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purdue-mcp

purdue-mcp

by sharziki
OverviewSchemaSourceRelated ServersDiscussionsAdmin
TypeScript
Remote

purdue-mcp

One MCP server for all public, real-time Purdue University data — dining menus, live gym occupancy, the course catalog, bus times, campus events, student orgs, library hours, athletics, news, and weather. Point any MCP client (Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor, …) at it and ask "what's for dinner at Wiley", "how busy is the CoRec", or "when's the next bus from the PMU".

33 tools across 13 public sources.

Everything it reads is public and unauthenticated. It never touches a student account, grades, schedules, bursar records, or anything behind a Purdue login.

Unofficial and community-run. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by Purdue University.

Install

Terminal / application CLI

npx -y -p purdue-mcp@latest purdue-data list
npx -y -p purdue-mcp@latest purdue-data schema dining_menu
npx -y -p purdue-mcp@latest purdue-data call dining_menu '{"location":"Wiley","meal":"Lunch"}'

list and schema print JSON. call prints the MCP tool result as JSON and exits nonzero on tool errors. No shell command is passed through to a Purdue tool.

The CLI ships alongside the existing MCP transports; publish this package version before using the @latest commands above.

Claude Code

claude mcp add purdue -s user -- npx -y purdue-mcp@latest

Codex CLI

codex mcp add purdue -- npx -y purdue-mcp@latest

Cursor / Claude Desktop / Windsurf — merge into the client's MCP config:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "purdue": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "purdue-mcp@latest"]
    }
  }
}

The @latest tag re-resolves the newest version on every launch, so it stays current on its own. Needs Node 20+. No API key, no account, no auth.

Config paths, VS Code, offline/global install, and troubleshooting are in install.md.

Let an agent install it

Paste this into any coding agent:

Install the purdue-mcp MCP server for me — public real-time Purdue University data (dining menus, live gym occupancy, courses, bus times, events, athletics, library hours, weather). On npm as purdue-mcp, needs Node 20+, no API key. Detect my MCP client and register it with npx -y purdue-mcp@latest as the command, using the @latest tag so it stays current. Then verify it connects and tell me which tools it exposes. Full instructions: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/sharziki/purdue-mcp/main/install.md

Or run from source

git clone https://github.com/sharziki/purdue-mcp && cd purdue-mcp
npm install && npm run build

Related MCP server: SG Gov MCP Server

Tools

Dining — Purdue HFS dining API

Tool

What it answers

dining_locations

Every dining court / Quick Bites / On-the-GO!, open right now or next meal time

dining_menu

Full menu for a location and date, by meal and station, with vegan/vegetarian/allergen filters

dining_find_item

"Who's serving chicken tenders today?" — searches every dining court at once

dining_item_nutrition

Full nutrition panel for any menu item

dining_line_length

Crowdsourced live line-length reports (populated around peak meal hours)

Registration — live seats (Purdue Banner)

Tool

What it answers

course_availability

How many seats are actually open right now in each section, with waitlists, CRNs, meeting times, instructors

section_details

Seats, waitlist, prerequisites, and major/level restrictions for one CRN — "why can't I register for this"

banner_terms

Which terms are open for registration vs. view-only

Academics — Purdue.io course catalog

Tool

What it answers

list_terms

Term codes and date ranges, newest first

list_subjects

Every subject code (CS, MA, ENGR, …)

search_courses

Courses by subject, number, or title keyword — with descriptions and credit hours

course_sections

CRNs, section types, meeting days/times, rooms, and instructors for a term

find_building

Resolve a building code, e.g. LWSN → Lawson Computer Science Bldg

Campus life

Tool

What it answers

search_events

Official university calendar — lectures, athletics, career fairs, deadlines

search_student_orgs

~1,200 student orgs, searched by what someone is into — typo-tolerant, understands campus synonyms, reads full descriptions. include_links returns each club's email, website and socials

student_org_profile

One org in full: mission, contact email and phone, website and every social account, categories, whether it's taking members, next events

