OfficeCLI Skill Skill | Agent Skills

Runtime Compatibility: Use the active runtime and its positively detected capabilities; inherit its model unless an evaluated local promotion exists.

OfficeCLI Skill

Use this skill when the user requests a PowerPoint deck, Word document, Excel spreadsheet, or any Office format export. OfficeCLI is a single-binary CLI that creates and edits .pptx, .docx, and .xlsx files — no Microsoft Office installation required.

Quick Path

Verify install: officecli --version; if missing, run the install script from Prerequisites.
Create the file: officecli create deck.pptx (or .docx / .xlsx).
Add elements with officecli add <file> <path> --type <type> --prop key=value — all attributes go through --prop, paths are 1-based and single-quoted, --index is 0-based.
For 3+ operations use officecli batch <file> --commands '<json>' --json for atomic multi-op writes.
Validate with officecli validate <file> and inspect structure via officecli view <file> outline.

Go deeper into the PowerPoint/Word/Excel workflow sections for element recipes, Common Pitfalls before debugging property errors, and Specialized Sub-Skills for pitch decks, academic papers, or data dashboards.

Prerequisites

Verify OfficeCLI is installed:

officecli --version

If not installed, run:

# Windows
irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/main/install.ps1 | iex

# macOS / Linux
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/main/install.sh | bash

Core Commands

| Command | Purpose | |---------|---------| | officecli create <file> | Create a blank document | | officecli add <file> <path> --type <type> --prop key=value | Add elements | | officecli set <file> <path> --prop key=value | Modify properties | | officecli get <file> <path> [--json] | Read element properties | | officecli view <file> outline | View document structure | | officecli view <file> html | Preview in browser | | officecli batch <file> --commands '<json>' | Multi-op atomic writes | | officecli remove <file> <path> | Delete elements | | officecli validate <file> | Check document integrity | | officecli watch <file> | Live preview (auto-refresh) |

Key Rules

All attributes use --prop — never --name "foo", always --prop name="foo"
Paths are 1-based — /slide[1] = first slide, /body/p[3] = third paragraph
Single-quote paths in shell — '/slide[1]/shape[2]' to avoid glob expansion
--index is 0-based — --index 0 = first position (for add/move)
PPT shape[1] is usually the title — content shapes start at shape[2]
Use officecli <format> set <element> when unsure about property names

PowerPoint Workflow

Create a Presentation from Content

# 1. Create blank deck
officecli create deck.pptx

# 2. Add title slide
officecli add deck.pptx / --type slide --prop title="Q4 Revenue Report" --prop background=1A1A2E

# 3. Add content shapes to slide 1
officecli add deck.pptx '/slide[1]' --type shape \
  --prop text="Revenue grew 25% YoY" \
  --prop x=2cm --prop y=5cm --prop w=20cm --prop h=3cm \
  --prop font=Arial --prop size=28 --prop color=FFFFFF

# 4. Add a second slide with a table
officecli add deck.pptx / --type slide --prop title="Breakdown"
officecli add deck.pptx '/slide[2]' --type table \
  --prop rows=4 --prop cols=3 \
  --prop x=2cm --prop y=4cm --prop w=22cm --prop h=10cm

# 5. Populate table cells
officecli set deck.pptx '/slide[2]/table[1]/row[1]/cell[1]' --prop text="Region" --prop bold=true
officecli set deck.pptx '/slide[2]/table[1]/row[1]/cell[2]' --prop text="Revenue" --prop bold=true
officecli set deck.pptx '/slide[2]/table[1]/row[1]/cell[3]' --prop text="Growth" --prop bold=true

# 6. Add image to a slide
officecli add deck.pptx '/slide[1]' --type picture \
  --prop file=logo.png --prop x=22cm --prop y=1cm --prop w=4cm --prop h=4cm

# 7. Validate
officecli validate deck.pptx

Batch Mode (Recommended for 3+ Operations)

officecli batch deck.pptx --commands '[
  {"command":"add","parent":"/","type":"slide","props":{"title":"Slide 3","background":"2D2D44"}},
  {"command":"add","parent":"/slide[3]","type":"shape","props":{"text":"Key Takeaways","x":"2cm","y":"3cm","w":"22cm","h":"2cm","font":"Arial","size":"32","bold":"true","color":"FFFFFF"}},
  {"command":"add","parent":"/slide[3]","type":"shape","props":{"text":"• Metric A up 15%\n• Metric B steady\n• Metric C needs attention","x":"2cm","y":"6cm","w":"22cm","h":"10cm","font":"Arial","size":"20","color":"E0E0E0"}}
]' --json

