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  Soar Excel MCP — V1.0
  One-click installer (Customer Edition for Claude / Cowork)
  By Soar Design (Jimmy Kwok) © 2026
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[ BEFORE YOU INSTALL ]

1. Windows 10 / 11, 64-bit
2. Microsoft Excel 2016 / 2019 / 2021 / 365 (any edition works)
3. Python 3.10 x64 installed and added to PATH
   Download: https://www.python.org/downloads/release/python-31011/
   During install, tick "Add Python to PATH"
4. Claude Desktop or Cowork already installed
5. A Soar Design license key
   Format: SOAR-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX
   (Free 1-month trial key available on the download page until 2026-06-01)

[ INSTALL STEPS ]

1. Unzip this package to any folder (recommended: D:\SoarMCP\Excel)
   * Avoid Program Files (permission issues)
   * Avoid paths containing Chinese characters or spaces
2. Double-click install.bat
3. Wait for the script to finish:
   - Check Python 3.10
   - Create venv virtual environment
   - Install dependencies (pywin32, mcp, openpyxl, etc.)
   - Prompt for your license key
   - Apply registry patch (enable VBA trust so run_vba can work)
   - Test connection to the Cloudflare server
   - Write the Cowork MCP config
4. When you see "Installation complete", you can close the window.

[ DAILY USE ]

* Open Excel (any edition) and load a .xlsx file
* Open Claude / Cowork
* Ask Claude in plain language, for example:
    "Sum A1:C10 into column D"
    "Insert a chart from A1:B5"
    "Export Sheet 1 as PDF"

[ AUTO-UPDATE ]

Business-logic updates are automatic. Each time run_mcp.bat starts:
* The launcher checks Cloudflare for a newer version
* If found, the new module is downloaded automatically
* You don't have to do anything

Only the launcher / requirements need a re-install when those change.

[ UNINSTALL ]

Double-click uninstall.bat. It removes:
* The local venv
* The "soar-excel" entry inside the Cowork config
* The cache under %LOCALAPPDATA%\SoarExcelMCP\
* Note: the AccessVBOM registry value is intentionally kept
  (it is an Excel-wide setting that other tools may rely on).

[ TROUBLESHOOTING ]

Q: install.bat says it cannot find Python.
A: Install Python 3.10 from the Microsoft Store or python.org,
   tick "Add Python to PATH", then reopen cmd and run install.bat again.

Q: License says invalid.
A: Double-check the key (uppercase + dashes). If expired, contact Soar.

Q: Claude does not see the MCP.
A: Quit Cowork completely and reopen. If it still fails, check logs\*.log.

Q: An Excel command does nothing.
A: Make sure Excel has an open workbook (not the Start page).
   Check logs\launcher.log for clues.

Q: A "Please name", "Spell check", or similar dialog pops up.
A: spell_check / print_preview are already blacklisted and never trigger.
   For any other dialog, click Cancel and report the action name to Soar.

[ SUPPORT ]

Email   : info@soarmcpsoftware.com
Subject : Please include the first 8 chars of your license key
          (e.g. SOAR-AB12)

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