KitchenSink4Word vs KitchenSink4XL
A side-by-side look at the KitchenSink4Word and KitchenSink4XL MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose KitchenSink4Word for workplace & productivity work as a local process; choose KitchenSink4XL for workplace & productivity as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose KitchenSink4Word when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Workplace & Productivity domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You want tools like
create_document, copy_document, manage_backups.
Choose KitchenSink4XL when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Workplace & Productivity domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You want tools like
get_server_info, create_workbook, copy_workbook.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Workplace & Productivity | Workplace & Productivity |
| Quality signal | 60/100 · Good | 57/100 · Good |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | Not declared | Not declared |
| Pricing | Not declared | Not declared |
| Required env vars | None listed | None listed |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 9 | 1 |
| Directory activity | 2 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 2 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 29 | 40 |
| Full listing | View KitchenSink4Word | View KitchenSink4XL |
Tools & capabilities
KitchenSink4Word tools 29
create_documentCreate a new blank .docx file, optionally setting the title core property. Refuses to overwrite an existing file (use copy_document with overwrite=True for that). Parent directories are created automatically. Populate the document afterward with insert_paragraphs, create_table, define_style (academic pack), and other tools. Template-driven builds live in the assembly pack.copy_documentCopy a document byte-for-byte, e.g. to a new DTG-stamped filename before editing (manage_backups action='snapshot' names such a copy for you; this tool takes an explicit dest_path). Refuses an existing dest_path unless overwrite=True; an overwritten destination's previous content rotates into its .ks4w-backups prev slot first, so the overwrite is undoable via manage_backups restore. Split/merge and multi-document work live in the assembly pack.manage_backupsManage the automatic backups under the hidden .ks4w-backups/ folder next to each mutated document: two stable slots per document, prev (state before the most recent mutation) and anchor (session start). action='list': slot files with sizes and mtimes, legacy *.bak-* files, and orphaned slot folders whose source document is gone; give file_path for one document or directory for a folder. action='restore': overwrite file_path with a backup; source is 'prev', 'anchor', or a legacy *.bak-* path. The current content rotates into prev FIRST, so a restore is itself undoable; the payload is validated before the atomic replace, and documents open in Word are refused. action='purge': delete backups; scope: 'legacy', 'orphans', or 'slots'. dry_run defaults to TRUE (report only); dry_run=False deletes. Exact paths and sizes are reported either way. action='snapshot': save a DTG-stamped permanent copy of file_path, YYYYMMDD_HHMM_<name>.docx (an existing leading DTG is replaced, not stacked), optional short label suffix, optional dest_dir. Snapshots are permanent keepers: the slots rotate on every mutation, snapshots are never auto-pruned and no purge scope touches them. Never overwrites (collisions get a numeric suffix); the source document is not modified.get_document_infoRead a one-call document overview: paragraph/table/footnote/comment/ revision counts, sections, and package parts. Documents open in Word are read live (same key names; live adds 'words' from Word's own ComputeStatistics counter plus track_revisions, and omits the part list). Read-only.diagnose_documentProduce a one-call structural health report, read-only: content-type coverage, dangling relationships and orphan parts, field balance per story part, footnote/endnote integrity, references to undefined styles and numbering, content-control and bookmark sanity, duplicate revision ids, missing image targets, broken cross-references, and a per-part size profile. Never fails on a weird-but-openable document; every check degrades to a reported problem, and healthy=false only for problems that render broken or lose content in Word. The deep companion to validate(checks=['core']). No live mode BY DESIGN: this reads the saved package's XML, stale while Word holds unsaved changes. Close the document first, or use com_validate_opens_clean (com-live pack) / live get_document_info. The full validate check battery lives in the academic pack.get_textRead body paragraphs as [{index, text, style, ...}] with effective styles. start/end slice by paragraph index (0-based, end EXCLUSIVE); contains filters. include_textboxes=True appends text-box content as labeled extras, body indices untouched; textbox=true (or {"index": n}) returns ONLY text-box content, with the box_index set_textbox_text (media-forms pack) takes; file-mode only. Open documents read live, same shape. Equations read via list_elements type='equations'. Read-only. Orientation: get_document_view.find_textFind text in paragraphs and table cells; returns locations plus context. include_textboxes=True also searches text-box content as labeled matches; file-mode only. Pass formatting={...