Brightspace vs Universities
A side-by-side look at the Brightspace and Universities MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Brightspace for education work as a local process; choose Universities for education as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose Brightspace when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Education domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You have the keys it needs:
BRIGHTSPACE_API_TOKEN, BRIGHTSPACE_USERNAME, BRIGHTSPACE_PASSWORD, BRIGHTSPACE_TOTP_SECRET, BRIGHTSPACE_COOKIE, BRIGHTSPACE_NO_UPDATE_CHECK. - You want tools like
check_auth, list_my_courses, get_my_grades.
Choose Universities when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Education domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You want tools like
search_universities.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Education | Education |
| Quality signal | 59/100 · Good | 49/100 · Fair |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | Not declared | Not declared |
| Pricing | Not declared | Not declared |
| Required env vars | BRIGHTSPACE_API_TOKENBRIGHTSPACE_USERNAMEBRIGHTSPACE_PASSWORDBRIGHTSPACE_TOTP_SECRETBRIGHTSPACE_COOKIEBRIGHTSPACE_NO_UPDATE_CHECK | None listed |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 13 | 0 |
| Directory activity | 1 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 1 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 29 | 1 |
| Full listing | View Brightspace | View Universities |
Tools & capabilities
Brightspace tools 29
check_authVerify authentication and show the active user identitylist_my_coursesList all enrolled coursesget_my_gradesGet grades for a courseget_assignmentsList assignments and dropbox foldersget_assignment_filesDownload and read instructor-posted assignment filesget_upcoming_due_datesList assignments due in the next N daysget_feedbackRead the grade, instructor comments and per-criterion rubric results for an assignmentget_assignment_rubricShow an assignment's grading rubric (criteria, levels, points, descriptions)get_my_submissionsList and download the files you (or your group) submitted, even after the folder closesget_syllabusFetch the course syllabusget_course_contentBrowse modules and topics (includes topic IDs)get_topic_fileDownload and read a content topic file (DOCX, PDF, HTML, plain text)- +17 more on the listing page
Universities tools 1
search_universitiesSearch universities worldwide by name and/or country using the Hipolabs API. Returns name, country, state/province, web pages, and email domains. At least one of name or country must be provided.
Ready-to-paste client configs
Paste either block (or both) into your client config, e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json. We only show a config when the install command is confirmed.
Brightspace
{
"mcpServers": {
"brightspace": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"brightspace-mcp@latest"
],
"env": {
"BRIGHTSPACE_API_TOKEN": "YOUR_BRIGHTSPACE_API_TOKEN_HERE",
"BRIGHTSPACE_USERNAME": "YOUR_BRIGHTSPACE_USERNAME_HERE",
"BRIGHTSPACE_PASSWORD": "YOUR_BRIGHTSPACE_PASSWORD_HERE",
"BRIGHTSPACE_TOTP_SECRET": "YOUR_BRIGHTSPACE_TOTP_SECRET_HERE",
"BRIGHTSPACE_COOKIE": "YOUR_BRIGHTSPACE_COOKIE_HERE",
"BRIGHTSPACE_NO_UPDATE_CHECK": "YOUR_BRIGHTSPACE_NO_UPDATE_CHECK_HERE"
}
}
}
}
Universities
{
"mcpServers": {
"universities": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@pipeworx/mcp-universities"
]
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Brightspace is categorized under Education and uses a local stdio subprocess. Universities belongs to Education and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Brightspace for education work and Universities for education.
Copy the mcpServers block from the config section on this page into your client's config (for example claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json), then fully restart the client.
Brightspace has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. Universities has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. If a server needs environment variables such as API keys, define them under the env key in your client's MCP config.
Yes. MCP clients support multiple servers: add brightspace and universities as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Brightspace has a quality signal of 59/100 (Good) with 1 views, 0 installs and 13 GitHub stars. Universities has 49/100 (Fair) with 1 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars.