Office PowerPoint MCP Server

Common errors

• ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'office_powerpoint_mcp_server'

  cause The `office-powerpoint-mcp-server` package is not installed in the active Python environment, or the environment is not correctly activated.
  fix Ensure the package is installed by running `pip install office-powerpoint-mcp-server`. If using a virtual environment, activate it before running the command.

• OSError: [Errno 98] Address already in use

  cause Another process is already using the specified host and port (default: 127.0.0.1:5000) that the server is attempting to bind to.
  fix Change the port by running `python -m office_powerpoint_mcp_server --port <ANOTHER_PORT>` (e.g., 5001), or identify and terminate the process currently occupying the port.

• HTTP 400 Bad Request (and server logs showing KeyError: 'filename' or similar)

  cause The JSON payload sent to an API endpoint is missing a required key (e.g., 'filename', 'text') or has an incorrect structure, as defined by the server's expected input for that endpoint.
  fix Consult the `app.py` source code on GitHub (specifically the route definitions) to understand the exact expected JSON structure and required keys for the endpoint you are calling. Ensure your client sends all necessary parameters with correct keys.

Warnings

• gotcha The server does not include any built-in authentication or authorization mechanisms. Exposing it on a public network without additional security measures (e.g., reverse proxy with auth) can lead to unauthorized PowerPoint file manipulation.
  Fix: Implement a reverse proxy with authentication/authorization (e.g., Nginx, Caddy) in front of the server, or ensure it's only accessible on a trusted local network.
• breaking While no explicit changelog exists, upgrading from `1.x` to `2.x` might introduce changes to API endpoint paths or expected JSON payload structures. Always test upgrades thoroughly.
  Fix: Review the source code on GitHub for `app.py` (specifically route definitions) or test API endpoints against your client code after upgrading. If available, consult release notes on PyPI or GitHub.
• gotcha The default port (5000) might conflict with other applications (e.g., Flask development servers, common services). If the server fails to start, check for port conflicts.
  Fix: Specify a different port using `python -m office_powerpoint_mcp_server --port <new_port>` (e.g., 5001) when starting the server, or configure your environment to use an available port.

Install

• pip install office-powerpoint-mcp-server Install stable version

Imports

• app

  from office_powerpoint_mcp_server import app

  This import is primarily for embedding or programmatically running the Flask application within another Python script. Most users will run the server via `python -m office_powerpoint_mcp_server`.

Quickstart

This example demonstrates how to start the `office-powerpoint-mcp-server` programmatically using `subprocess`, verify its reachability, and then stop it. In a typical use case, you would run the server in a separate process or container and then interact with its HTTP API endpoints using a client library (e.g., `requests`) or `curl`.

import subprocess
import time
import requests

print("Starting Office PowerPoint MCP Server...")
# Use a non-default port to reduce conflict chances for example
server_process = subprocess.Popen(['python', '-m', 'office_powerpoint_mcp_server', '--host', '127.0.0.1', '--port', '5001'])

server_url = "http://127.0.0.1:5001"

try:
    print(f"Server started. Waiting 5 seconds to ensure it's up on {server_url}...")
    time.sleep(5) # Give the server time to start
    
    # Test if the server is reachable
    try:
        response = requests.get(server_url)
        response.raise_for_status() # Raise an HTTPError for bad responses (4xx or 5xx)
        print(f"Server is reachable! Response: {response.text}")
    except requests.exceptions.ConnectionError:
        print("Error: Could not connect to the server. It might not have started correctly.")
    except requests.exceptions.RequestException as e:
        print(f"An unexpected error occurred: {e}")
        
    print(f"You can now send HTTP requests to its API endpoints, e.g., POST to {server_url}/open or {server_url}/save")
    print("To stop the server, interrupt this script (Ctrl+C).")
    # In a real scenario, you'd make various HTTP requests here to manipulate PowerPoint files.
    input("Press Enter to stop the server...") # Keep process alive until user input
finally:
    print("Stopping server...")
    server_process.terminate()
    server_process.wait()
    print("Server stopped.")