} (bold, font, size_pt, color, ...) to search by EFFECTIVE formatting: resolved through run, style chain, and defaults; query=None returns every formatted stretch; scope 'body' or 'all'; file-mode, no regex. Plain queries search open documents live (same shape, 500-match cap). Read-only. To read a known range, use get_text.get_outlineList every heading with its paragraph index and level. Detects Heading styles AND w:outlineLvl overrides (direct or style-inherited); detected_via names which. detect_formatted=True adds a heuristic scan for direct-formatted headings (short bold, italic or centered; numbered captions excluded): CANDIDATES with an INFERRED level and a confidence. Detecting nothing returns a note plus flat structure counts. The indices feed the location object's paragraph and outline selectors. Read-only. TOC building: academic pack.list_elementsEnumerate any collection in one call. type: tables | images | charts | equations | bookmarks | sources | sections | section_blocks | footnotes | endnotes | fields | reference_fields | form_fields | content_controls | template_placeholders | index_entries | lists | toc. Returns {type, count, items}; the ids or indices returned are the handles the matching set_/delete_/manage_ tools take (list then act). Highlights per type: tables reports dimensions and the table_index other table tools take; images reports display size and the media target; charts reports series; equations reads math content; bookmarks excludes internal TOC bookmarks; fields covers complex and simple fields with cached results; reference_fields inventories Zotero, EndNote, and Mendeley fields and flags broken pairs; form_fields and content_controls cover legacy fields and SDTs; template_placeholders lists {{name}} and MERGEFIELD keys for fill_template and mail_merge (assembly pack); lists groups list paragraphs by numbering instance; toc returns TOC-family fields with cached entries (refresh via com_refresh_fields, com-live pack, then re-read). filter={"range": {start, end}, "name": "substring"} applies where meaningful; inapplicable filters refuse loudly. Read-only, file mode; close documents open in Word first. Tools for these elements live in packs; enable_tools lists them. To locate a string, find_text.get_workflowsRecommended tool sequences for common multi-step tasks, with a one-line why per step. Call with no task to list the available tasks ('process-feedback', 'prepare-submission', 'format-citations', 'build-from-template', 'heavy-editing', 'live-editing', 'comment-partner', 'migrate-from-v1', 'bulk-edit'); call with task='<name>' for that task's step-by-step sequence and notes. Pure guidance: reads nothing, changes nothing.get_server_infoReport this server's build and environment: version, the active tool surface (tool count, approximate token bill, per-pack state), the packs enable_tools can load, what decided the startup surface and whether it is locked, whether the Word application tier can run here, whether path sandboxing is on, the host OS and Python, and the update-check state. Needs no document, opens no file, starts no Word. Paste-safe: no path, document name, or user name, so a bug report can carry it as it stands.insert_paragraphsInsert paragraphs (items {text, style?, formatting?, heading_level?, paragraph_format?}) at a location object (omitted = document end). heading_level 1-9 makes it a heading (1 = outline 0). paragraph_format takes set_paragraph_format keys; it and inherit_format/copy_format_from (clone neighbor formatting minus outline level) are file mode only. track records insertions by author. Auto-backup; atomic save. Open documents edit live; a stale text-selector target refuses: save in Word, retry. Batches: apply_edits.- +17 more on the listing page
KitchenSink4XL tools 40
get_server_infoReport the KitchenSink4XL server build: version, the active tool surface (enabled tool count and approximate token bill), the optional packs, the host platform and Python, and config, which carries the install settings a user otherwise cannot confirm arrived: whether path sandboxing is on with how many roots (a count, never the paths), and whether saves deep-verify through Excel. A read-only orient call that needs no workbook and touches no file; use it to confirm the server is up and see which packs are loaded.create_workbookCreate a new .xlsx workbook at path with the given sheet names (default a single 'Sheet1'). Sheet names must be unique, at most 31 characters, and may not start or end with an apostrophe (Excel refuses to open such a file); the parent directory must already exist. An existing file at path is left untouched unless overwrite is true, in which case it is FIRST rotated into its .ks4xl-backups prev slot and then replaced (restore source='prev' brings it back). Returns the file path and the sheets created.copy_workbookCopy a workbook file byte-for-byte from src to dst, so nothing in the original is re-serialized or degraded (charts, shapes, macros, and queries all carry over intact). An existing dst is left untouched unless overwrite is true, in which case dst is FIRST rotated into its .ks4xl-backups prev slot and then replaced (restore source='prev' brings it back). Returns the destination path. Use this to branch a working copy before a risky batch of edits.get_workbook_metadataRead a workbook's structure without opening it for edit: every sheet with its visibility state, TRUE used range (value-bearing bounds, not the often wrong stored dimension), dimensions, and merged-cell count, plus defined names, tables, the active sheet, and a round-trip hazard summary (whether an openpyxl edit would drop fragile parts). The orient-before-editing call. Read-only; works while the file is open in Excel.diagnose_workbookThe round-trip hazard scan surfaced as a health readout: which fragile parts the workbook holds (slicers, shapes, embedded objects, Power Query, VBA, and the rest), whether a file-based openpyxl edit would drop any of them, the routing recommendation for a surgical versus a structural edit, and a light integrity summary (sheet counts, formula-cell count, keep_vba). This is how you check a workbook is safe to edit before mutating it. What to do with the verdict: hazards never block reads; a would-lose verdict means every mutating tool will refuse unless you route through Excel (com pack) or pass allow_loss:true (an explicit, backed-up acceptance of the loss). A clean verdict means file-based edits are round-trip safe. Content with no