word-bridge

Word bridge — live Word control via MCP

This skill covers the live-document workflow: Claude drives an open Word document via the carson-word-bridge MCP server, which talks over 127.0.0.1 to the Carson Word add-in task pane running inside Word.

Use this skill when the user wants Claude to act on a Word document that is open right now. For offline .docx work (create, read, or edit a file without Word running), use Anthropic's docx skill (from the document-skills plugin in anthropics/skills) instead — the two skills compose.

Prerequisites

1. Carson desktop is running locally (hosts the bridge on 127.0.0.1:3137).
2. The Carson Word add-in is installed and the task pane is open in at least one document.
3. The carson-word-bridge MCP server is connected (shipped with this plugin).

If any of these is missing, call bridge_status first — it returns health + queue counters and will surface the failure mode.

MCP tools

The carson-word-bridge MCP server exposes these tools. Prefer the higher-level tools over execute_office_js unless you specifically need a primitive not covered below.

Inspection

• bridge_status — health + queue counters; use as a first call if anything looks off.
• list_documents — enumerate open Word documents the bridge can see.
• refresh_doc_state — recompute compact state for the active document (call after external edits).
• inspect_selection — what the user currently has selected.
• read_doc_section — read a section by heading or paragraph range.
• search_doc_text — literal-text search across the active document.
• snapshot_document — capture a labeled snapshot (e.g. before / after) for diff/verification.

Editing

• apply_formatting — structured formatting ops (headings, bold, styles, etc.).
• execute_office_js — escape hatch: run arbitrary office.js against the document. Use sparingly.
• set_track_changes — toggle Word Track Changes.
• add_note — attach a comment/note.

Verification & session

• verify_doc — run validators on document state.
• export_session — export the current Corgi session object.

Operating guidance

• Always read before you write. Call read_doc_section or inspect_selection before applying edits, so you're acting on current state.
• Use snapshots for non-trivial edits. snapshot_document with label="before", do the edit, snapshot_document with label="after". This lets you recover and lets the user audit.
• Prefer apply_formatting over execute_office_js. The structured tool handles the common cases safely; only drop to office.js for things it can't express.
• Turn on Track Changes for redlines. Call set_track_changes with enabled=true before redline-style edits so the user can review them in Word.
• Verify after substantial changes. Run verify_doc to catch broken styles or malformed tables.

When to use this skill vs Anthropic's docx skill

Default: prefer the live Word bridge (this skill) whenever the bridge is reachable. Editing in Word gives the user immediate visual feedback, Track Changes, and the ability to accept/reject. Only fall back to the Anthropic docx skill (from the document-skills plugin in the anthropics/skills marketplace) when the bridge can't do the job.

Routing:

Situation	Skill
User is clearly working live ("edit the open doc", redlines, formatting)	word-bridge
User hands you a path to a .docx file to create or transform	word-bridge first — open it in Word via the bridge and edit live. Fall back to Anthropic docx only if the bridge is unreachable or the task is purely batch (e.g. processing many files).
User wants to generate a polished report/memo/letter from scratch, no Word running	Anthropic docx (then optionally open the result in Word afterwards)
Batch / headless processing of many .docx files	Anthropic docx
Bridge returns "unreachable" and user can't start Carson desktop right now	Anthropic docx

If uncertain, call bridge_status first. If it's healthy, default to word-bridge. If it's not, use Anthropic docx and tell the user why.

Troubleshooting

• Bridge unreachable — confirm Carson desktop is running; the bridge listens on 127.0.0.1:3137.
• No active document — list_documents returns empty. Ask the user to open a document with the add-in task pane visible.
• Edits not showing — call refresh_doc_state; the document may have been edited externally.