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Moodle setup: install the plugin

Install the Raison local plugin on Moodle, complete site registration, and understand the Web Service boundary and token rotation.

Written by Romain Morvant

The local plugin (local_corolair) registers your Moodle site with Raison, creates a dedicated Web Service, and syncs the course context that assistants and assessments need.

LTI launch is a separate step. After this plugin setup, see Moodle setup: LTI 1.3 Dynamic Registration.

Always install the latest version from the Moodle Plugins Directory.

Prerequisites

  • Moodle 4.4 or later

  • A site administrator with moodle/site:config to complete the setup page

  • Moodle cron configured and running. Registration and token maintenance use scheduled and ad hoc tasks.

  • The External tool / LTI activity module available

  • Outbound HTTPS from Moodle to Raison, and staff and learner browsers able to reach *.raison.is

  • Educators who publish assessments need moodle/course:manageactivities and mod/lti:addinstance in the target course, plus the Raison Manager role to manage assistants

You don't need a Raison account beforehand. Registration creates your organization for the administrator who completes the setup.

Install the plugin

Use either method:

  • From Moodle: go to Site administration → Plugins → Install plugins, then install from the directory (search for raison) or upload the ZIP.

  • From the command line or a deployment script: place the plugin in local/corolair and run the Moodle upgrade (admin/cli/upgrade.php).

Installing only adds the plugin and creates the Raison Manager role. Nothing connects to Raison until a site administrator completes the setup below.

Complete the setup

This is required after every installation, including command-line and scripted installs.

  1. Go to Site administration → Plugins → Local plugins → Raison Local Plugin and select Open Raison setup.

  2. Review the integration disclosure, then select I acknowledge this integration disclosure.

  3. If Moodle web services or the REST protocol are disabled, the page lists the changes. Select Enable web services and REST to approve them. If both are already enabled, select Start Raison registration. Protocols already enabled stay enabled.

  4. Leave Do not rotate the web-service token unticked, unless cron or outbound access to Raison can't be relied on. See Web Service token below.

  5. Moodle queues the registration. Once cron has run, the Raison API key is stored and the Integration status on the plugin settings page reads Connected.

  6. Open Raison from the site home (More → Raison) to finish onboarding in Raison.

After a command-line install, the prompt to open the setup page is shown only during installation, so it's easy to miss. Until setup is done, Moodle reminds site administrators (at most three times, a week apart), and teachers who open Raison see a message saying setup is missing.

If setup does not complete, see Moodle troubleshooting.

Free trial and your plan

A new registration starts on a free trial with usage limits. Until your plan is in place, opening Raison from Moodle asks you to book a discovery call with the Raison team.

If your organization already has an agreement with Raison, tell your Raison contact as soon as setup is complete. They apply your plan and limits, and you can go straight in without the call. Otherwise, see Upgrade to Premium and Understanding your usage limits.

Give teachers access

Invite teachers and course managers from Raison, and make sure each one accepts: accepting is what gives them the Raison Manager role in Moodle. See Give Moodle teachers access to Raison.

To adjust how the assistant appears in Moodle, see Moodle plugin settings.

Web Service boundary

The plugin creates a dedicated service named Corolair REST Service (the product's former name), short name corolair_rest. Only the Raison service account can use it. The function allowlist is fixed. It covers:

  • Site identity and user lookup

  • Course, category, section, and supported resource reads

  • Enrolment, participant, role, and capability context

  • Course and activity completion reads where available

  • Assignment of the Raison Manager role, and only that role

  • Creation and management of LTI assessment placements

The service does not grow its function set per customer. Moodle still evaluates both the allowlist and the token owner's capabilities. File download is enabled so Raison can read course resources. File upload is disabled.

Web Service token

The token:

  • Is owned by a dedicated account, corolair_webservice, that the plugin creates. This account is not a site administrator, has no password, and cannot sign in.

  • Is sent to Raison over HTTPS during registration

  • Is limited to corolair_rest functions

  • Expires after 15 days

  • Enters automatic rotation when seven days remain

  • Produces a rate-limited administrator warning if rotation is still unresolved when five days remain

  • Keeps the previous token only for a short overlap after the replacement is verified

Cron must be running for rotation to succeed. The administrator can queue an immediate retry from the plugin settings if automatic rotation fails. Sites where cron or outbound access is unreliable can turn rotation off. See Moodle plugin settings.

Related

Need help? Write to [email protected].

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