part of its own is covered too: the scan reads each worksheet's extLst, so x14 conditional formats (data bars, icon sets), sparkline groups and slicer lists come back as a would-lose verdict like any other drop-risk hazard. Limit: the extLst walk looks at the worksheet's top level, and an extension openpyxl drops from anywhere else is caught at save time by openpyxl's own load warning rather than here. Read-only.manage_worksheetManage the worksheet lifecycle. action is one of: add (new_name, optional index), delete (sheet), rename (sheet, new_name), copy (sheet, optional new_name), reorder (sheet, index as 0-based target), hide (sheet, state 'hidden' or 'very_hidden'), unhide (sheet). The workbook always keeps at least one VISIBLE sheet, so deleting or hiding the last visible one refuses. Consequence worth knowing: delete does NOT rewrite references, so formulas and defined names that pointed at the deleted sheet break to #REF! when Excel opens the file (Excel's own behavior); rename likewise does not rewrite cross-sheet formula text. Audit references first when in doubt. A hazardous workbook refuses unless allow_loss is true. Auto-backup: prev/anchor slots in .ks4xl-backups (backup=false skips rotation); atomic verified save, restored on failed verify. Refuses while open in Excel.read_rangeRead a cell or range addressed by a location object (cell, range, r1c1, name, table, used_range, region, search, or a grid-view anchor; sheet picks the sheet when the location does not, default active). values controls the honest calc story: 'cached' returns the last calculated values, 'formula' the formula strings, 'both' pairs each value with a label (cached, absent, formula, value). A formula cell with no cached value is labelled 'absent', never passed off as blank. Read-only; page large ranges with query_range.set_cellWrite a single cell addressed by a location object. A string beginning with '=' is ALWAYS stored as a formula (there is no literal escape), normalized so modern functions do not land as #NAME? and flagged to recalculate on open; anything else is a literal. A hazardous workbook refuses unless allow_loss is true. Auto-backup: prev/anchor slots in .ks4xl-backups (backup=false skips rotation); atomic verified save, restored on failed verify. Refuses while open in Excel.write_rangeWrite a 2D block of values and formulas anchored at the location's top-left cell. data is a list of row lists and must be RECTANGULAR: ragged rows refuse (pad short rows with null, which clears those cells); content outside the block is never touched. Formula strings ('=...') are normalized and flag recalculation. Grid limits and the 200,000-cell write ceiling apply. A hazardous workbook refuses unless allow_loss is true. Auto-backup to .ks4xl-backups; atomic verified save. Refuses while open in Excel.clear_rangeClear a cell or range: what='contents' removes values and formulas, 'formats' resets styles to default, 'all' does both. Neither removes merges, conditional formats, validations, comments, or hyperlinks; those have their own manage tools. Addressed by a location object. A hazardous workbook refuses unless allow_loss is true. Auto-backup: prev/anchor slots in .ks4xl-backups (backup=false skips rotation); atomic verified save, restored on failed verify. Refuses while open in Excel.copy_rangeCopy a source rectangle to a destination anchor (location objects, may name different sheets). what is 'all', 'values', 'formulas', or 'formats'. The destination is overwritten; the source is buffered first, so an overlapping paste is safe. Relative refs in copied formulas shift by the paste offset like an Excel copy unless adjust_formulas is false; absolute ($) anchors stay put. A hazardous workbook refuses unless allow_loss is true. Auto-backup to .ks4xl-backups; atomic verified save. Refuses while open in Excel.move_rangeMove a rectangle to a new anchor on the same sheet, rewriting every formula, name, conditional format, validation, table ref, and merge that pointed into the source so references follow the cells (Excel move semantics). A cross-sheet destination refuses (copy_range then clear_range instead); cells at the destination are overwritten. A hazardous workbook refuses unless allow_loss is true. Auto-backup to .ks4xl-backups; atomic verified save. Refuses while open in Excel.- +28 more on the listing page
Ready-to-paste client configs
Paste either block (or both) into your client config, e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json. We only show a config when the install command is confirmed.
KitchenSink4Word
{
"mcpServers": {
"kitchensink4word-2": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": [
"kitchensink4word"
]
}
}
}
KitchenSink4XL
{
"mcpServers": {
"kitchensink4xl": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": [
"kitchensink4xl"
]
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
KitchenSink4Word is categorized under Workplace & Productivity and uses a local stdio subprocess. KitchenSink4XL belongs to Workplace & Productivity and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick KitchenSink4Word for workplace & productivity work and KitchenSink4XL for workplace & productivity.
Copy the mcpServers block from the config section on this page into your client's config (for example claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json), then fully restart the client.
KitchenSink4Word has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. KitchenSink4XL has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. If a server needs environment variables such as API keys, define them under the env key in your client's MCP config.
Yes. MCP clients support multiple servers: add kitchensink4word-2 and kitchensink4xl as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, KitchenSink4Word has a quality signal of 60/100 (Good) with 2 views, 0 installs and 9 GitHub stars. KitchenSink4XL has 57/100 (Good) with 2 views, 0 installs and 1 GitHub stars.