io.github.AnonymousOnyx22/brightspace-d2l-mcp

Brightspace D2L MCP Server

Connect D2L Brightspace to Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor and Copilot.It knows what you already handed in, so it only shows what is actually left.

One command. Sign in the way you always do. No passwords stored.

brightspace-mcp.netlify.app

An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that gives AI assistants and agents read access to your Brightspace courses: due dates with real submission status, grades, assignments, rubrics, course content, announcements, discussions and class lists. It works at any school that uses D2L Brightspace, including schools with Microsoft, Duo, Okta or Shibboleth single sign-on.

Quick start

You need Node.js 20 or newer and Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge.

npx brightspace-d2l-mcp setup

That's it. Setup asks for your school, opens a browser so you can sign in, and connects every AI app it finds. Then ask your AI:

"What should I work on right now?"

New to this? The step-by-step setup guide walks through everything with pictures of each step. Using a specific app? See the guides for Claude and ChatGPT, or how this compares to other Brightspace MCP servers.

How it compares

People usually weigh a few Brightspace MCP servers before picking one. Here are the three differences that come up most, with the full comparison for the rest:

"No target-grade tool in its published list" means we could not find one in each project's public README and tool list as of October 2026, not that it can never be added. Spot a mistake in the table? Open an issue and it will be fixed.

Switching from brightspace-mcp-server

If you are running brightspace-mcp-server by RohanMuppa and want to try this one, you only change the package name. Everything else stays where it is.

In your MCP config, find the brightspace entry inside mcpServers and swap the command:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "brightspace": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "brightspace-d2l-mcp@latest"]
    }
  }
}

On Windows, wrap the launch in cmd /c the same way you do now:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "brightspace": {
      "command": "cmd",
      "args": ["/c", "npx", "-y", "brightspace-d2l-mcp@latest"]
    }
  }
}

Then restart the app. If you would rather not edit files, run npx brightspace-d2l-mcp setup: it asks for your school, opens a browser window so you sign in, and writes this entry for you. You can also print the exact JSON for any app with npx brightspace-d2l-mcp config.

What carries over and what doesn't

Want to go back? Put the old command back in the same spot. Both servers can even be configured side by side under two different server names, but one AI app talking to two Brightspace servers at once tends to be more confusing than it is worth.

A few things the first server does are not done here: it can sign you in without a browser window by saving your password in your computer's credential store, and it ships presets for several named schools. This server always opens a normal browser window where you sign in yourself, which is what makes any single sign-on work, and all it keeps afterward is your browser session.

What you can ask

It knows what you've already handed in

Most tools only see due dates, so they keep telling you to do work you've finished. This one checks your actual submission for every assignment:

Tools

17 MCP tools for D2L Brightspace. Everything reads from Brightspace and nothing is ever changed there:

Built-in prompts

Apps that support MCP prompts show these as one-click shortcuts or slash commands: what_should_i_do_now · plan_my_week · weekly_digest · grade_target · exam_prep · summarize_assignment · put_deadlines_in_my_calendar · catch_me_up · when_are_my_exams

Works at any Brightspace school

Every school signs in differently: Microsoft, ADFS, Duo, Shibboleth, Okta, Google, campus pickers, or Brightspace's own form. Instead of guessing how your school works, setup opens a normal browser window and you sign in exactly like you do every day, text codes and authenticator apps included.

After that it stays signed in quietly in the background. If your school ever asks you to sign in again, the browser window simply pops up and closes by itself when you're done.

Does my school work?

If your school uses D2L Brightspace, yes. Setup opens a normal browser window so any sign-in works, including Microsoft, Duo, Okta and Shibboleth.

Works with your AI app or agent

Connected automatically by setup: Claude Desktop · Claude Code · Cursor · VS Code (GitHub Copilot) · Windsurf · OpenAI Codex · Gemini CLI · Cline · Roo Code · OpenCode · Zed · LM Studio · Kiro

One copy-paste away: ChatGPT (developer mode) · Continue · Goose · JetBrains AI Assistant · Warp · Amp · Msty · Jan · AnythingLLM

Agent frameworks: OpenAI Agents SDK · Claude Agent SDK · LangChain / LangGraph · Vercel AI SDK · Mastra · CrewAI · Pydantic AI · LlamaIndex

It runs over stdio for local apps and streamable HTTP (serve --http) for ChatGPT and hosted agents. See docs/agents.md for copy-paste setup for every one of these.

Install it with your AI

Paste this into Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, Copilot or Codex and it will set everything up for you.

Install brightspace-d2l-mcp for me by following
https://github.com/AnonymousOnyx22/brightspace-d2l-mcp/blob/main/llms.txt

Commands

When a newer version is out, commands ask whether to update first. Set BRIGHTSPACE_NO_UPDATE_CHECK=1 to turn that off.

Setup options

npx brightspace-d2l-mcp setup --school yourschool.brightspace.com   # skip the school question
npx brightspace-d2l-mcp setup --apps claude-desktop,cursor          # only connect these apps
npx brightspace-d2l-mcp setup --skip-login                          # sign in later, on first use
npx brightspace-d2l-mcp setup --yes                                 # accept every default

App ids: claude-desktop, claude-code, cursor, vscode, windsurf, codex, gemini-cli, cline, roo-code, opencode, zed, lm-studio, kiro.

