# KitchenSink4Word

> Everything plus the kitchen sink for Microsoft Word: the most complete Word (.docx) MCP server available. 189 tools covering live editing of documents open in Word, native citations and bibliography, merge-aware table surgery, footnotes and endnotes, TOC, tracked-changes authoring, Word-native document compare, protection, redaction, mail merge, and accessibility audits. Engineered not to corrupt: atomic validated saves, automatic backups before every mutation, and published adversarial test evidence.

This file describes the shipped release: v1.5.1 on PyPI (as of 2026-08-28).
Platform: Windows. File-based tools (the large majority) work without Microsoft Word installed; the com_* and live_* tools use a local Microsoft Word via COM.
MCP transport: stdio.

## Install

- pip: `pip install kitchensink4word`
- uvx (no install): `uvx kitchensink4word`
- Claude Code: `claude mcp add word -s user -- kitchensink4word`
- Claude Desktop: download `kitchensink4word.mcpb` from the latest GitHub release, then Settings > Extensions > Advanced settings > Install extension (requires uv on PATH)
- Any other MCP client: run the `kitchensink4word` (or `word-mcp`) executable over stdio, e.g. `{"mcpServers": {"word": {"command": "kitchensink4word"}}}`
- MCP registry name: `io.github.nometalalchemist/kitchensink4word`

## Context cost (measured, v1.5.1)

Published because almost no MCP server tells you what it costs to load:

- Full tool surface, all schemas and descriptions loaded up front: about 27,000 tokens
- Average per tool: about 144 tokens
- Clients that defer tool schemas until use (for example Claude Code) pay close to zero until a tool is actually called

ROADMAP (not shipped): v2 plans tiered loading, starting from a lite core of about 20 tools (roughly 4,000 tokens) with capability packs enabled on demand.

## Capabilities: 189 tools by category

Reading and analysis:
`get_document_info`, `get_outline`, `get_text`, `find_text`, `find_formatted`, `get_styles`, `word_count`, `word_count_with_exclusions`, `validate_document`, `structured_diff`, `preview_replace`, `diagnose_document`, `get_textbox_text`

Text editing and formatting:
`create_document`, `copy_document`, `search_and_replace`, `insert_paragraphs`, `delete_paragraphs`, `replace_paragraph_text`, `add_heading`, `add_page_break`, `format_text`, `set_paragraph_format`, `apply_style`, `apply_character_style`, `define_style`, `add_list`, `get_lists`, `change_case`, `set_textbox_text`

Tables (merge-aware column insert/delete, one-call bulk cell edits, nested tables):
`list_tables`, `get_table`, `create_table`, `delete_table`, `insert_rows`, `delete_rows`, `insert_columns`, `delete_columns`, `set_cells`, `set_cells_block`, `format_cells`, `merge_cells`, `unmerge_cells`, `set_column_widths`, `apply_table_style`, `sort_table`, `split_table`, `set_header_row_repeat`, `get_nested_table`, `set_nested_cells`, `export_table`, `import_table`

Footnotes and endnotes (full CRUD plus conversion in both directions):
`list_footnotes`, `list_endnotes`, `add_footnote`, `add_endnote`, `edit_footnote`, `edit_endnote`, `delete_footnote`, `delete_endnote`, `convert_notes`, `validate_notes`, `cleanup_orphan_notes`

Citations, bibliography and reference managers (12 native bibliography styles; plain-text style conversion across 8 styles; Zotero, Mendeley and EndNote field awareness):
`add_source`, `list_sources`, `delete_source`, `set_bibliography_style`, `insert_citation`, `insert_bibliography`, `check_citation_parity`, `parse_references`, `convert_citation_style`, `search_zotero_library`, `insert_zotero_citation`, `list_reference_fields`, `check_reference_field_integrity`

TOC, captions, index, bookmarks and links:
`insert_toc`, `read_toc`, `delete_toc`, `set_update_fields_flag`, `insert_caption_list`, `add_caption`, `validate_captions`, `add_bookmark`, `list_bookmarks`, `add_cross_reference`, `validate_cross_references`, `add_hyperlink`, `mark_index_entry`, `list_index_entries`, `insert_index`

Structure and templates:
`move_section`, `list_section_blocks`, `split_document`, `apply_template`, `apply_manuscript_format`, `set_document_properties`, `list_template_placeholders`, `fill_template`, `check_template_compliance`, `assemble_front_matter`, `setup_chapter_headers`, `validate_chapter_headers`

Layout and sections:
`get_headers_footers`, `set_header`, `set_footer`, `add_page_numbers`, `set_page_number_format`, `set_columns`, `set_line_numbering`, `list_sections`, `set_section_properties`, `add_section_break`, `add_watermark`, `remove_watermark`

