Brightspace D2L MCP Server is an open-source project designed to connect the D2L Brightspace learning management system with AI assistants and agents. It provides AI with read-only access to Brightspace courses through the Model Context Protocol (MCP), enabling users to query information such as due dates, grades, assignments, rubrics, course content, announcements, discussions, and class rosters in natural language.
Purpose: This tool is primarily aimed at students using D2L Brightspace, helping them quickly understand learning tasks and progress through AI assistants. It particularly emphasizes the ability to identify assignments the user has already submitted, so that only the tasks actually remaining are shown, avoiding repeated reminders about completed work.
Main capabilities: It provides 17 MCP tools, covering reading course data, checking submission status, retrieving grades, exporting due-date calendars, and more. Built-in prompts include 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, and more, supporting one-click shortcuts or slash commands. It is compatible with a variety of AI applications and agent frameworks, such as Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code (GitHub Copilot), Windsurf, OpenAI Codex, Gemini CLI, Cline, Roo Code, OpenCode, Zed, LM Studio, Kiro, and more, and can run via stdio or streamable HTTP.
Usage: Node.js 20 or higher is required, as well as the Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge browser. Installation is done via the npx brightspace-d2l-mcp setup command. The setup process asks for school information, opens the browser for the user to log in using the school's existing single sign-on method (such as Microsoft, Duo, Okta, Shibboleth, etc.), and automatically connects to detected AI applications. Users can also configure it manually, for example via npx brightspace-d2l-mcp serve --http to provide services for ChatGPT or hosted agents. Sessions are stored in the ~/.brightspace-d2l-mcp/ directory, readable only by the user.
Use cases: Suitable for any school using D2L Brightspace, whether the domain is yourschool.brightspace.com, yourschool.desire2learn.com, or a custom domain. Students can ask questions such as "What should I do now?" or "What score do I need on the final exam to get an 80?", and can export due dates as an .ics calendar file.
Limitations: This tool is read-only and cannot submit, publish, or change anything in Brightspace. It uses the official Brightspace API and the user's own student login, and does not require administrator permissions. Passwords are not stored, all data runs locally, and it does not communicate with third-party servers. This tool is an independent open-source project and is not affiliated with the company D2L.