search_club_events

Upcoming club events: callouts, socials, meetings — same search, plus filters for host org, theme, category, free food/free stuff, and date window

club_event_details

One club event in full: complete description, street address and coordinates, perks, RSVP count and spots left

boilerlink_categories

The exact org/event category and theme names the two searches accept

huddle_events

Student-posted flyers from Huddle — callouts, free-food nights, tryouts and socials that never reach the official calendar. Same typo-tolerant search, plus tag/org filters and a ~2,600-event archive

reddit_purdue

What students are actually talking about on r/Purdue (unofficial)

purdue_exponent

Purdue Exponent student newspaper — campus reporting, editorially independent

Facilities

Tool

What it answers

recwell_occupancy

Live headcount and % capacity for all 37 counted RecWell spaces — "how busy is the CoRec right now"

library_hours

Today's hours and open/closed status for every library, or the full week

Athletics

Tool

What it answers

athletics_sports

Every varsity team and its current season schedule

athletics_schedule

Full season for one team — opponents, rankings, home/away, venue, results

athletics_upcoming

Next Boilermaker games across all sports, soonest first

Getting around

Tool

What it answers

bus_routes

Every CityBus route serving campus and Greater Lafayette

bus_stops

Find stops by name, or the stops nearest a lat/lon

bus_next_departures

Next scheduled departures from a stop, with minutes-until

Exams

Tool

What it answers

course_exams

Every scheduled exam for a course — date, time, rooms, days remaining

upcoming_exams

What is coming in the next N days, optionally only your courses

exam_schedule_status

Which term the published schedules cover, and how many exams they hold

Purdue schedules evening exams at night, outside normal class meetings, and they are what mid-semester study planning turns on; a course requiring them is flagged in the catalog. Final exams are the separate end-of-term block. Both come from the Registrar's published schedules.

upcoming_exams(days: 21, courses: ["MA 26100", "CS 18000"])
  → CS 18000GLD — Wed 2026-09-30 08:00p-09:00p (in 12d) · HAAS G050, …  [evening]
    MA 26100    — Mon 2026-10-05 08:00p-09:00p (in 17d) · Loeb Plyhs, … [evening]

News and deadlines

Tool

What it answers

purdue_news

Official newsroom articles, searchable

academic_calendar

First day of classes, breaks, finals week, add/drop deadlines

Environment

Tool

What it answers

campus_weather

Current conditions, forecast, and active NWS alerts for West Lafayette

Dates default to today in the campus timezone (America/Indiana/Indianapolis), so the server gives the right answer no matter where it runs.

Data sources

Source

Endpoint

Notes

Purdue Dining (HFS)

api.hfs.purdue.edu/menus/v2

Official, public, unauthenticated

Purdue Banner

selfservice.mypurdue.purdue.edu/prod

Public class search — no login. Authoritative for seats/waitlist/prereqs. HTML, so parsing is version-sensitive.

Purdue.io

api.purdue.io/odata

Community-run open-source catalog mirror (Purdue-io/PurdueApi)

Purdue Events

events.purdue.edu/api/2

Localist public API

Huddle

gethuddle.social/api/firestore/events

Student-run event app; one request returns the whole college corpus. Behind Vercel's bot challenge, so it is pulled by purdue-mcp-huddle on your own machine rather than fetched live — see below.

BoilerLink

boilerlink.purdue.edu/api/discovery

Anthology Engage public discovery API. Same host students use; purdue.campuslabs.com/engage serves it too. Org website keys are not in the search index — they only resolve through /organization/bykey/{key}, which is also the only place email and socials live. Upstream search is plain keyword OR, so all 1,206 orgs (13 requests) and ~1,500 upcoming events (4 requests) are crawled once and ranked locally.

