sebasfn9710dev/moodle-mcp-forum-summarizer

MCP Server — Moodle Tools (Windows)

Exposes Moodle Web Service functions over MCP to be consumed from Claude Desktop:

• search_courses
• confirm_course_by_id
• get_forums_by_course_id
• list_forum_discussions
• get_discussion_posts
• summarize_discussion (optional, needs OPENAI_API_KEY)

Requirements

• Windows 10/11
• Python 3.10+ (3.11/3.12 recommended)
• uv installed
• A Moodle site with:
  • Web services enabled
  • REST protocol enabled
  • A Web Service token for a user with rights to read courses and forums
• Claude Desktop (latest)

1. Install uv on Windows

Open PowerShell and run:

iwr https://astral.sh/uv/install.ps1 -UseBasicParsing | iex
uv --version

2. Enable Web Services in Moodle

1. Log in as an admin.

2. Navigate to:
   Site administration → Advanced features

   • ✅ Check Enable web services.
   • Save changes.

3. Go to:
   Site administration → Server → Web services → Manage protocols

   • ✅ Enable REST protocol.

4. (Optional, recommended) Create a restricted role with only the needed capabilities:

   • moodle/course:view
   • mod/forum:viewdiscussion
   • mod/forum:viewhiddentimedposts (if you want hidden/timed posts)
   • mod/forum:viewqandawithoutposting (if applicable)

5. Assign this role to the account you’ll use for the token in each course where you need access.

6. Create a service:
   Site administration → Server → Web services → External services

   • Add a new service, e.g., MCP Forum Tools.
   • Mark it as enabled.
   • Add the required functions:
     • core_course_search_courses
     • core_course_get_courses_by_field
     • mod_forum_get_forums_by_courses
     • mod_forum_get_forum_discussions
     • mod_forum_get_discussion_posts

7. Generate a token:
   Site administration → Server → Web services → Manage tokens

   • Create a token for the user and service above.
   • Copy this token — you’ll use it in .env as MOODLE_TOKEN.

3. Install the MCP server

git clone https://github.com/sebasfn9710dev/moodle-mcp-forum-summarizer mcp-moodle
cd mcp-moodle
cd server
uv init -p 3.11  # or your Python version
uv add mcp[server] httpx python-dotenv
# Optional (only if you'll use summarize_discussion on server):
uv add openai

4. Configure environment variables

Create .env from the example:

cp .env.example .env

Edit .env in your text editor and set:

MOODLE_BASE_URL=https://your-moodle.example.com
MOODLE_TOKEN=your_ws_token
# Optional for AI summaries:
# OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-...
# OPENAI_MODEL=gpt-4o-mini

5. Run standalone (local test)

From the repo root:

uv run server.py

Expected: logs like “Initializing MCP server…” and the process stays running.

6. Connect to Claude Desktop

Download Claude Desktop for Windows

Go to https://claude.ai/download and download the Windows installer.
Run the installer and open Claude Desktop.

Enable Developer Mode & Edit Config

1. In Claude Desktop, click on File → Settings.
2. Go to the Developer section.
3. Click Get Started or Edit Config.
4. A window will open showing the configuration file.

Modify the JSON Config

Locate the claude_desktop_config.json file (default path):

%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

Add your MCP server entry like this:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp_forum_summarizer": {
      "command": "uv",
      "args": [
        "--directory",
        "D:\\server",
        "run",
        "server.py"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Important for Windows: use double backslashes (\\) in paths.
Replace D:\\server with the full path to your MCP server folder.

Restart Claude Desktop

• Go to File → Exit to fully close Claude Desktop.
• Open it again.

Verify MCP Server is Active

• Click on Search & Tools in Claude Desktop.
• You should see mcp_forum_summarizer listed.
• There should be 6 tools available (coming from server.py).

7. Using it in Claude Desktop

You can now interact with your Moodle MCP server via Claude Desktop.

Example starting prompt:

Hey, can you get me a summary of all forums within the X course?

Or run tools step-by-step:

Search for a course

search_courses(query="biology", as_json=false)

→ Pick course_id

Confirm course

confirm_course_by_id(course_id=42)

List forums

get_forums_by_course_id(course_id=42)

→ Pick forum_id

List discussions

list_forum_discussions(forum_id=1234)

→ Pick discussion_id

Fetch posts

get_discussion_posts(discussion_id=5678, as_json=true)

(Optional) Summarize

summarize_discussion(discussion_id=5678, focus="themes, unresolved questions, next steps")

Endpoints used

• core_course_search_courses
• core_course_get_courses_by_field
• mod_forum_get_forums_by_courses
• mod_forum_get_forum_discussions
• mod_forum_get_discussion_posts

Troubleshooting

• Tool not visible in Claude → check config path/JSON syntax, restart Claude.
• spawn uv ENOENT → install uv or fix the path in config.
• Moodle error → check token permissions and MOODLE_BASE_URL.
• forum_id vs discussion_id confusion → get_discussion_posts warns if you pass the wrong ID.