eClass MCP Server

Overview

The eClass MCP Server bridges the gap between AI assistants and the Open eClass learning management system, specifically tailoring its authentication flow to the University of Athens’ CAS Single Sign‑On (SSO) infrastructure. By exposing a standard Model Context Protocol interface, the server allows AI agents to seamlessly log in, query course data, and maintain authenticated sessions without exposing raw credentials or handling complex web‑scraping logic. This capability is particularly valuable for developers building educational chatbots, tutoring systems, or knowledge‑base tools that need up‑to‑date course information.

At its core, the server implements four primary features. First, it authenticates users against eClass via CAS SSO, issuing a session cookie that the AI client can reuse across calls. Second, it offers course‑management tools that return lists of enrolled courses, detailed module information, and related metadata. Third, it manages session state internally, ensuring that consecutive tool invocations remain authenticated without repeated logins. Finally, it provides a status‑checking endpoint so clients can verify whether the current session is still valid before attempting further operations. These features together give developers a clean, secure API surface that abstracts away the intricacies of web‑based authentication and HTML parsing.

Developers can integrate the eClass MCP Server into their AI workflows in several practical ways. For instance, a virtual teaching assistant can ask an AI to “show me my upcoming assignments” and the agent will call the server’s course‑management tool, retrieve the relevant data, and present it in natural language. In a research setting, an AI can gather course outlines across multiple semesters to analyze curriculum trends. Because the server adheres to MCP standards, it can be plugged into any compliant client—whether a custom chatbot framework or a platform like Glama.ai—without modification.

What sets this server apart is its tight coupling with the University of Athens’ SSO system. By leveraging CAS, it eliminates the need for developers to manage passwords or refresh tokens manually, reducing security risks. The server’s modular architecture—separating authentication, course logic, and HTML parsing—also makes it straightforward to extend or adapt for other eClass installations. Overall, the eClass MCP Server delivers a robust, secure bridge between AI assistants and educational content, enabling richer, data‑driven learning experiences.