Ed Discussions Server

A comprehensive Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for Ed Discussions (EdStem) platform, enabling AI assistants to interact with course discussions, manage threads, comments, and facilitate Q&A.

Status

✅ Functional - Core MCP server with 16 tools implemented and tested

Features

Implemented Tools (16)

System Tools

• ed_health_check - Check API connectivity and authentication

User Tools

• ed_get_current_user - Get authenticated user information

Course Tools

• ed_list_courses - List all enrolled courses
• ed_get_course - Get detailed course information

Thread Tools

• ed_list_threads - List threads with filtering and sorting
• ed_get_thread - Get thread details (with optional mark_as_read control)
• ed_create_thread - Create new question/post/announcement
• ed_update_thread - Update thread content or settings
• ed_delete_thread - Delete a thread
• ed_mark_thread_read - Mark a thread as read
• ed_mark_thread_unread - Mark a thread as unread

Comment Tools

• ed_list_comments - List all comments (thread + answer replies) with participant metadata
• ed_create_comment - Add comment to thread
• ed_update_comment - Update/endorse comment
• ed_delete_comment - Remove comment

Analytics Tools

• ed_course_activity_stats - Generate student-only leaderboards for activity, answers, hearts, questions, and posts

Setup

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+
• Ed Discussions account with API access
• API token from your institution's Ed instance

Installation

1. Get your Ed API token:

   • Log into Ed Discussions
   • Navigate to: https://us.edstem.org/settings/api-tokens
   • Generate a new token

2. Clone and configure:

git clone https://github.com/yourusername/mcp-ed.git
cd mcp-ed

3. Create .env file:

ED_API_TOKEN=your-token-here
ED_DOMAIN=edstem.org
ED_REGION=us  # or your region (au, uk, etc.)

4. Install and build:

npm install
npm run build

5. Test connection:

node build/testConnection.js  # Test API connection
node build/testMCPServer.js   # Test MCP server

Usage

With Claude Desktop

Add to your Claude Desktop configuration (%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json on Windows):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ed-discussions": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/mcp-ed/build/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "ED_API_TOKEN": "your-token-here",
        "ED_DOMAIN": "edstem.org",
        "ED_REGION": "us"
      }
    }
  }
}

Standalone Server

npm start  # Runs the MCP server on stdio

Using the Inspector

npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector build/index.js

API Examples

List courses

{
  "name": "ed_list_courses",
  "arguments": {}
}

Get threads from a course

{
  "name": "ed_list_threads",
  "arguments": {
    "course_id": "81559",
    "limit": 10,
    "sort": "new",
    "filter": "unread"
  }
}

Get thread without marking as read

{
  "name": "ed_get_thread",
  "arguments": {
    "course_id": "81559",
    "thread_id": "6873464",
    "mark_as_read": false  // Prevents marking thread as seen
  }
}

Generate course activity stats

{
  "name": "ed_course_activity_stats",
  "arguments": {
    "course_id": "81559",
    "max_entries": 20
  }
}

Create a new thread

{
  "name": "ed_create_thread",
  "arguments": {
    "course_id": "81559",
    "type": "question",
    "title": "Help with assignment",
    "content": "I'm having trouble with...",
    "category": "Assignments",
    "is_anonymous": false
  }
}

Development

Project Structure

mcp-ed/
├── src/
│   ├── index.ts           # MCP server implementation
│   ├── edClient.ts        # Ed API client
│   ├── testConnection.ts  # API connection tester
│   └── testMCPServer.ts   # MCP server tester
├── build/                 # Compiled JavaScript
├── .env                   # API credentials (git-ignored)
└── package.json

Scripts

npm run build       # Compile TypeScript
npm run dev:watch   # Development mode with auto-rebuild
npm run test        # Run tests
npm run lint        # Lint code
npm start          # Run MCP server

Testing

The server includes comprehensive test suites:

• testConnection.ts - Tests Ed API connectivity
• testMCPServer.ts - Tests all MCP tools

Architecture

Built on the Model Context Protocol SDK, following the successful patterns from the Canvas LMS MCP implementation:

• TypeScript for type safety
• Axios for HTTP requests
• MCP SDK for protocol implementation
• Modular design for easy extension

Read Status Control

The Ed MCP Server provides fine-grained control over thread read status:

• Read without marking: Set mark_as_read: false when calling ed_get_thread
• Default behavior: Threads are marked as read when accessed (preserves normal Ed behavior)
• Manual control: Use ed_mark_thread_read and ed_mark_thread_unread tools
• Preserves privacy: Reading threads without marking them prevents others from knowing you've read them

Security

• API tokens are stored in environment variables
• Never commit .env files
• Supports anonymous posting where allowed
• Respects course privacy settings

Roadmap

Near-term

• Add search functionality
• Implement file upload support
• Add bulk operations
• Create notification system

Long-term

• WebSocket support for real-time updates
• Analytics and reporting tools
• LMS integration features
• Advanced filtering and sorting

Contributing

Contributions welcome! Please:

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Test thoroughly
4. Submit a pull request

Support

• Issues: https://github.com/yourusername/mcp-ed/issues
• Discussions: Use GitHub Discussions for questions

License

MIT - See LICENSE file for details

Acknowledgments

• Built on patterns from Canvas LMS MCP
• Uses the Model Context Protocol SDK
• Thanks to the Ed Discussions team for API access