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Claude Code · Claude Cowork · ChatGPT Work · Claude in Excel & PowerPoint

Desktop AI that does the actual work, not just chat: run code, pull data, analyze, build reports and decks. Cowork apps (Claude Cowork, ChatGPT Work), Claude in Excel and PowerPoint, and Claude Code. Mostly Claude in my case, same playbook for any. By a practitioner, free and open.

20+Guides & analyses
5PDF playbooks
7MCP servers
OpenFree, no login
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Top Claude guides

The most-referenced playbooks for driving Excel, PowerPoint and your data with Claude. Most are downloadable PDF decks.

Claude in Excel: build models, dashboards and reports

What Claude actually does once it is inside a spreadsheet - real, one-shot builds from a practitioner's sheet, not demos.

The working guides: Excel, PowerPoint, what works

The how-to playbooks - Excel and PowerPoint tips, an honest "is it worth it", and how Claude in Excel stacks up against Python-in-Excel.

Pull live data into Excel: databases and quant metrics over MCP

Connect Claude in Excel to your databases and analytics backends over MCP, so numbers come straight into the sheet - no copy-paste, no export dance. Start with the setup guide.

Connect Claude to your data: MCP servers and APIs

Claude does not just work on the sheet in front of it - it can pull your live data in. There are two ways, and Claude Cowork opens a second door that Claude in Excel does not have.

  • Claude in Excel connects to an MCP server, through the MCP connector. Point it at a server and it can query your data from inside the sheet.
  • Claude Cowork can use an MCP server too, and because it can reach the internet it can also call an API endpoint directly. That opens the whole API hub to it.
  • The MCP connector is open source. Use mine, or if you would rather not route through someone else, deploy your own in a few minutes.
  • Most of the servers and their code are open source. The full endpoints, setup and links live on the hub.

Beyond Excel: Claude as a universal agent

Excel is one front end. The same Claude drives PowerPoint, files, databases, coding and analysis from one place - Cowork and Claude Code. Lighter reading, and the research behind why it works.

See it for real: files built with Claude in Excel

Actual workbooks Claude built or analyzed. Open them and look at the formulas, charts and models yourself. Best opened in Google Sheets, or download to Excel.

Official docs and resources (Anthropic / Claude)

Straight from Anthropic - the official setup and best-practice pages for Claude in Excel, PowerPoint and Cowork.

FAQ

Short answers. Each one points to a guide or resource if you want to go deeper.

What can connect to Claude, and what cannot?
Claude in Excel connects to MCP servers only, through the MCP connector. Claude Cowork can use an MCP server and can also call an API endpoint directly, because it can reach the internet. So Cowork opens up the whole API hub, not just the MCP ones. See how to connect →
Is Claude in Excel free?
Claude for Excel is an Anthropic add-in and needs a paid Claude plan (Pro, Max, Team or Enterprise). Everything on this site - the guides, tools, data APIs and MCP servers - is free. Official setup →
How do I connect Claude in Excel to my own database?
Point Claude at an MCP server that fronts your database. The step-by-step is in the MCP guide, and the Database MCP is open source so you can host your own. MCP guide for Claude in Excel →
How do I deploy my own MCP server?
An MCP server is just an endpoint you host. Mine are open source - clone one, deploy it, and point Claude at your URL. That way nothing routes through a third party. Browse the servers and code →
Claude in Excel or Python in Excel (xlwings Lite) - which one?
Claude in Excel is best when you want the AI to drive the sheet. Python in Excel (xlwings Lite) is best when you want to write the Python yourself. They are different tools for different moods; the comparison post lays it out. Claude vs xlwings Lite →
Does it work in PowerPoint too?
Yes. Claude for PowerPoint builds and edits slides in your template, and it can carry results from Excel into a deck. The 26-tips guide covers both. Excel and PowerPoint - 26 tips →

Security, and all the apps

The security side of running AI-coded apps, and the full app directory.