# Brown Courses@Brown MCP Server

MCP server for Brown University's course catalog (cab.brown.edu). Search courses, get details, check schedule conflicts — all through Claude. No API keys or auth needed.

## Tools

| Tool | What it does |
|------|-------------|
| `search` | Find courses by keyword, department, instructor, or semester. |
| `course_detail` | Full details: description, prereqs, instructor, seats, Critical Review link. |
| `schedule_check` | Check multiple courses for time conflicts. |
| `departments` | List common Brown department codes. |

Typical flow: `search` to find courses → `course_detail` for the ones you're interested in → `schedule_check` to make sure they don't conflict.

## Setup

```bash
cd brown-courses-mcp
uv sync          # or: pip install -e .
```

## Claude Desktop

Add to `~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json`:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "brown-courses": {
      "command": "uv",
      "args": ["run", "--directory", "/path/to/brown-courses-mcp", "python", "server.py"]
    }
  }
}
```

## Claude Code

```bash
claude mcp add brown-courses -- uv run --directory /path/to/brown-courses-mcp python server.py
```

## API

Both endpoints are Brown-hosted, unauthenticated, and return JSON:

```
POST https://cab.brown.edu/api/?page=fose&route=search
POST https://cab.brown.edu/api/?page=fose&route=details
```

Search request body:
```json
{
  "other": {"srcdb": "202520"},
  "criteria": [
    {"field": "keyword", "value": "linear algebra"},
    {"field": "is_canc", "value": "N"}
  ]
}
```

Details request body:
```json
{
  "srcdb": "202520",
  "group": "code:MATH 1530"
}
```

### Term codes

| Code | Meaning |
|------|---------|
| `YYYY10` | Fall |
| `YYYY15` | Winter |
| `YYYY20` | Spring |
| `YYYY00` | Summer |
| `999999` | Any term |

## Notes

- No authentication required for read-only course data (descriptions, times, instructors, enrollment counts).
- The details endpoint returns HTML fragments for some fields (instructor info, seats, suggested courses) — the server parses these into clean text.
- Term codes go back to at least 2016 in the CAB system.
- `schedule_check` uses the structured `meetingTimes` JSON for conflict detection, not the human-readable `meets` string.

## Credits

Pattern inspired by [kenmham/DiningMCP](https://github.com/kenmham/DiningMCP).