Filesystem (reference) vs Excel MCP
Both are files & office documents MCP servers, and we ran both through the same test (write read back) in each app. Filesystem (reference) passed 4 of 4 apps we tested it in; Excel MCP passed 3 of 4.
Test results side by side
| Filesystem (reference) | Excel MCP | |
|---|---|---|
| Claude Code | Passed 2026-10-19 | Passed 2026-10-21 |
| Cursor | Passed 2026-10-19 | Passed 2026-10-21 |
| Claude Desktop | Passed 2026-10-14 | Passed 2026-10-14 |
| ChatGPT (Codex) | Passed 2026-10-20 | Failed 2026-10-21 |
| Tools exposed (protocol check) | 14 tools | 42 tools |
| GitHub stars | 91,266 (shared repo) | 4,241 |
| License | NOASSERTION | MIT |
| Last push | 2026-10-13 | 2026-10-10 |
Results from our own harness runs, dated per cell. Stars and last push from GitHub at our last data refresh. We don’t pick a winner here: which one fits depends on your app and setup.
What each does
Filesystem (reference): Lets the agent read, write, search and move files, limited to the folders you list in the config.
Excel MCP: Create, read and edit Excel workbooks (sheets, formulas, charts) without Excel installed.
