Time Machine vs Brightspace MCP Server

A side-by-side look at the Time Machine and Brightspace MCP Server MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.

T
Time MachineEducation
AI-powered corporate learning platform — manage courses, users, and insights via Claude.37FairAuth: not declared
Brightspace MCP Server logoBrightspace MCP ServerEducation · Local subprocess (stdio)MCP server for D2L Brightspace LMS. Check grades, due dates, assignments, announcements, syllabus, rosters, discussions, and course content. Works with any school that uses Brightspace. Install via npx brightspace-mcp-server@latest.61GoodAuth: other

Verdict: choose Time Machine for education work; choose Brightspace MCP Server for education as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.

Which MCP server should you choose?

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Choose Time Machine when

  • You need dedicated capabilities in the Education domain.
Explore Time Machine

Brightspace MCP Server logoChoose Brightspace MCP Server when

  • You need dedicated capabilities in the Education domain.
  • You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
  • Its auth model fits you: other.
  • You want tools like get_my_courses, get_upcoming_due_dates, get_calendar_events.
Explore Brightspace MCP Server

Feature & specification comparison

Rows where the two servers differ are marked.

Spec
T
Time Machine
Brightspace MCP Server logoBrightspace MCP Server
CategoryEducationEducation
Quality signal37/100 · Fair61/100 · Good
Install commandNot confirmed yetConfirmed
Transport—Local subprocess (stdio)
AuthNot declaredother
PricingNot declaredFree
Required env varsNone listedNone listed
Verified ownerCommunity listingCommunity listing
GitHub stars—59
Directory activity 0 views 0 installs 0 upvotes 3 views 0 installs 0 upvotes
ToolsNot listed16

Tools & capabilities

Time Machine tools

No tool names declared yet. Check the project README from the listing page.

Brightspace MCP Server tools 16

  • get_my_coursesFetch your enrolled Brightspace courses with names, codes, and IDs. Use this when the user asks about their courses, enrolled classes, what they're taking this semester, or needs a course ID for other queries.
  • get_upcoming_due_datesFetch upcoming due dates across all your courses, derived from the due dates on assignments (dropbox folders), quizzes, and graded discussion topics themselves, plus course calendar events such as exams and labs (type: event). Use this when the user asks about deadlines, what's due, upcoming work, or what they need to do this week.
  • get_calendar_eventsFetch course calendar events — exams, midterms, labs, recitations, review sessions, schedule changes, and deadlines instructors typed straight onto the calendar — across all your courses or one course, in a time window (default: the next 7 days). Use this when the user asks when an exam is, what's on their calendar, or what's happening this week.
  • get_my_gradesFetch your grade breakdown for a specific course or all enrolled courses. Shows grade items with points, percentages, and comments. Use this when the user asks about grades, scores, marks, GPA, academic performance, or how they're doing in a class.
  • get_announcementsFetch recent announcements from your courses. Can filter to a specific course or get announcements across all courses. Use this when the user asks about announcements, news, updates from instructors, recent posts, or what professors said. Attachments are listed per announcement; fetch them with download_file (newsId + fileId) or read them with get_announcement_files.
  • get_assignmentsFetch assignments and quizzes for a specific course or all enrolled courses. Shows dropbox submissions and quizzes with due dates, status, and rubric info. Use this when the user asks about assignments, homework, what to submit, quizzes, or assignment details and rubrics.
  • get_assignment_filesRead the files an instructor attached to an assignment: the spec or instructions PDF, a starter workbook, a rubric document. Call it with just courseId to see which assignments have attachments, then with folderId and fileId to read one. Use this when the user asks what an assignment requires, what the instructions say, or to summarize a handout. Returns the text itself. Use download_file instead when the user wants the file saved to disk.
  • get_announcement_filesRead the files an instructor attached to an announcement: prompt questions, a rubric, an updated schedule, slides. Call it with just courseId to see which announcements have attachments, then with newsId and fileId to read one. Use this when the user asks what a file attached to an announcement says. Returns the text itself. Use download_file (newsId + fileId) instead when the user wants the file saved to disk.
  • get_course_contentFetch the content tree for a course showing modules, topics, files, and links. Use this when the user asks about course materials, lecture slides, uploaded files, content structure, or what's in a course module. Use moduleTitle to filter to a specific module (e.g. 'Labs', 'Staff', 'Homeworks') instead of fetching the entire tree. Use maxDepth to limit recursion depth for a table-of-contents view.
  • download_fileDownload a file from course content, assignment submissions, or an announcement's attachments to a local directory. Use this when the user wants to download, save, or get a file from Brightspace course content, dropbox submissions, or an announcement (newsId + fileId, from get_announcements). IMPORTANT: You MUST ask the user where they want to save the file before calling this tool. Never guess or assume a download directory. After identifying the file to download, suggest a clean readable filename to the user (e.g., 'Lecture 7 - Memory Management.pdf' instead of 'L07_CS251_2026SP_v2.pdf') and ask if they'd like to rename it. Pass their preferred name as customFilename, or omit it to keep the original.
  • get_classlist_emailsFetch all email addresses for everyone in a course — instructors, TAs, and students. Use this when the user wants a list of emails for a class, needs to email the whole class, or wants contact info for everyone enrolled.
  • get_rosterFetch the roster for a course including instructors, TAs, and optionally students with their names, emails, and roles. Use this when the user asks about classmates, instructor contact info, TA emails, professor names, or who's in a class. By default returns only instructors and TAs for privacy. Use includeStudents to get full class list.
  • +4 more on the listing page

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.

Time Machine

No confirmed install command for Time Machine yet — follow the setup steps linked from its listing page rather than a guessed package name.

Brightspace MCP Server

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "rohanmuppa-brightspace-mcp-server": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "brightspace-mcp-server@latest"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Frequently asked questions

Time Machine is categorized under Education and uses an install path we have not confirmed yet. Brightspace MCP Server belongs to Education and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Time Machine for education work and Brightspace MCP Server 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. Time Machine has no confirmed install command yet — follow its own setup instructions.

Time Machine has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. Brightspace MCP Server is listed as free. Auth: other. 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 time-machine and rohanmuppa-brightspace-mcp-server as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.

On AllMCPs, Time Machine has a quality signal of 37/100 (Fair) with 0 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars. Brightspace MCP Server has 61/100 (Good) with 3 views, 0 installs and 59 GitHub stars.