Brightspace MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that allows you to access your Purdue University Brightspace account through Claude Desktop. Ask Claude about your courses, assignments, and grades in natural language!

Overview

Since students can't access the official D2L Brightspace API, this project uses Playwright for web scraping to extract Brightspace data. It handles Duo Mobile 2FA authentication and integrates seamlessly with Claude Desktop through the Model Context Protocol.

Features

• ✅ Automated Duo Mobile 2FA - Handles Purdue's two-factor authentication

• ✅ Course List Extraction - Get all your enrolled courses

• ✅ MCP Integration - Works with Claude Desktop for natural language queries

• ✅ Secure Credentials - Environment-based credential management

• 🟡 Assignment Scraping - In development

• 🟡 Grade Tracking - Planned feature

Prerequisites

• Python 3.12 (required for compatibility)

• macOS (tested on macOS, may work on other platforms)

• Purdue Career Account with Brightspace access

• Duo Mobile app configured for your account

• Claude Desktop installed (Download here)

Installation

Step 1: Clone and Setup

Step 2: Configure Credentials

Create a .env file in the project root:

⚠️ Important: Never commit your .env file to git! It's already in .gitignore.

Step 3: Test the Scraper (Optional)

Before setting up Claude Desktop, you can test if the scraper works:

This will:

1. Open a browser window

2. Navigate to Purdue Brightspace

3. Prompt you to approve Duo Mobile authentication

4. Scrape your course list

5. Save data to brightspace_data.json

Step 4: Configure Claude Desktop

1. Open Claude Desktop

2. Go to: File → Settings → Developer

3. Click: Edit Config

4. Add this configuration to the opened file:

⚠️ Important: Replace /absolute/path/to/ with your actual project path. For example:

To get your absolute path, run this in the project directory:

5. Save the configuration file

6. Restart Claude Desktop completely

Step 5: Test the Integration

Open Claude Desktop and try these commands:

If you see the hello tool, the integration is working! 🎉

Project Structure

How It Works

Authentication Flow

MCP Integration

Available MCP Tools

Once configured, you can ask Claude to:

• hello - Test that the MCP server is working

• More tools coming soon (get_courses, get_assignments, etc.)

Troubleshooting

MCP Server Not Showing in Claude

1. Verify paths are absolute in claude_desktop_config.json

2. Check Python version: Must be Python 3.12 (python --version)

3. Restart Claude Desktop completely

4. Check Claude Desktop logs: ~/Library/Logs/Claude/main.log

Authentication Fails

1. Check credentials in .env file

2. Test manually: Run python testing/playwright_trial.py

3. Approve Duo Mobile quickly when prompted (60-second timeout)

4. Check network connection to Purdue servers

No Courses Found

1. Run the scraper directly: python brightspace_api.py

2. Check the debug screenshot: homepage_debug.png

3. Verify you're enrolled in courses on Brightspace

4. CSS selectors may have changed - open an issue if this happens

Development

Testing the Scraper

Modifying the MCP Server

The MCP server is in mcp_server.py. To add new tools:

1. Add tool definition in @app.list_tools()

2. Add tool handler in @app.call_tool()

3. Implement scraper method in brightspace_api.py

4. Restart Claude Desktop

Important Notes

• Terms of Service: This project respects Purdue's terms of service and only accesses your own data

• Rate Limiting: Uses reasonable scraping intervals to avoid server load

• Security: Credentials are stored locally in .env and never committed to git

• Maintenance: CSS selectors may need updates if Brightspace changes their UI

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please:

1. Fork the repository

2. Create a feature branch

3. Test your changes

4. Submit a pull request

License

See LICENSE file for details.

Support

For issues or questions:

1. Check the Troubleshooting section above

2. Open an issue on GitHub

3. Contact Purdue IT if you have Brightspace access issues

Acknowledgments

Built with:

• Playwright - Browser automation

• MCP Python SDK - Model Context Protocol

• Claude Desktop - AI assistant integration

Note: This is an unofficial project and is not affiliated with Purdue University or D2L Corporation.