Purdue RecWell

goboardapi.azurewebsites.net (Connect2)

Live occupancy counters; account key is the one Purdue's own public widget ships

Purdue Libraries

calendar.lib.purdue.edu

Springshare LibCal public hours endpoints

Purdue Athletics

purduesports.com/website-api

Official athletics site's public JSON API

Purdue Newsroom / Registrar

purdue.edu/{newsroom,registrar}/wp-json

WordPress REST API

Registrar exam schedules

purdue.edu/registrar/pdf/exam/current_*.pdf

The only published form; there is no exam API. UniTime-generated PDFs at stable current_* URLs, replaced in place each term. Text is extracted directly (no PDF dependency) and rows are attributed by carrying the subject and course forward, since the report prints each only once per block.

CityBus

bus.gocitybus.com GTFS

Static schedule feed; no public real-time feed exists

r/Purdue

reddit.com/r/Purdue/.rss

Unofficial student chatter

Purdue Exponent

purdueexponent.org RSS

Independent student newspaper

NOAA / NWS

api.weather.gov

Public federal API

Huddle needs one command from you

Huddle is the only source here that cannot be fetched at request time. Every plain HTTP client — curl, fetch, this server — gets 429 with x-vercel-mitigated: challenge, whatever the headers. And the challenge is IP-reputation gated: a real browser clears it in about a second from a home or campus connection, and never clears it from a datacenter address (measured on a VPS, which by extension rules out CI runners and any hosted mirror).

There is therefore no server anyone can run that stays fresh. So the fetch happens on your machine, when you ask for it:

npx -y purdue-mcp-huddle          # ~4s, uses a Chrome you already have

That writes ~/.cache/purdue-mcp/huddle-purdue.json (~2,600 events) and huddle_events prefers it from then on. Nothing is installed as a service, nothing runs in the background, and no browser profile or login is touched — a throwaway profile opens the public events page, reads the API from inside it, and exits. puppeteer-core drives a browser you already have; no browser is downloaded.

To keep it current, put it on cron — or don't, and refresh when you care. Every response states how old its copy is and warns past six hours. Full setup, scheduling and troubleshooting: skills/purdue-huddle, which an agent can follow on your behalf.

Where it reads from

When

PURDUE_MCP_HUDDLE_MIRROR

Set — a file path or a URL. Lets a club share one copy.

~/.cache/purdue-mcp/huddle-purdue.json

You ran the refresher.

A copy on this repo's data branch

You haven't. Refreshed by hand, often stale, and labelled "shared copy" in every response.

Requires a Chromium-family browser (Chrome, Chromium, Edge, Brave). Firefox cannot be used — it does not speak the DevTools protocol.

Responses are cached in-process with short TTLs (30s–24h depending on how fast the data moves) to stay a polite client. Nothing is persisted to disk.

Ruled out (investigated, no public source)

  • Laundry machine availability — Purdue moved residence-hall laundry to CSCPay Mobile, which has no public web status page. The old washalertweb host the community app scraped no longer resolves.

  • Real-time bus positions — CityBus publishes GTFS static only. No GTFS-Realtime feed is listed on Transitland or the Mobility Database, and MyRide's backend is not public. bus_next_departures returns timetable times.

  • Parking garage availability — Purdue Parking publishes no live space counts.

  • Grades, personal schedules, bursar — behind the myPurdue login. Out of scope by design.

  • Library study-room availability — LibCal's spaces API requires OAuth credentials the library would have to issue.

  • Laundry (again) — CSCPay has no public read API of any kind.

Seat availability was on this list — it turned out Banner's class search needs no login, so course_availability now covers it.

Adding a source

Each source is one file in src/sources/ exporting a registerX(server) that calls server.registerTool(...). Register it in src/index.ts. Use getJSON() from src/lib/http.ts so you inherit the timeout, User-Agent, and cache.

Rules of the road:

  1. Public data only. Nothing that needs a Purdue login, and nothing about a specific individual.

  2. Verify the endpoint is live before shipping it — npm run smoke hits every real upstream and is the test suite.

  3. Be a polite client. Sensible cache TTL, no tight polling.

npm run build
npm run smoke   # live end-to-end check of all tools

License

MIT

Available Tools

29 tools
academic_calendarPurdue academic calendar and registrar infoA

The official academic calendar — first day of classes, breaks, finals week, commencement — plus any registrar page (add/drop deadlines, exam scheduling, grade policies) by keyword. Source: purdue.edu/registrar (WordPress REST API, live).

