Click on "Deploy Server".
Wait a few minutes for the server to deploy. Once ready, it will show a "Started" state.
In the chat, type @ followed by the MCP server name and your instructions, e.g., "@nyu-brightspace-mcp What assignments are due this week?"
That's it! The server will respond to your query, and you can continue using it as needed.
Here is a step-by-step guide with screenshots.
MCP server for NYU Brightspace (brightspace.nyu.edu). Read-only: deadlines, assignments, grades, announcements, course content.
A rewrite of brightspace-mcp-server (Purdue-oriented, Microsoft Entra SSO) for NYU's Shibboleth + Duo login and NYU course conventions.
bun install
bun run build
node dist/index.js setup # optional: NetID + password (macOS Keychain) for auto-fill
node dist/index.js login # Chrome window: NetID + Duo, tick "trust this browser"
node dist/index.js statusRegister with Claude Code:
claude mcp add -s user brightspace -- node /absolute/path/to/nyu-brightspace-mcp/dist/index.jsLogin runs a real browser through playwright-core, trying in order: installed Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, then Playwright's Chromium if already downloaded. Nothing is downloaded at install time, so ignore-scripts=true in .npmrc does not matter. With none of them installed, login fails with a hint to install Chrome or run npx playwright install chromium.
Related MCP server: Moodle MCP for Students
login saves the full browser storage state (Brightspace, Shibboleth and Duo cookies) to ~/.nyu-brightspace-mcp/session.json (mode 0600).
API calls use the Brightspace session cookies directly.
When the Brightspace session expires, the server silently re-runs the SSO flow in headless Chrome. It succeeds without Duo while the Shibboleth session or Duo "trusted browser" cookie is alive. It never waits on a Duo push in the background; if interaction is needed, the tool error tells the model to call login, which opens a visible window.
With setup, the NetID password lives in the macOS Keychain (service nyu-brightspace-mcp) and is auto-filled on the Shibboleth page. Env vars NYU_NETID / NYU_PASSWORD also work.
Tool | What it does |
| Deadlines across current courses from one calendar call, with submission/completion status, plus deadline sentences found in recent announcements (for Gradescope-only courses) |
| Current-semester courses by default; parses |
| Dropbox folders, submission status, scores, feedback, instructions, attachments |
| Quiz windows, time limits, attempts |
| Released grade items with weights and the final grade |
| Newest first, as markdown |
| Module outline with topicIds, file types, external tools (Gradescope, Ed), links |
| Text from PDF (per page), DOCX, PPTX, HTML, ZIP (inlines code/tex), plain text |
| Saves a topic file or assignment attachment to |
| Brightspace forums; course staff |
| Session check; interactive NetID + Duo |
| Raw GET on any Valence path ( |
Every course argument takes an org unit id or text: cs310, CSCI-UA 480, algorithms, OS, or a word from the course's module titles (crypto).
Env var | Default |
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| unset: try |
MIT
Escape hatch: GET any Brightspace Valence API path and return raw JSON. Use /lp/... or /le/... to auto-insert the version (e.g. /le/123456/news/), or a full /d2l/api/... path.
Inputs: path (required).
Check whether the NYU Brightspace session works and who is logged in.
Inputs: no named parameters.
Save a file locally: a content topic (topicId) or an assignment attachment (assignmentId + fileId from get_assignment).
Inputs: course (required), dir, fileId, topicId, +1 more.
Course announcements, newest first, as markdown. Omit course for all current courses.
Inputs: days, full, limit, course.
One assignment in full: instructions, attached files/links, my submissions, feedback and score.
Inputs: course (required), assignmentId (required).
Brightspace assignments (dropbox folders) with due dates, submission status and scores. Omit course for all current courses.
Inputs: course.
Course staff (instructors, TAs) with NetIDs and emails; everyone=true lists all students too.
Inputs: course (required), everyone.
Course content outline (modules and topics with topicIds, file types, links, due dates). Shows external tools like Gradescope/Ed and course website links.
Inputs: course (required), module.
Brightspace discussion forums/topics; pass forumId + topicId to read posts.
Inputs: course (required), forumId, topicId.
My released grades per item (points, weight, comments) and the final grade if released.
Inputs: course.
Brightspace quizzes/exams with open/due/close times, time limits and attempts.
Inputs: course.
Upcoming deadlines across current courses (or one course): assignments with submission status, quizzes, readings with completion status, and instructor calendar events, in NYU local time. Also scans recent announcements for deadlines that live outside Brightspace (Gradescope, course websites). Start here for 'what's due'.
Inputs: days, course, pastDays, includeDone, +1 more.
List Brightspace courses with ids. Defaults to the current NYU semester; parses NYU codes like FA26_CSCI-UA_310_1_040.
Inputs: term.
Open a Chrome window for NYU NetID + Duo login. Use when other tools report the session is not logged in. The user must complete Duo on their phone. Waits up to ~100s; if still pending, tell the user to finish and call auth_status.
Inputs: no named parameters.
Read a content topic: extracts text from PDF (per page), DOCX, PPTX, HTML, ZIP (lists files and inlines code) and plain text/code. Binary files are saved to ~/Downloads/brightspace//.
Inputs: course (required), topicId (required), dir, save, +2 more.
Find modules/topics by title across current courses, e.g. "syllabus", "hw3", "lecture 5 slides".
Inputs: query (required), course.
Recent tool additions, removals, and schema changes observed during successful MCP inspections.
Loading tool schema changelog…
Scored across 16 tools
Each tool maps to a distinct Brightspace resource or action: auth, courses, assignments, quizzes, grades, announcements, content outline, content reading, file download, content search, discussions, roster, and API escape hatch. get_upcoming aggregates several sources but is clearly the 'what's due' summary, not a duplicate of the detail tools.
Most tools use lower_snake_case verb_noun names (list_courses, get_assignments, read_content, download_file, search_content), giving a predictable pattern. login is a bare verb and api_get reverses the object-verb order, so the pattern is not perfectly uniform.
16 tools is slightly above the ideal 3–15 range, but the broad Brightspace feature set (auth, courses, assignments, quizzes, grades, content, discussions, roster) justifies the count. No tool feels redundant, though a few could potentially be consolidated.
The read-only workflow is well covered: listing courses, retrieving deadlines/assignments/grades/announcements, reading and downloading content, searching, discussions, and classlist all have clear entry points and no dead ends. Missing write operations like assignment submission or discussion posting are notable if the server is expected to be a full Brightspace interface, but they appear out of scope for this read-oriented toolset.
Read your plat.plus courses, tasks, course pages, sessions, files and messages. Read-only.
Read users, groups, departments, courses, content and enrollments in iSpring Learn.
Read-only access to a student's recorded classes: transcripts, notes, slides and concept map.
Read-only access to your dotstell notes, bookmarks, tasks, people and meetings.
