ASTra lets any AI agent read a .docx as clean structure, change it with exact operations, and save only files that pass schema validation. No XML. No guesswork. No half-finished edits.
$ npx -y @attentionform/astra-mcp-server --allowed-dir ./docsyou Build the Q3 board report from the notes in /docs.
The problem nobody warned you about
A .docx is a zipped pile of XML. Give a model that raw, and one stray tag quietly ruins the file. You find out when the client opens it.
Raw XML
<w:tbl><w:tr><w:tc><w:p>
<w:r><w:t>Revenue</w:t></w:r>
</w:p> <!-- </w:tc> never closed -->
<w:tc><w:p><w:r><w:t>$14.2MOne missing tag. No warning. A broken deliverable.
With ASTra
table:6x4 t_002 "Metric | Q3 2025 | Q3 2026"
row r1c1 Revenue $10.6M $14.2M
update t_002 row 1 col 2 → validThe agent changes a cell by its ID. The package stays sound, or nothing is written.
Agent-first, from the first line
ID | V | Path | Header | Style | Text | Flags--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---41E5F245 | 1 | Root | | Heading1 | Atlas Robotics: Q3 2026 Board Repor…6E34034E | 1 | Root | | Heading2 | 1. Executive summary |2A8D004A | 1 | Root | | body:L-1 | Revenue reached $14.2M in Q3, up 34…t_001 | 1 | Root | | table:1x1 | r1c1 The board is asked to approve th…550B88F0 | 1 | Root | | Heading2 | 2. Financial performance |t_002 | 1 | Root | | table:6x4 | r1c1 Metric | r1c2 Q3 2025 | r1c3 Q3 …58FD6E31 | 1 | Root | | chart | [Chart columnStacked] Revenue by quart…56AC2CF6 | 1 | Root | | chart | [Chart line] Operating margin (%) | ca…
Stable IDs
Every paragraph, table and chart has a handle the agent can aim at.
No markup to read
The XML stays out of the model’s way, and out of its context.
Exact targeting
Change one cell, one word or one chart without touching anything else.
Four promises
Atomic
An agent sends a whole batch of edits. If one is wrong, every one is undone and the file is untouched. No half-edited documents. Ever.
Every save is a commit.
History
Browse the history, preview what a revert would change, then revert or redo. History is append-only, so nothing your agent did is ever lost.
Safety
The server only touches the folders you allow, and nowhere else. When you are ready to share a file, one sanitize step strips the authors, comments and revision history, and can redact emails and phone numbers. It runs when you ask for it, not automatically.
Validation
Every save is checked against the Word package rules. If something is wrong, nothing is written, and the agent is told exactly how to fix it.
How it works
You say it in plain words.
The output
Every page below was built by an agent through ASTra, then rendered straight from the saved file.
Built by an agent with the real server and rendered from the saved file. Click a page to zoom in.
See it work
This is a recording of an agent talking to the ASTra server. Nothing here is mocked.
One call turns a Markdown file into a three-page board report: a styled table, three native charts, callouts, a footnote, a link and a code block. Then the agent checks it and saves.
Agent calls new_document
{
"outPath": "/path/to/documents/atlas-board-report.docx",
"template": "blank",
"styleGuide": "atlas-style.md"
}ASTra returns (trimmed)
{
"ok": true,
"sessionId": "sess_7c1e4a52-2f3b-4d0e-9a61-0c5b8e2d4f17",
"revision": 1
}Recorded from a real run of ASTra MCP server 0.2.0 (repository commit 04f1f84). Session IDs and folder paths are shortened; nothing else is edited except where marked trimmed. Regenerate with npm run demo.
Everything Word can do
Charts
Column, bar, line, area, pie, doughnut, scatter, combo and 3D. Native to Word, still editable there.
Review
Real tracked changes with the author and date you choose, plus comments anchored to the exact paragraph. Accept or reject in one move.
Tables
Add, move and reshape rows and columns by ID. Headers, widths and styles stay exactly where they belong.
Compose
Hand it Markdown. Get back a finished, styled document with a cover, tables, charts and callouts in place.
Comments and threaded replies anchored to the exact paragraph, from any reviewer you name.
Footnotes, endnotes, bookmarks and hyperlinks, all wired up so they work the moment the file opens.
Cover pages, headers and footers, watermarks, page borders, sections and page setup.
Drop in a style guide once. Every table, callout and chart follows your palette.
Pages render back to the agent as images, so it checks its own layout before you ever do.
Strip authors, comments, revisions, hidden metadata and personal data in a single pass.
Send the same document out as PDF, HTML or Markdown without leaving the pipeline.
Browse history, preview a revert, restore any revision, redo it. Nothing is ever overwritten.
Three ways in
Start here
Plug it into Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, Claude Code or any MCP client. Sandboxed to the folders you list.
{
"mcpServers": {
"astra": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@attentionform/astra-mcp-server",
"--allowed-dir",
"/path/to/your/documents"
]
}
}
}For pipelines
Inspect, validate, batch-edit, sanitize and export from scripts and CI. Scriptable and repeatable.
npx -y @attentionform/astra validate report.docx
npx -y @attentionform/astra export report.docx --format pdf -o report.pdfFor builders
The library behind both. Parse, edit in batches and serialise from your own Node code.
import { DocxParser, OperationEngine } from '@attentionform/astra-engine';
const parser = new DocxParser(fs.readFileSync('report.docx'));
const ast = await parser.getAST();
const engine = new OperationEngine(ast, parser);
const result = await engine.executeBatch({
operations: [{ action: 'replace', target: ast.sections[0].nodes[0].id, text: 'New title' }],
});
if (result.success) fs.writeFileSync('report.docx', parser.rezip());One config entry. Try it on a copy of a real document and watch what changes.
Source-available under the Business Source License 1.1. Free for individuals, schools, non-profits and small businesses.