Inputs: limit, query.

athletics_schedulePurdue team scheduleA

Full season schedule for one Purdue team — dates, opponents, home/away, venue, and final scores where played. Source: purduesports.com (official athletics site API).

Inputs: sport (required), upcoming_only.

athletics_sportsList Purdue varsity sportsB

Every Purdue varsity sport and its current schedule id. Source: purduesports.com (official athletics site API).

Inputs: no named parameters.

athletics_upcomingNext Purdue games across all sportsA

The next Boilermaker games across every varsity sport, soonest first — what to go watch this week. Source: purduesports.com (official athletics site API).

Inputs: days, limit, home_only.

bus_next_departuresNext scheduled buses from a stopA

Next scheduled CityBus departures from a stop today, by route and headsign. These are timetable times — CityBus publishes no public real-time feed, so buses may run early or late. Source: CityBus GTFS feed.

Inputs: stop (required), date, limit.

bus_routesList CityBus routesA

Every CityBus route serving Purdue and Greater Lafayette. Source: CityBus GTFS feed (scheduled service; CityBus publishes no public real-time feed).

Inputs: query.

bus_stopsFind CityBus stopsA

Search CityBus stops by name, or find the stops nearest a latitude/longitude on campus. Source: CityBus GTFS feed.

Inputs: lat, lon, limit, query.

campus_weatherPurdue campus weatherA

Current conditions and forecast for the Purdue West Lafayette campus, plus any active severe-weather alerts. Source: NOAA/NWS api.weather.gov (live).

Inputs: hourly, periods.

course_availabilityLive seat and waitlist counts for a courseA

How many seats are actually open in each section of a course right now, with waitlist counts, CRNs, meeting times, and instructors. This is the authoritative registration data — use it over search_courses/course_sections when the question is 'can I get in'. Source: Purdue Banner self-service (public, live).

Inputs: number (required), subject (required), term, limit, +1 more.

course_sectionsGet sections and meeting times for a courseB

CRNs, section types, meeting days/times, rooms, and instructors for a course in a given term. Source: Purdue.io.

Inputs: number (required), subject (required), term.

dining_find_itemFind a food item across dining courtsA

Search every Purdue dining court's menu for a dish on a given date — answers 'who is serving chicken tenders today'. Source: Purdue HFS dining API (live).

Inputs: query (required), date, meal, include_retail.

dining_item_nutritionNutrition facts for a dining itemA

Full nutrition panel for one menu item, by the item id returned from dining_menu or dining_find_item. Source: Purdue HFS dining API (live).

Inputs: item_id (required).

dining_line_lengthLive dining court line lengthsA

Crowdsourced real-time line-length reports for Purdue dining courts. Often empty outside peak hours. Source: Purdue HFS dining API (live).

Inputs: no named parameters.

dining_locationsList Purdue dining locationsA

List every Purdue dining location (dining courts, quick bites, On-the-GO!) with whether it is open right now and the next meal period. Source: Purdue HFS dining API (live).

Inputs: type, open_now.

dining_menuGet a dining court menuC

Full menu for one Purdue dining location on a date, by meal period and station, with dietary tags. Source: Purdue HFS dining API (live).

Inputs: location (required), date, meal, vegan_only, +2 more.

find_buildingLook up a campus buildingA

Resolve a Purdue building short code or name (e.g. 'LWSN' -> Lawson Computer Science Building). Source: Purdue.io.

Inputs: query.

library_hoursPurdue library hoursA

Today's hours and open/closed status for every Purdue library and study space (WALC, Hicks, HSSE, Parrish, Archives, …), or a full week's grid. Source: Purdue Libraries LibCal (live).

Inputs: week, query, open_now.

list_subjectsList course subjectsA

All course subject codes at Purdue (CS, MA, ENGR, …), optionally filtered by name. Source: Purdue.io.

