TeacherAssist

AI-powered Teacher Assistant MCP Server built with FastMCP, FastAPI, PostgreSQL, SQLAlchemy, and Email Notifications.

This project demonstrates how to build a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that allows AI assistants such as Claude Desktop to manage student records through MCP tools while automatically sending registration emails to students.

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Features

• Create students
• Retrieve all students
• Email notification on student registration
• PostgreSQL database integration
• SQLAlchemy ORM
• FastAPI REST API
• Claude Desktop MCP integration
• MCP Inspector support
• Beginner-friendly project structure

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Tech Stack

• Python 3.11+
• FastMCP
• FastAPI
• PostgreSQL
• SQLAlchemy
• Psycopg2
• SMTP (Gmail)
• UV Package Manager
• Claude Desktop
• MCP Inspector

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Project Structure

TeacherAssist-MCP/
│
├── app/
│   ├── db/
│   │   └── database.py
│   │
│   ├── models/
│   │   └── student.py
│   │
│   ├── schemas/
│   │   └── student.py
│   │
│   ├── services/
│   │   ├── student_service.py
│   │   └── email_service.py
│   │
│   ├── mcp/
│   │   ├── server.py
│   │   └── tools/
│   │       └── student_tools.py
│   │
│   └── main.py
│
├── .env
├── pyproject.toml
├── uv.lock
├── README.md
└── .venv/

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Prerequisites

Install:

• Python 3.11+
• PostgreSQL
• Git
• UV

Verify:

python --version
git --version
psql --version
uv --version

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Clone Repository

git clone https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/TeacherAssist-MCP.git

cd TeacherAssist-MCP

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Install Dependencies

Using UV:

uv sync

Activate environment:

Windows

.venv\Scripts\activate

Linux/macOS

source .venv/bin/activate

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PostgreSQL Setup

Create database:

CREATE DATABASE teacherassist;

Example connection:

DATABASE_URL=postgresql://postgres:password@localhost:5432/teacherassist

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Email Configuration

Create a .env file:

DATABASE_URL=postgresql://postgres:password@localhost:5432/teacherassist

[email protected]
EMAIL_PASSWORD=your_gmail_app_password

Gmail Setup

1. Enable 2-Step Verification
2. Open Google Account Security
3. Generate App Password
4. Use the generated password as EMAIL_PASSWORD

Do NOT use your Gmail login password.

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Run FastAPI Server

uv run uvicorn app.main:app --reload

Open:

http://127.0.0.1:8000/docs

Swagger UI will be available for testing APIs.

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Run MCP Server

uv run python -m app.mcp.server

Expected output:

Starting MCP server 'TeacherAssist MCP'
transport 'stdio'

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Test Using MCP Inspector

Run:

npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector uv run python -m app.mcp.server

Open the generated URL.

Available tools:

• create_student
• get_students

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Claude Desktop Configuration

Open Claude Desktop MCP configuration file and add:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "Teacher-Assistance": {
      "command": "D:\\Projects\\TeacherAssist-MCP\\.venv\\Scripts\\python.exe",
      "args": [
        "-m",
        "app.mcp.server"
      ],
      "cwd": "D:\\Projects\\TeacherAssist-MCP"
    }
  }
}

Replace the paths with your own project location.

Restart Claude Desktop.

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API Examples

Create Student

POST /students

{
  "student_id": 101,
  "name": "Monirul Islam",
  "email": "[email protected]"
}

Response:

{
  "student_id": 101,
  "name": "Monirul Islam",
  "email": "[email protected]"
}

A confirmation email will automatically be sent.

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Get Students

GET /students

Response:

[
  {
    "student_id": 101,
    "name": "Monirul Islam",
    "email": "[email protected]"
  }
]

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Example Claude Desktop Prompts

Create a student with ID 1001, name Monirul Islam, email [email protected]

Show all students

Claude will invoke MCP tools automatically.

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Common Issues

ModuleNotFoundError: app

Run from project root:

uv run python -m app.mcp.server

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PostgreSQL Connection Error

Verify:

• PostgreSQL service is running
• Database exists
• Credentials are correct
• DATABASE_URL is correct

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Claude Desktop Cannot Connect

Verify:

• Correct Python executable path
• Correct cwd path
• MCP server runs manually
• Claude Desktop restarted after config change

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Gmail Authentication Failed

Use a Google App Password.

Do not use your normal Gmail password.

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Duplicate Student ID

Student IDs must be unique.

Use a new ID when creating students.

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Future Enhancements

• Update Student
• Delete Student
• Attendance Management
• Grade Calculation
• GPA Calculation
• Student Reports
• AI-powered Analytics
• Authentication & Authorization
• Multi-user Support

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License

MIT License

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Author

Monirul Islam

TeacherAssist-MCP demonstrates how AI assistants can interact with PostgreSQL databases through FastMCP and the Model Context Protocol (MCP), while integrating FastAPI APIs and automated email notifications.