Word Document Workflow

Create a Report

# 1. Create blank document
officecli create report.docx

# 2. Set document defaults
officecli set report.docx / --prop docDefaults.font=Arial --prop docDefaults.fontSize=11pt

# 3. Add title
officecli add report.docx / --type paragraph \
  --prop text="Quarterly Business Review" --prop style=Heading1

# 4. Add body paragraphs
officecli add report.docx / --type paragraph \
  --prop text="This report covers Q4 performance metrics and strategic outlook."

# 5. Add a table
officecli add report.docx / --type table --prop rows=3 --prop cols=2

# 6. Populate table
officecli set report.docx '/body/table[1]/row[1]/cell[1]' --prop text="Metric" --prop bold=true
officecli set report.docx '/body/table[1]/row[1]/cell[2]' --prop text="Value" --prop bold=true

# 7. Add image
officecli add report.docx / --type image --prop file=chart.png --prop w=15cm

# 8. Validate
officecli validate report.docx

Excel Workflow

Create a Tracker/Dashboard

# 1. Create blank workbook
officecli create tracker.xlsx

# 2. Set header row
officecli batch tracker.xlsx --commands '[
  {"command":"set","path":"/Sheet1/A1","props":{"value":"Task","bold":"true","fill":"1A1A2E","color":"FFFFFF"}},
  {"command":"set","path":"/Sheet1/B1","props":{"value":"Owner","bold":"true","fill":"1A1A2E","color":"FFFFFF"}},
  {"command":"set","path":"/Sheet1/C1","props":{"value":"Status","bold":"true","fill":"1A1A2E","color":"FFFFFF"}},
  {"command":"set","path":"/Sheet1/D1","props":{"value":"Due Date","bold":"true","fill":"1A1A2E","color":"FFFFFF"}}
]' --json

# 3. Add data rows
officecli set tracker.xlsx '/Sheet1/A2' --prop value="Launch feature X"
officecli set tracker.xlsx '/Sheet1/B2' --prop value="Alice"
officecli set tracker.xlsx '/Sheet1/C2' --prop value="In Progress"

# 4. Add formulas
officecli set tracker.xlsx '/Sheet1/E1' --prop value="=COUNTA(A2:A100)" --prop bold=true

# 5. Add chart
officecli add tracker.xlsx /Sheet1 --type chart \
  --prop type=bar --prop source="Sheet1!A1:D10" \
  --prop x=6 --prop y=12 --prop w=10 --prop h=8

# 6. Validate
officecli validate tracker.xlsx

Common Pitfalls

| Pitfall | Fix | |---------|-----| | --name "foo" | Use --prop name="foo" — all attributes go through --prop | | Negative coordinates x=-3cm | Not supported. Use x=0cm minimum | | PPT shape[1] for content | shape[1] is usually the title placeholder. Use shape[2]+ | | Guessing property names | Run officecli <format> set <element> to see exact names | | Editing an open file | Close the file in Office/WPS first | | \n in shell strings | Use \\n for newlines in --prop text="..." | | Unquoted paths | Always single-quote: '/slide[1]' to prevent shell glob |

Full Reference

For the complete command reference (L1/L2/L3 layers, pivot tables, raw XML, MCP server, specialized sub-skills):

curl -fsSL https://officecli.ai/SKILL.md

Or see the cached reference at .agent/skills/office-cli/references/upstream-SKILL.md.

Specialized Sub-Skills

For complex scenarios, OfficeCLI provides dedicated skill files:

| Skill | Use Case | |-------|----------| | officecli-pptx | General slide decks | | officecli-pitch-deck | Investor/sales pitch decks with charts | | morph-ppt | Morph-animated cinematic presentations | | officecli-docx | Word reports, letters, memos | | officecli-academic-paper | Academic papers with TOC, equations, bibliography | | officecli-xlsx | Financial models, trackers, formulas | | officecli-data-dashboard | CSV/data → Excel dashboards with charts |

Load these with: curl -fsSL https://officecli.ai/skills/<name>/SKILL.md

Agent Skills: OfficeCLI Skill

Install this agent skill to your local

Skill Files