How to Start Building with the Univer Office SDK

Updated

Univer's Office SDK is the entry point for developers who want to embed office tools and agent workflows directly into their own product. You use it to build all six office tools — spreadsheets, docs, slides, canvases, relational tables, and PDFs — plus multi-agent workflows on worktrees, inside your own application. It fits teams that want to design their own UI/UX, self-host the runtime, and connect their own auth, databases, and knowledge bases rather than adopt a finished end-user app.

What the SDK gives you

The SDK is described as one integration for six office tools that you can compose and embed freely. Instead of stitching together separate libraries for each file type, you integrate once and get the whole runtime.

  • Six tools, one runtime. Spreadsheets, docs, slides, canvases, relational tables, and PDFs share the same storage and computation layer.
  • Composable and embeddable. Tools can be combined and embedded into each other — a slide can hold a live sheet, a doc can cite its source, a canvas can lay it all out.
  • Synchronized data. Because sources and references share one runtime, when a source changes, references update.
  • Multi-agent workflows on worktrees. Parallel by default, with human-reviewed changes by design.
  • Agent compatibility. The site lists OpenCode, Claude Code, OpenClaw, Hermes, Codex, WorkBuddy, and Kimi Work as supported agents.

What you can customize

The SDK is positioned for teams that need control below the surface, not just a themed widget.

  • Build your own UI and UX. The SDK provides the engine; you design the interface.
  • Self-host. Run it on your own infrastructure and connect your own auth, databases, and knowledge bases.
  • Customize down to the engine. Formulas, assets, and components are all customizable.
  • One integration, six tools. You don't maintain six separate integrations.

How to get started

  1. Go to the Univer site and open the SDK section. The page presents two paths: "Build with SDK" and "Read the docs."
  2. Copy the SDK prompt. The site provides a "Copy SDK prompt" action, which is the fastest way to hand the integration context to your agent or development environment.
  3. Read the docs. The documentation is the authoritative source for setup, APIs, and configuration.
  4. Start from the GitHub repository. The site links to GitHub for building with the SDK.
  5. Try the live demos first if you want to see behavior before integrating. The page offers live demos for the spreadsheet and docs tools.

What each tool covers

The runtime is not a thin wrapper around a grid or a text box. Each tool is a full engine.

Spreadsheet

  • Full spreadsheet engine with web rendering of 10 million cells and smooth scrolling.
  • Runs in the browser and on the server, with real-time collaboration built in.
  • Formula execution with 500+ built-in functions, conditional formatting, data validation, PivotTables, sparklines, and filtering.
  • Freeze panes, group rows and columns, merge cells, tables, and number formats.
  • 31 editable chart types, 180+ shapes, rich text, floating pictures, pictures in cells, and hyperlinks.

Docs

  • Full typesetting engine with Word-class layout and Notion-like editing.
  • Runs in the browser and on the server, with real-time collaboration built in.
  • Headers and footers, pagination, headings, section breaks, multi-column layout, and page size and orientation.
  • Tables, pictures, bulleted and numbered lists.

Choosing between SDK and live demos

If you want to… Start with
Evaluate behavior before committing Live demos for spreadsheet and docs
Embed tools in your own product Office SDK
Design your own UI/UX Office SDK
Self-host with your own auth and databases Office SDK
Customize formulas, assets, and components Office SDK

Common sticking points

  • The SDK is not a hosted product. You self-host and connect your own auth, databases, and knowledge bases, so plan for that infrastructure work.
  • UI is yours to build. The SDK gives you the engine and components; the interface is your responsibility.
  • Agent support is a list, not a guarantee. The site names specific agents; verify your target agent against the docs.
  • Pricing and login requirements are not stated on the page. Don't assume the SDK is free or requires no account — check the docs and GitHub for current terms.

For the exact setup steps, API surface, and current terms, use the documentation and GitHub links on univer.ai rather than relying on the marketing page alone.