How to edit one worksheet or slide and splice it back into the original Leave feedback

To change one worksheet of a budget or one slide of a deck, the agent does not need the whole file. Run the GroupDocs.Editor MCP server locally: extract_html gives the agent that one part as HTML, the agent edits it, and save_from_html splices it back into a copy of the original — every other worksheet or slide untouched:

dnx GroupDocs.Editor.Mcp --yes

with GROUPDOCS_MCP_STORAGE_PATH pointing at your documents folder — or the Docker image, ghcr.io/groupdocs-editor/editor-net-mcp. Per-client config: Register in AI clients.

In budget.xlsx, on the Q3 worksheet, raise Travel to 12500 and rename Training to Training (external). Keep the other worksheets as they are.

Note

The commands and config snippets on this page are for the .NET build of the server — the only platform available today. Installation and client setup: MCP server for .NET. Other platforms will expose the same tools with their own launch command; everything else on this page applies unchanged.

• A workbook (XLSX, XLS, ODS, …) or presentation (PPTX, PPT, ODP, …) in the storage folder.
• The server registered in your AI client, and an agent that can edit a file — quick start.

budget.xlsx  (Summary | Q3 | Q4)
   |
   |-- extract_html {"worksheet":2} --> budget_worksheet2.html
   |        the agent edits the HTML: one value, one label
   |
   '-- save_from_html {"htmlFile":"budget_worksheet2.html",
                       "format":"xlsx",
                       "sourceFile":"budget.xlsx","worksheet":2}
          --> budget-q3-revised.xlsx: Q3 replaced, Summary and Q4 kept
evaluation mode: worksheets and slides 1-2 only; 3+ is refused with a reason

Captured from server 26.10.0 against a synthetic three-worksheet budget (Summary, Q3, Q4). The server prints the full path inside your storage folder; it is shortened to …/ here, and the evaluation line every response starts with is trimmed unless shown.

-> extract_html {"file":{"filePath":"budget.xlsx"},"worksheet":2}
<- Extracted worksheet 2 of 3 of 'budget.xlsx' as editable HTML
   Saved to: …/budget_worksheet2.html
   Next: edit the saved .html and call save_from_html to write it back as
   DOCX, XLSX, PPTX, PDF or another format.
   Preview (plain text):
   … Cost centre Planned (EUR) Owner Hosting 57600 IT Support 14400 IT
   Travel 9000 Sales Training 6000 HR

   (the agent changes 9000 to 12500 and Training to Training (external)
    in budget_worksheet2.html)

-> save_from_html {"htmlFile":{"filePath":"budget_worksheet2.html"},
     "format":"xlsx","sourceFile":{"filePath":"budget.xlsx"},
     "worksheet":2,"outputName":"budget-q3-revised.xlsx"}
<- Saved 'budget_worksheet2.html' into a copy of 'budget.xlsx', replacing
   worksheet 2 of 3 (XLSX)
   Saved to: …/budget-q3-revised.xlsx

Opening budget-q3-revised.xlsx: Q3 reads Travel 12500 and Training (external); Summary and Q4 are exactly as they were. Unlicensed, the workbook also has an Evaluation Warning worksheet and the evaluation banner as Q3’s first row.

-> extract_html {"file":{"filePath":"review.pptx"},"slide":2}
<- Extracted slide 2 of 3 of 'review.pptx' as editable HTML
   Saved to: …/review_slide2.html

-> save_from_html {"htmlFile":{"filePath":"review_slide2.html"},
     "format":"pptx","sourceFile":{"filePath":"review.pptx"},"slide":2,
     "outputName":"review-revised.pptx"}
<- Saved 'review_slide2.html' into a copy of 'review.pptx', replacing
   slide 2 of 3 (PPTX)

A presentation needs sourceFile — HTML alone cannot become a PPTX:

<- Save from HTML failed for 'review_slide2.html' (-> pptx): 'pptx' output
   cannot be created from HTML alone; pass the original document as
   'sourceFile'.

A copy of the workbook or deck with one part changed and every other part as it was — the same file type, formulas and formatting outside the edited part untouched.

Why HTML? It is the format an agent edits reliably: a table is a table, a cell is a cell, and styles come along. The engine turns it back into the original format.

Can I save the edited worksheet as a new file instead? Yes — drop sourceFile and pick a format: XLSX, CSV, PDF.

Does the agent see the other worksheets? No — only the part it extracted. That keeps the context small and the other parts out of reach.

Agents follow project instructions about when to use a tool. Paste this into the instruction file your agent reads (CLAUDE.md, AGENTS.md, .github/copilot-instructions.md, .cursorrules):

To change one worksheet or slide in ./documents, use groupdocs-editor extract_html
with worksheet/slide, edit only that HTML, then save_from_html with sourceFile and
the same worksheet/slide. Never rebuild a workbook or deck from scratch.

• Evaluation mode: every edited document starts with an evaluation banner, a saved workbook gains an Evaluation Warning worksheet, and only worksheets and slides 1–2 can be edited (a PDF extraction holds two pages). Licensing.
• One formatting run: replace_text does not see a phrase whose words are formatted differently; use the HTML round-trip for those.
• No tracked changes: the edited copy carries the new text, not a redline.
• PDF editing is a conversion: text and structure come across; exact page layout does not.

• Edit documents with AI agents
• Find and replace across a folder
• Fill Word forms from data
• Turn a PDF into editable Word
• On-premise deployment
• Tools reference · Licensing · Troubleshooting & FAQ
• Questions: Editor forum

• Edit one worksheet, keep the workbook: surgical edits with an HTML round-trip — the same scenario on the GroupDocs blog, with worked examples and the trade-offs.