Inputs: query.

list_termsList Purdue academic termsA

Every term in the Purdue course catalog, newest first, with codes and date ranges. Use the code with the other course tools. Source: Purdue.io (community catalog mirror).

Inputs: limit.

purdue_exponentPurdue Exponent student newspaperB

Articles from the Purdue Exponent, the independent student newspaper — campus reporting, student government, local news, sports coverage. Editorially independent of the university. Source: purdueexponent.org public feed.

Inputs: limit, section.

purdue_newsPurdue University newsA

Official Purdue newsroom articles — research announcements, university decisions, campus news — searchable by keyword. Source: purdue.edu/newsroom (WordPress REST API, live).

Inputs: limit, query, full_text.

recwell_occupancyLive gym / CoRec occupancyA

Real-time headcount and percent-of-capacity for every counted Purdue RecWell space — CoRec fitness floors, tracks, courts, climbing walls, pools. Answers 'how busy is the gym right now'. Source: Purdue RecWell live facility counts (updates ~every 30s).

Inputs: sort, query, open_only.

reddit_purdueWhat Purdue students are talking aboutA

Current posts from r/Purdue — the unofficial student pulse: housing and sublease chatter, campus gripes, events, advice threads, what is actually happening this week. Unofficial and unmoderated by the university; treat as opinion, not fact. Source: reddit.com/r/Purdue public feed.

Inputs: sort, limit.

search_club_eventsSearch student-org events on BoilerLinkA

Upcoming student organization events (club meetings, socials, callouts) with time, room, and host org. Distinct from the official university calendar. Source: BoilerLink / Anthology Engage (live).

Inputs: limit, query.

search_coursesSearch the Purdue course catalogB

Find courses by subject code, course number, and/or title keyword — returns titles, credit hours, and descriptions. Source: Purdue.io.

Inputs: limit, number, subject, title_contains.

search_eventsSearch official Purdue campus eventsB

Official university event calendar (lectures, athletics, concerts, deadlines, career fairs) with times, locations, and links. Source: events.purdue.edu (Localist, live).

Inputs: days, limit, query, start.

search_student_orgsSearch Purdue student organizationsB

Search BoilerLink's directory of ~1,200 registered student organizations by name or keyword. Source: BoilerLink / Anthology Engage (live).

Inputs: limit, query.

section_detailsFull registration detail for one CRNA

Everything Banner knows about one section: seats, waitlist, prerequisites, and major/level restrictions. Answers 'why can't I register for this'. Meeting times come from course_availability or course_sections. Source: Purdue Banner self-service (public, live).

Inputs: crn (required), term.

Tool Schema Changelog

Recent tool additions, removals, and schema changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Loading tool schema changelog…

    Deploy Server
    One endpoint for every MCP toolRayrun runs every MCP server behind one URL and holds the credentials. Each call is decided per client, tool, and argument, then recorded.ray.runAd

    TDQS

    A3.7/5.0

    Scored across 29 tools

    Disambiguation5/5

    Each tool targets a distinct resource and action, such as bus stops versus departures, dining locations versus menus, and course search versus availability. The descriptions clearly differentiate overlapping domains like official events and club events.

    Naming Consistency5/5

    All 29 tools follow a consistent snake_case pattern with a domain-specific prefix (bus_, dining_, list_, search_, etc.) and a descriptive verb or noun. The naming is predictable and easy to interpret.

    Tool Count3/5

    With 29 tools, the set is on the high side, exceeding the typical 3-15 range for a well-scoped server. However, the server covers a broad range of university functions (dining, transportation, courses, events, athletics, etc.), and each tool serves a specific purpose, making the count borderline reasonable.

    Completeness4/5

    The server covers most common Purdue queries: dining, bus, courses, registration, events, athletics, news, calendar, library, weather, recwell, and student organizations. Minor gaps like parking or a campus map exist, but the surface is extensive and cohesive.

    Maintenance

    ActivitySlowing
    ResponsivenessNo recent community issues

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