Blackboard MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that connects Claude to Blackboard Learn, enabling students and instructors to interact with their courses, grades, and content through natural conversation.

Features

For Students

• 📚 View Courses - See all enrolled courses with names and roles
• 📊 Check Grades - View grades with scores, percentages, and feedback
• 📢 Read Announcements - Stay up to date with course announcements
• 📁 Browse Content - Navigate course materials, folders, and files

For Instructors

• 👥 Course Roster - View enrolled students with contact info
• 📝 Gradebook Overview - See all assignments and due dates
• ✅ Submission Status - Quick view of who's submitted, who needs grading
• 📈 Grade Analysis - View individual grades with class averages

Quick Start

1. Add the MCP Server to Claude

Add the Blackboard connector in Claude's settings, or configure it in Claude Desktop.

2. Authenticate

Ask Claude to connect to Blackboard:

"Connect me to Blackboard"

Claude will provide an authentication link. Click it, log in with your Blackboard credentials, then copy the message shown and paste it back to Claude.

3. Start Using It

Once authenticated, just ask naturally:

"What courses am I enrolled in?"

"Show me my grades for Biology 101"

"What assignments are due this week?"

"Show me the roster for my CS 201 class"

Available Tools

Tool	Who	Description
get_auth_link	Everyone	Get authentication URL
check_token_status	Everyone	Verify your session is active
get_my_profile	Everyone	View your Blackboard profile
get_my_courses	Everyone	List enrolled courses
get_my_grades	Student	View grades for a course
get_course_announcements	Everyone	Read course announcements
get_course_content	Everyone	Browse course materials
get_course_roster	Instructor	View student roster
get_gradebook_overview	Instructor	See all grade columns
get_column_grades	Instructor	View grades for an assignment
get_submission_status	Instructor	Submission/grading summary

Project Structure

blackboard-mcp/
├── server.py              # MCP server entry point
├── auth.py                # OAuth & token management
├── blackboard_client.py   # Blackboard API client
├── templates.py           # HTML templates for auth pages
└── tools/
    ├── __init__.py
    ├── common.py          # Shared tools
    ├── student.py         # Student-focused tools
    └── instructor.py      # Instructor-focused tools

Self-Hosting

Prerequisites

• Python 3.10+
• A Blackboard Learn instance with REST API enabled
• A registered application on Anthology Developer Portal

Environment Variables

BLACKBOARD_URL=https://your-institution.blackboard.com
BLACKBOARD_APP_KEY=your-application-key
BLACKBOARD_APP_SECRET=your-application-secret
SERVER_URL=https://your-server-url.com

Installation

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/blackboard-mcp.git
cd blackboard-mcp

# Install dependencies
pip install fastmcp httpx

# Run locally
fastmcp run server.py

Deploy to FastMCP Cloud

1. Push your repo to GitHub
2. Connect your repo to FastMCP Cloud
3. Set environment variables in the dashboard
4. Deploy

Security

This server implements several security measures:

• Opaque Tokens: Users never see their actual Blackboard access token. They receive a random lookup key that only works with this MCP server.
• Server-Side Storage: Real Blackboard credentials are stored server-side, mapped to the user's opaque token.
• Read-Only by Default: All tools are read-only, limiting potential damage if a token is compromised.
• Session Expiry: Tokens expire based on Blackboard's token lifetime (typically 1 hour).

API Reference

This server uses the Blackboard Learn REST API. Key endpoints used:

• GET /users/me - Current user profile
• GET /users/me/courses - User's course enrollments
• GET /courses/{id} - Course details
• GET /courses/{id}/contents - Course content
• GET /courses/{id}/gradebook/columns - Gradebook columns
• GET /courses/{id}/gradebook/users/me - User's grades
• GET /courses/{id}/announcements - Course announcements
• GET /courses/{id}/users - Course roster (instructor)

License

Copyright © 2026. All rights reserved.

Acknowledgments

• Built with FastMCP
• Uses the Blackboard Learn REST API

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Note: This is an unofficial integration and is not affiliated with Anthology or Blackboard Inc.