Images:
`add_image`, `list_images`, `resize_image`, `replace_image`, `extract_images`, `set_image_alt_text`, `check_image_resolution`

Comments (threaded, with resolve):
`get_comments`, `add_comment`, `reply_to_comment`, `resolve_comment`, `delete_comment`, `comment_report`, `comment_report_multi`

Tracked changes (read, summarize, accept/reject by author; edits can be WRITTEN as tracked changes with an explicit author):
`get_tracked_changes`, `revision_summary`, `revision_analytics`, `accept_revisions`, `reject_revisions`

Protection, privacy and redaction (true removal with verification re-scan):
`set_document_protection`, `remove_document_protection`, `get_protection`, `redact_text`, `verify_redaction`, `anonymize_for_review`, `deanonymize_document`, `check_defined_terms`

Forms, mail merge, batch and audits:
`list_form_fields`, `fill_form_fields`, `validate_form_completeness`, `mail_merge`, `batch_apply`, `prepare_for_submission`, `check_brand_compliance`, `audit_accessibility`

Equations (LaTeX to native Word math):
`add_equation`, `list_equations`, `delete_equation`

Live editing (document OPEN in Word; each call lands as one Ctrl+Z step, cursor untouched):
`com_word_status`, `live_insert_at_cursor`, `live_scroll_to`, `live_set_track_changes`, `word_live_repair`

Word COM (uses a local Microsoft Word):
`com_refresh_fields`, `com_export_pdf`, `com_import_pdf`, `com_compare_documents`, `com_merge_documents`, `com_combine_documents`, `com_save_open_document`, `com_close_open_document`, `com_proofing_errors`, `com_readability_statistics`, `com_save_with_password`, `com_validate_opens_clean`

## Recommended workflows

Process reviewer/advisor feedback:
`get_tracked_changes` (see every change with author and text) -> `revision_summary` (counts by author/type) -> `comment_report` (comments with anchored text and threading) -> `accept_revisions` / `reject_revisions` (filter by author or type) -> `resolve_comment` -> `validate_document` (confirm notes and fields survived).

Prepare a submission:
`copy_document` (work on a dated copy) -> `validate_document` -> `check_citation_parity` -> `check_reference_field_integrity` -> `validate_cross_references` -> `word_count_with_exclusions` -> `prepare_for_submission` (accept revisions, strip comments and metadata) -> optionally `anonymize_for_review` for blind review. Re-run the validation steps after cleanup; the cleanup is itself a mutation.

Citation work without breaking the reference manager:
identify which system owns the citations first (Word native, Zotero, Mendeley, EndNote, or plain text; mixing systems creates a split-brain bibliography) -> `list_reference_fields` (inventory manager fields) -> `check_citation_parity` -> `convert_citation_style` only when the document is NOT manager-managed -> `check_reference_field_integrity` afterwards. `insert_citation`/`add_source` are Word-native; `insert_zotero_citation` is Zotero; use the family the document already uses.

Build from an institutional template:
`copy_document` (never build inside the template) -> `list_template_placeholders` -> `fill_template` -> optionally `apply_template` -> `check_template_compliance` -> `validate_document`. Templates using content controls: `list_form_fields` + `fill_form_fields`.

Sustained heavy editing:
the user keeps the original open in Word for reading while the agent works on a fresh dated copy at full file-mode speed: `copy_document` -> `get_outline` -> `get_text` -> `search_and_replace` -> optionally `batch_apply` (many edits in one atomic pass) -> `validate_document` -> `word_count`. No COM round-trips, no lock conflicts.

## Safety model

- Atomic validated saves; a failed operation leaves the original byte-identical.
- Automatic timestamped backup before every file mutation.
- Byte-identical passthrough of anything not being edited (equations, textboxes, content controls).
- Documents open in Word are refused by file-mode tools; the live_*/com_* tools handle that case explicitly.
- Test evidence for v1.5.1: 627 tests, roughly 3,200 adversarial calls through the raw MCP stdio transport, zero corruptions, verified by opening outputs in invisible Word and failing on any repair prompt.

## Links

- GitHub: https://github.com/nometalalchemist/KitchenSink4Word
- PyPI: https://pypi.org/project/kitchensink4word/
- MCP registry: io.github.nometalalchemist/kitchensink4word
- Glama: listed; search for KitchenSink4Word at https://glama.ai/mcp/servers
- Landing page: https://nometalalchemist.github.io/KitchenSink4Word/
- Issues (bugs, feature requests, licensing): https://github.com/nometalalchemist/KitchenSink4Word/issues/new/choose

## License

AGPL-3.0. Free for any use under AGPL terms (copyleft: modifications to served copies must be shared). Commercial license available for use cases that cannot comply with AGPL: https://github.com/nometalalchemist/KitchenSink4Word/issues/new?template=commercial_license.yml