cwtwb 0.4.0

Tableau Workbook (.twb) Generation MCP Server

cwtwb

Tableau Workbook (.twb) Generation MCP Server
Programmatically create Tableau workbooks with calculated fields, multiple chart types, and dashboard layouts.

Overview

cwtwb is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that generates Tableau Desktop workbook files (.twb) from AI-driven tool calls. It provides atomic operations for building visualizations step by step:

1. Load a TWB template with data connections
2. Add calculated fields
3. Create worksheets with various chart types
4. Assemble dashboards with flexible layouts
5. Save valid .twb files that open directly in Tableau Desktop

Installation

pip install cwtwb

Requirements

• Python ≥ 3.10
• lxml ≥ 5.0
• mcp ≥ 1.0

Quick Start

As MCP Server (Recommended for AI Tools)

To allow your AI Assistant to build Tableau Dashboards automatically, you need to add cwtwb to your MCP client's configuration file.

The easiest and safest way to use cwtwb is via uvx (an isolated Python environment runner via uv). This requires zero installation.

1. Claude Desktop

Open ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (Mac) or %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json (Windows) and add:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "cwtwb": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["cwtwb"]
    }
  }
}

2. Cursor IDE

1. Open Cursor Settings -> Features -> MCP.
2. Click Add New MCP Server.
3. Set Type to command.
4. Set Name to cwtwb.
5. Set Command to uvx cwtwb.

3. Claude Code (CLI)

Run the following command in your terminal to permanently add the server to your Claude Code workspace:

claude mcp add cwtwb -- uvx cwtwb

4. VSCode (via Cline / RooCode)

Open your MCP settings file (usually located at ~/Library/Application Support/Code/User/globalStorage/saoudrizwan.claude-dev/settings/cline_mcp_settings.json or equivalent on Windows) and append:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "cwtwb": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["cwtwb"]
    }
  }
}

As Python Library

from cwtwb.twb_editor import TWBEditor

editor = TWBEditor("templates/twb/superstore.twb")
editor.clear_worksheets()

# Add a calculated field
editor.add_calculated_field("Profit Ratio", "SUM([Profit])/SUM([Sales])")

# Create a bar chart
editor.add_worksheet("Sales by Category")
editor.configure_chart(
    worksheet_name="Sales by Category",
    mark_type="Bar",
    rows=["Category"],
    columns=["SUM(Sales)"],
)

# Create a pie chart
editor.add_worksheet("Segment Pie")
editor.configure_chart(
    worksheet_name="Segment Pie",
    mark_type="Pie",
    color="Segment",
    wedge_size="SUM(Sales)",
)

# Build a dashboard
editor.add_dashboard(
    dashboard_name="Overview",
    worksheet_names=["Sales by Category", "Segment Pie"],
    layout="horizontal",
)

editor.save("output/my_workbook.twb")

MCP Tools

Tool	Description
create_workbook	Load a TWB template and initialize the workspace
list_fields	List all available dimensions and measures
add_calculated_field	Add a calculated field with Tableau formula
remove_calculated_field	Remove a previously added calculated field
add_worksheet	Add a new blank worksheet
configure_chart	Configure chart type and field mappings
add_dashboard	Create a dashboard combining worksheets
set_mysql_connection	Configure the datasource to use a local MySQL connection
set_tableauserver_connection	Configure connection to an online Tableau Server
save_workbook	Save the final TWB file

Supported Chart Types

• Bar — horizontal/vertical bar charts
• Line — line charts and trends
• Pie — pie charts with color and wedge-size encodings
• Area — area charts
• Circle / Square — shape marks
• Text — text tables
• Automatic — Tableau's automatic mark type

Dashboard Layouts

Layout	Description
vertical	Stack worksheets top to bottom
horizontal	Place worksheets side by side
grid-2x2	2×2 grid layout (up to 4 worksheets)
dict (JSON)	Declarative Custom Layouts: An infinitely nestable FlexBox-style JSON structure for enterprise dashboards.

Custom layouts can be built programmatically using the TWBEditor API by passing a layout nested dictionary. See examples/scripts/demo_declarative_layout.py for a complete example of generating a side-bar executive dashboard.

Project Structure

cwtwb/
├── src/cwtwb/
│   ├── __init__.py          # Package init
│   ├── field_registry.py    # Field name ↔ TWB reference mapping
│   ├── twb_editor.py        # Core TWB XML editor (lxml)
│   └── server.py            # MCP server with FastMCP
├── tests/
│   ├── test_debug.py        # Step-by-step debug tests
│   ├── test_e2e.py          # End-to-end integration test
│   └── test_c2_replica.py   # Full dashboard layout replica
├── templates/
│   ├── superstore.twb       # Base TWB template with data connection
├── examples/                # Example scripts and prompts
│   ├── scripts/             # Python examples for SDK and workflow
│   ├── prompts/             # Natural language prompts for MCP LLM
│   └── layouts/             # JSON declarative layout definitions
├── docs/                    # Design documents
├── pyproject.toml           # Package configuration
└── README.md

Development

# Install in editable mode
pip install -e .

# Run test suite
pytest

# Test end-to-end workflow demo
python examples/scripts/demo_e2e_mcp_workflow.py

# Start MCP server
cwtwb

License

MIT