with Microsoft PowerPoint installed
• Python 3.7+ (or a compatible Python environment)
• Claude Desktop client
• Internet access to fetch dependencies

Installation steps:

1. Clone the repository or pull the latest changes: git clone https://github.com/socamalo/PPT_MCP_Server.git cd PPT_MCP_Server

2. Install dependencies (using uv for Python MCP server): uv add fastmcp pywin32

3. Verify Python environment and PowerPoint availability:

   • Ensure Python can access COM automation for PowerPoint (pywin32)
   • Ensure PowerPoint is installed and accessible from the user running the server

4. Start/configure the MCP server via Claude Desktop (as described in the configuration section of this README):

   • Alternatively, run the server in your environment using the recommended MCP runner configuration.

Note: The exact invocation may vary depending on your environment. The project notes indicate using uvx to pull and run the MCP server from the repository.

Tips and common issues:

• This server relies on Windows COM automation to control PowerPoint via pywin32. It will open PowerPoint visibly during operations. Ensure there are no permission or UAC restrictions blocking COM automation.
• If PowerPoint is not responding, try restarting PowerPoint or the MCP server process.
• When configuring Claude Desktop, the mcpServers entry should point to the Python-based MCP server runner (uvx). Make sure the paths in the configuration reflect your local environment.
• If you migrate to a virtual environment, adjust the Python executable path in Claude Desktop accordingly (as shown in the sample configuration).
• Supported operations include creating presentations, adding slides, inserting text boxes, updating text, saving, and closing presentations, among others exposed by the server.
• Ensure the required Python packages (fastmcp, pywin32) are installed in the active environment where the MCP server will run.