Microsoft Access Skill for Claude Code

An AI agent skill that enables Claude Code to create, modify, and manage Microsoft Access databases through text-based source files.

What It Does

This skill teaches Claude Code how to work with Microsoft Access databases exported via the Access Version Control System (VCS) add-in. With it, Claude Code can create and edit:

• Tables, relationships, and queries
• Forms (including master-child subforms)
• Reports with grouping, totals, and formatting
• VBA modules and event-driven code
• Database properties and startup configuration

How It Works

flowchart LR
    A[AccessDatabase] -->|VCS Export| B[Text SourceFiles]
    B -->|Claude Code +ms-access-vcs skill| C[ModifiedSource Files]
    C -->|VCS Build| D[Updated AccessDatabase]

1. Export — Use the VCS add-in to export your Access database to text-based source files (.bas, .cls, .sql, .xml, .json)
2. Edit — Claude Code reads and modifies these source files using the ms-access-vcs skill, which understands the binary text format, control properties, VBA wiring, and all the structural rules required for a clean import
3. Build — Use the VCS add-in to rebuild the Access database from the modified source files

This also works for new databases — Claude Code can generate an entire database from a single prompt.

Prerequisites

• Microsoft Windows with Microsoft Access installed
• Access Version Control System (VCS) — the add-in that exports/imports Access databases as text
• Claude Code — Anthropic’s CLI-based AI coding agent

[!NOTE] OpenCode is also supported as an alternative AI agent. The skill format is compatible with both tools.

Getting Started

1. Install the Skill

Copy the .claude/skills/ms-access-vcs folder into your project:

your-project/
├── .claude/
│   └── skills/
│       └── ms-access-vcs/
│           ├── SKILL.md
│           └── LICENSE
├── YourDatabase.accdb.src/
│   ├── forms/
│   ├── queries/
│   ├── tables/
│   └── ...

Alternatively, install it globally at ~/.claude/skills/ms-access-vcs/ to make it available across all your projects.

2. Export Your Database (Existing Projects)

If you have an existing Access database:

1. Open the database in Microsoft Access
2. Use the VCS add-in: Version Control → Export All Source
3. This creates a .accdb.src/ folder containing all database objects as text files

3. Use Claude Code

Start Claude Code in your project directory and describe what you want:

claude

For new databases, you can describe the entire application in a single prompt. For existing databases, describe the changes you need.

4. Build the Database