EdStem

Fetch and organize EdStem discussion threads from any course or institution with automatic staff/student differentiation.

Quick Start

Fetch recent threads for any course:

CODEBLOCK0

Examples:
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Finding Your Course ID

To find your EdStem course ID:

1. 1. Log into EdStem and navigate to your course
2. Look at the URL: INLINECODE0
3. The number in the URL is your course ID

Alternatively, use the API to list your courses:
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What Gets Fetched

For each course:

• - threads.json - Full thread list with metadata
• thread-XXX.md - Individual threads formatted as markdown

Features

• - Institution-agnostic: Works with any school using EdStem
• Staff differentiation: Clearly marks instructor/TA posts vs student posts
• Structured output: Markdown format for easy reading and searching
• API-based: Uses EdStem's official API (no scraping)
• Flexible output: Choose your own output directory and organization scheme

Authentication

The skill uses a bearer token stored in the Python script. To use with your own account:

1. 1. Log into EdStem in your browser
2. Open Developer Tools → Network tab
3. Reload any EdStem page
4. Find an API request and copy the Authorization: Bearer ... token
5. Update ED_TOKEN in INLINECODE3

Current token location: Line 20 in INLINECODE4

If API calls fail (401 Unauthorized), your token likely expired and needs refresh.

Scripts

fetch-edstem.py (recommended)

Usage:
CODEBLOCK3

Options:

• - output_dir - Where to save threads (default: ./edstem-<course_id>)
• INLINECODE7 - Display name for the course
• INLINECODE8 - Number of threads to fetch (default: 10)

Features:

• - Fetches thread metadata and full details
• Full markdown formatting with answers and comments
• Automatic staff role detection
• JSON cache of thread list
• Auto-creates output directory

fetch-edstem.sh (lightweight alternative)

Usage:
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Outputs:

• - Raw JSON files for each thread
• Requires manual formatting or post-processing

Common Workflows

Check for new posts

Sync multiple courses

Review recent activity

Search across threads

Output Structure

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Each markdown file contains:

• - Thread metadata (number, title, category, timestamps)
• Original post with author role
• All answers (sorted, with role tags)
• All comments (with role tags)

Integration Examples

With LLM agents

Automated monitoring

Custom organization

Troubleshooting

401 Unauthorized: Token expired. Re-authenticate and update ED_TOKEN in the script.

Course not found: Verify the course ID and that your account has access.

Empty threads: Check that the course has discussion posts and you're enrolled.

Rate limiting: EdStem may rate-limit API requests. Add delays between fetches if needed.

Contributing

This skill is open-source and institution-agnostic by design. Improvements welcome:

• - Better content parsing (EdStem uses XML-based document format)
• Support for filtering by category or date range
• Incremental sync (only fetch new threads)
• Export to other formats (JSON, HTML, etc.)

Version History

• - 1.1.0 - Made institution-agnostic with flexible parameters
• 1.0.0 - Initial release