Testudo MCP

An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that provides access to University of Maryland (UMD) course data through the UMD.io API. This server enables AI assistants to retrieve comprehensive information about UMD courses, departments, professors, and majors.

Usage

Provides context to LLM to answer questions about UMD course offerings. Use the MCP to dynamically create schedules based on user parameters.

Features

Course Information

• Get courses by department: Retrieve all courses for a specific UMD department
• Get courses by gen-ed: Find courses that fulfill specific general education requirements
• Get specific courses: Look up detailed information for specific course codes
• Get course sections: Access section details including meeting times, instructors, and availability

Department and Major Information

• List all departments: Get a complete list of UMD departments
• List all majors: Retrieve information about all available majors including college affiliation

Professor Information

• Find professors by course: Discover which professors teach a specific course
• Find courses by professor: See what courses a professor has taught

Installation

Prerequisites

• Python 3.13 or higher
• uv (recommended) or pip for package management

Using uv (recommended)

git clone https://github.com/yourusername/testudo-mcp.git
cd testudo-mcp
uv sync

Using pip

git clone https://github.com/yourusername/testudo-mcp.git
cd testudo-mcp
pip install -e .

Usage

Running the MCP Server

python testudo.py

Connecting to Claude Desktop

Follow these instructions

The server runs using the Model Context Protocol with stdio transport, making it compatible with AI assistants that support MCP.

Available Tools

get_courses(dept: str = "", gen_ed: str = "") -> str

Retrieves courses for a department and/or general education requirement.

• dept: Department code (e.g., "CMSC", "MATH")
• gen_ed: General education code (e.g., "FSAW", "DSHS")

get_course_by_course_code(courses: list) -> str

Gets detailed information for specific course codes.

• courses: List of course codes (e.g., ["CMSC131", "MATH140"])

get_course_sections(course: str) -> str

Retrieves section information for a specific course.

• course: Course code (e.g., "CMSC131")

get_departments() -> str

Lists all UMD departments.

get_majors() -> str

Lists all UMD majors with college information.

get_professors_for_course(course: str) -> str

Finds professors who teach a specific course.

• course: Course code (e.g., "CMSC131")

get_courses_by_professor(professor: str) -> str

Retrieves courses taught by a specific professor.

• professor: Professor's name

Data Sources

This MCP server uses the UMD.io API to retrieve up-to-date information about:

• Course catalogs and descriptions
• Prerequisites and corequisites
• Course sections and schedules
• Professor assignments
• Department and major listings

Configuration

The server connects to the UMD API at https://api.umd.io/v1. No API key is required as the UMD.io API is publicly accessible.

Response Format

All tools return formatted strings with detailed information:

Course Information Includes:

• Course name and department
• Credits and description
• Prerequisites and corequisites
• General education categories
• Grading methods
• Section details

Section Information Includes:

• Meeting times and locations
• Instructor assignments
• Seat availability
• Waitlist information

Professor Information Includes:

• Professor names
• Course teaching history
• Semester information

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Make your changes
4. Submit a pull request

License

This project is licensed under the terms specified in the LICENSE file.

Acknowledgments

• Built using the FastMCP framework
• Data provided by the UMD.io API
• Serves the University of Maryland community

Support

For issues or questions:

1. Check existing GitHub issues
2. Create a new issue with detailed information
3. Include error messages and reproduction steps