edstem-mcp

MCP server for Ed Discussion — expose Ed's full API to Claude and other MCP clients.

Setup

npm install
npm run build

Set your API token (get one at https://edstem.org/us/settings/api-tokens):

export ED_API_TOKEN=your_token
export ED_REGION=us  # optional: us (default), au, etc.

Claude Code

Add to ~/.claude.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "edstem": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/edstem-mcp/dist/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "ED_API_TOKEN": "your_token"
      }
    }
  }
}

Tools (22)

Tool	Description
get_user	Get authenticated user info and enrolled courses
list_threads	List threads in a course (sortable, paginated)
get_thread	Get thread by global ID with comments
get_course_thread	Get thread by course-local number (the # in the UI)
search_threads	Search threads by title, content, or category
post_thread	Create a new thread (supports markdown input)
edit_thread	Edit an existing thread
lock_thread	Lock a thread
unlock_thread	Unlock a thread
pin_thread	Pin a thread
unpin_thread	Unpin a thread
endorse_thread	Endorse a thread
unendorse_thread	Remove thread endorsement
star_thread	Star/bookmark a thread
unstar_thread	Remove star
post_comment	Post a comment or answer on a thread
reply_to_comment	Reply to an existing comment
endorse_comment	Endorse a comment
unendorse_comment	Remove comment endorsement
accept_answer	Accept a comment as the answer
list_users	List course roster (staff/admin)
list_user_activity	List a user's threads and comments
upload_file_from_url	Upload a file to Ed from a URL
format_content	Preview markdown to Ed XML conversion

Resources (2)

Resource	URI	Description
User Info	edstem://user	Authenticated user details
Courses	edstem://courses	Enrolled courses list

Prompts (3)

Prompt	Description
check_assignment	Look up assignment details, requirements, and staff clarifications
unanswered_questions	List unresolved questions in a course
my_activity	Show your recent posts and comments in a course

Content Format

Thread and comment content uses Ed's XML document format. This server auto-converts markdown to Ed XML, so you can write content naturally:

# Heading
**Bold** and *italic* text with `inline code`

- Bullet list
- Items

1. Numbered
2. List

> [!info] This becomes an Ed callout

Pass raw Ed XML (starting with <document) to bypass conversion.

Testing

npm test

Uses Node's built-in test runner (node:test). Tests cover the markdown-to-XML content converter and API client (URL construction, headers, error handling).