School MCP: Streamline Grading & Course Management

What is School MCP: Streamline Grading & Course Management?

School MCP is a smart academic tool designed to simplify the chaos of juggling deadlines, grading, and course materials. By integrating with platforms like Canvas and Gradescope, this Model Context Protocol (MCP) server acts as your digital assistant—automating repetitive tasks so you can focus on teaching or learning without the hassle. Think of it as a Swiss Army knife for educators and students seeking to streamline their workflow.

How to Use School MCP: Streamline Grading & Course Management?

Getting started is as smooth as a well-organized syllabus. First, clone the repo and install the package using the commands provided. The setup helper does most of the heavy lifting by auto-configuring environment variables and paths, but purists can tweak settings manually via the .env file. Once live, the server becomes your command center for fetching deadlines, syncing calendars, and managing files—all from the comfort of your terminal.

Pro tip: Pair it with macOS Reminders via AppleScript for those oh-so-critical pop-up reminders.

Key Features of School MCP: Streamline Grading & Course Management?

• Deadline Oracle: Scans Canvas and Gradescope for upcoming assignments, no manual checking required.
• Calendar Whisperer: Silently syncs deadlines into macOS Calendar or Reminders—because we all need that nudge.
• File Sherpa: Automatically retrieves course materials from Canvas, keeping your downloads folder from becoming a black hole.
• Configurable Paths: Set custom download locations and check them on demand with dedicated CLI commands.

These features don’t just work in isolation—they’re built to play nicely together for a cohesive academic ecosystem.

Use Cases of School MCP: Streamline Grading & Course Management?

Imagine a grad student juggling five courses: School MCP pulls all deadlines into one view and schedules reminders before caffeine withdrawal sets in. For instructors, it’s a grading lifeline—automatically collecting assignments from Gradescope and organizing materials so you can focus on feedback instead of logistics. Even IT admins will appreciate the centralized config options for classroom setups.

FAQ from School MCP: Streamline Grading & Course Management?

Q: Does this work on Windows?
Currently optimized for macOS (thanks to AppleScript love), but Linux support is on the roadmap. Stay tuned!

Q: Can I customize reminder times?
Absolutely! The AppleScript templates are editable—set 24-hour warnings for finals or 5-minute nudges for that last-minute panic.

Q: What if my Canvas instance is on a subdomain?
No problem! Update the CANVAS_URL variable in your .env file—flexibility is baked into the config hierarchy.

Q: Is my data safe?
Yes! Credentials are stored securely via environment variables. We take academic privacy as seriously as grading rubrics.

School MCP

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for academic tools, integrating with Canvas and Gradescope platforms.

Features

• Assignment Deadlines : Fetch and display upcoming deadlines from Canvas and Gradescope
• Calendar Integration : Add deadlines to macOS Calendar or Reminders using AppleScript
• File Management : Download course materials from Canvas

Quickstart

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

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

2. Install the package:

pip install -e .

3. Set up your environment variables by either:
   * Using the included setup helper (recommended)
   * Creating a .env file manually

Using the Setup Helper

Run the setup helper to configure Claude Desktop automatically:

python setup_helper.py

The setup helper will:

• Find your Claude Desktop configuration file
• Create a .env file if needed
• Configure the MCP server with proper paths
• Add your environment variables to the Claude Desktop configuration

Manual Setup

If you prefer to set up manually:

1. Copy the environment template:

cp .env.template .env
# Edit .env with your credentials

2. Configure Claude Desktop by following the Claude Desktop Integration Guide.

Running the server

Run directly:

python -m school_mcp

Or use the convenience script:

./run_server.py

Tools

• get_deadlines: Fetch upcoming assignment deadlines from Canvas and Gradescope
• add_to_reminders: Add assignments to macOS Reminders
• list_courses: List all available Canvas courses
• download_course_files: Download files from a Canvas course
• set_download_path: Configure where downloaded files are saved
• get_download_path_info: Check the current download location

Configuration

The server tries to find configuration in this order:

1. Environment variables
2. .env file in the current directory
3. Existing config.json file in the home directory

License

MIT