IWork Studio

What iWork Studio MCP server does

The iWork Studio MCP server gives MCP clients access to Numbers, Keynote, and Pages files on a Mac. It can inspect workbook sheets, tables, cells, formulas, formatting, slides, notes, layouts, themes, charts, Pages body text, placeholders, and tables. It also supports creating files from data, CSV input, templates, themes, outlines, or existing documents.

For Numbers, capabilities include editing cells and formulas, recalculating, adding or removing rows and columns, creating sheets and tables, sorting, formatting values, applying design kits, and adjusting widths, heights, borders, fills, alignment, wrapping, currencies, percentages, dates, and decimals. Keynote operations cover slide text, bullets, notes, images, charts, tables, layouts, themes, transitions, slide order, visibility, and presentation controls. Pages operations include replacing text, filling placeholders, editing table cells, and exporting documents.

The iWork Studio MCP server also supports Arabic and right-to-left text round-trips. Keynote files can be checked as rendered output for overflow, overlaps, unexpectedly reduced text, small text, and crowded slides.

How it works

The server runs through uvx and exposes MCP tools to a compatible client. Operations that do not need an Apple application use Python, including some Numbers creation and editing actions. Other capabilities control the logged-in Numbers, Keynote, or Pages application on macOS, using either classic iWork or Creator Studio apps.

Before changing a file, the server can preview the operation with dry_run. Write operations use a backup, modify a copy, reread and compare the result, and then perform an atomic replacement. A later undo can restore the previous version. The toolset also includes file metadata, previews and thumbnails, backup listing, Spotlight search, and checks for visible words, fonts, sizes, and colors.

Setup and configuration

On macOS, Claude Desktop users can install the release .mcpb package or run the project’s installation script. Claude Code can add the tools as a plugin or register the MCP command directly. Cursor, VS Code, Codex, and other MCP clients can use the configuration JSON printed by:

uvx --from iwork-studio@latest iwork-studio-mcp config

The first use may prompt macOS for permission to control Numbers, Keynote, or Pages. Those permissions can be managed under System Settings, Privacy & Security, and Automation.

Set IWORK_STUDIO_ROOTS to restrict access to colon-separated folders such as Documents and Desktop. Set IWORK_STUDIO_TOOLSETS to load selected groups, including files, numbers, keynote, pages, and design; the default loads all groups. Capabilities, read, find, undo, and kit-list functions remain available. The server can be removed with the documented uninstall command.

Tools and capabilities

Supported work includes:

• Create Numbers files from data or CSV and export them as PDF, Excel, or CSV.
• Build Keynote decks from outlines or Numbers tables, including chart and table slides.
• Create Pages documents from templates or existing files and export to PDF, Word, EPUB, text, or RTF.
• Apply built-in design kits, themes, fonts, colors, layouts, and brand kits.
• Review Keynote rendering and export Keynote files to PDF, PowerPoint, images, or movie.
• Find files with Spotlight, preview changes, inspect backups, and undo the last change.

The available examples show workflows such as turning sales data into a board deck, filling a Pages letter, changing spreadsheet formulas, adding presenter notes, exporting multiple presentations, and producing Arabic content.