Privacy and security

• Your password is never seen or stored. You type it into your school's own sign-in page in a real browser.
• Read-only. It can't submit, post, or change anything in Brightspace. No tool sends anything but GET requests, the API client has no write methods at all, and a test fails the build if one is ever added. See how read-only is enforced.
• Local only. Everything runs on your computer and talks only to your school's Brightspace. There's no server in between, and no analytics.
• Uses the official Brightspace API with the same access you have in your browser.
• Your session is saved in ~/.brightspace-d2l-mcp/, readable only by your user account. logout deletes it; uninstall deletes everything.

Troubleshooting

Something not working? docs/troubleshooting.md walks through an app that shows no Brightspace tools, a setup window that never opens, and a single sign on that keeps failing, with the exact message each one prints. It starts with npx brightspace-d2l-mcp doctor.

"No supported browser was found"

Install Google Chrome or use Microsoft Edge (already on Windows). Or install a private copy of Chromium with npx playwright install chromium.

My school address isn't accepted

Sign in to Brightspace in your browser, then copy the address from the address bar (any page works). If it says your site "runs Blackboard" or "Canvas", your school doesn't use Brightspace.

Brightspace doesn't show up in Claude Desktop

Fully quit Claude Desktop (tray icon → Quit, not just closing the window), then run setup again. Claude Desktop rewrites its settings while it's open, so setup offers to restart it for you.

It keeps asking me to sign in

Some schools end sessions every few hours. When that happens a browser window opens so you can sign in again. Run npx brightspace-d2l-mcp doctor to find out what is wrong, status for a quick look, or login to sign in right away. If you'd rather it never opens a window on its own, add "autoLogin": false to ~/.brightspace-d2l-mcp/config.json.

I want to filter out old courses

Add course ids to ~/.brightspace-d2l-mcp/config.json:

{ "excludeCourses": [123456, 789012] }

Or keep only specific ones with "includeCourses". Ask your AI "list my courses with their ids" to find them.

FAQ

How do I connect D2L Brightspace to Claude?

Run npx brightspace-d2l-mcp setup. It connects Claude Desktop and Claude Code automatically. Then ask Claude about your courses.

Is there an AI assistant for D2L Brightspace?

Yes. This connects Brightspace to the AI app you already use (Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini and others), so you can ask about deadlines, grades and course files in plain English instead of clicking through every course.

How do I use ChatGPT with Brightspace?

Run npx brightspace-d2l-mcp serve --http, expose it with a tunnel, and add the URL as a connector in ChatGPT developer mode. docs/agents.md walks through each step.

How do I connect Brightspace to Cursor, VS Code Copilot or Windsurf?

Run npx brightspace-d2l-mcp setup. It finds Cursor, VS Code, Windsurf and 10 other apps and connects them for you.

Can I use this with ChatGPT, a custom agent, or the Claude Agent SDK?

Yes. Local agents and SDKs launch it with npx -y brightspace-d2l-mcp@latest, and ChatGPT or HTTP-based agents use npx brightspace-d2l-mcp serve --http. docs/agents.md has copy-paste setup for ChatGPT, the OpenAI Agents SDK, Claude Agent SDK, LangChain, Vercel AI SDK and more.

Does it need an API key or admin access from my school?

No. Brightspace API keys normally require an administrator. This uses your own student sign-in instead, so it sees exactly what you see in Brightspace, and nobody at your school has to set anything up.

How do I switch from brightspace-mcp-server to this one?

Change the package name in your MCP config: replace brightspace-mcp-server with brightspace-d2l-mcp in the same brightspace entry, then restart the app. Or run npx brightspace-d2l-mcp setup and let it write the entry for you. Switching from brightspace-mcp-server covers what carries over and what does not.

Does it work with Duo, Microsoft Authenticator or text-message codes?

Yes. You sign in yourself in a real browser window, so any sign-in method your school uses works.

Can it tell me what I need on my final to reach a grade?

Yes. Ask "what do I need on the final to get an 80 in Calculus?" and get_grade_outlook uses the weights Brightspace reports to give your current percentage, your best and worst possible final grade, and the average you need on everything left.

Can I get my Brightspace due dates in Google Calendar, Apple Calendar or Outlook?

Yes. Ask your AI to put your deadlines in your calendar. export_due_dates_calendar makes an .ics file with a link back to Brightspace and a one day reminder on each event, and only includes work you have not handed in.

Which schools does it work with?

Any school on D2L Brightspace, whether the address looks like yourschool.brightspace.com, yourschool.desire2learn.com, or a custom domain like learn.yourschool.edu.

Can it submit assignments or post for me?

No. It's read-only on purpose.

Is this made by D2L?

No. It's an independent open-source project that uses the official Brightspace API with your own sign-in. It isn't affiliated with or endorsed by D2L.

Development

git clone https://github.com/AnonymousOnyx22/brightspace-d2l-mcp.git
cd brightspace-d2l-mcp
npm install
npm run build
npm test
node build/index.js setup     # connects your AI apps to this local build

Tools live in src/tools/, sign-in in src/auth/, and setup in src/cli/. Issues and pull requests are welcome.

More free student MCP servers

All free, open source and read only where they touch your accounts. Browse the full list at brightspacemcp.com/more-mcps.

License

MIT © AnonymousOnyx22

D2L and Brightspace are trademarks of D2L Corporation. This project is not affiliated with D2L.