Canvas Lms Mcp

Canvas LMS MCP Server

> The TypeScript MCP server for Canvas LMS.

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MCP server for Canvas LMS. Read courses, assignments, submissions, rubrics, quizzes; grade, comment, manage course content, and handle Canvas admin workflows from any AI agent.

119 tools across Canvas courses, assignments, submissions, gradebook history, rubrics, quizzes, New Quizzes (LTI), files, users, groups, enrollments, discussions, modules, pages, calendar, conversations, peer reviews, accounts, analytics, outcomes, student workflows, dashboard, instructor attention workflows, and health checks. Three deployment modes: stdio, HTTP, and library import.

One-click install (Claude Desktop)

1. Download canvas-lms-mcp.mcpb from the latest release.
2. Double-click the file (or drag it into Claude Desktop's Extensions settings).
3. When prompted, paste your Canvas API token and Canvas API base URL (e.g. https://school.instructure.com/api/v1). Teachers and staff handling student data can also flip FERPA mode — pseudonymize students on in the same dialog ([what it does](#ferpa-mode-student-pseudonymization)).

No terminal, no Node.js install, no config-file editing — Claude Desktop bundles the runtime and handles config for you. The same .mcpb works in Claude Code and MCP for Windows.

Prefer the terminal? Use the [Quick Start](#quick-start) below.

Comparison

| | canvas-lms-mcp | vishalsachdev/canvas-mcp | DMontgomery40/mcp-canvas-lms | |---|---|---|---| | Language | TypeScript | Python | TypeScript | | Tools | 119 | 80+ | 54 | | License | [](https://github.com/bruchris/canvas-lms-mcp/blob/main/LICENSE) | [](https://github.com/vishalsachdev/canvas-mcp/blob/main/LICENSE) | [](https://github.com/DMontgomery40/mcp-canvas-lms/blob/main/LICENSE) | | Last commit | [](https://github.com/bruchris/canvas-lms-mcp) | [](https://github.com/vishalsachdev/canvas-mcp) | [](https://github.com/DMontgomery40/mcp-canvas-lms) |

Quick Start

1. Get a Canvas API Token

1. Log in to your Canvas instance
2. Go to Account > Settings
3. Scroll to Approved Integrations and click + New Access Token
4. Give it a name (e.g., "MCP Server") and click Generate Token
5. Copy the token immediately -- you won't see it again

2. Run the Setup Wizard

npx canvas-lms-mcp init

The wizard detects your installed AI clients (Claude Desktop, Cursor, VS Code, Windsurf, Codex, Continue, Claude Code), prompts for your Canvas token and base URL, validates the credentials against your Canvas instance, and writes the config for every client you select.

add-mcp is also supported as a generic alternative: npx add-mcp canvas-lms-mcp.

For clients not yet supported by the wizard, or if you prefer editing config files by hand, see [docs/manual-setup.md](./docs/manual-setup.md).

Agent Skills

Install reusable Canvas workflows into Claude Code, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Cline, and 40+ other AI agents:

npx skills add bruchris/canvas-lms-mcp

| Skill | Description | |-------|-------------| | canvas-at-risk-students | Surface students with missing assignments or declining grades and send targeted outreach | | canvas-gradebook-audit | Inspect the full grade-change audit trail — who changed what grade, when, and by how much | | canvas-outcome-tracker | Track learning outcome mastery and class-wide proficiency for accreditation and program review |

Skills are markdown workflow files (no extra dependencies). They work with the MCP server you already have installed. See the [skills/ directory](./skills/) for the full list.

Example Prompts

Once configured, try these prompts with your AI client:

• "List all my active courses"
• "Show me the assignments for course 12345"
• "What's the average grade on the midterm exam?"
• "Grade Alice's essay submission with a B+ and add feedback"
• "Show me the rubric for the final project"
• "What discussions are happening in my Biology course?"
• "List all upcoming calendar events for course 12345"
• "Send a message to student 67890 about their missing assignment"

Tool Inventory

All Registered Tools (119)

| Category | Tools | |----------|-------| | Health | health_check | | Courses | list_courses, get_course, get_syllabus, create_course, update_course | | Assignments | list_assignments, get_assignment, list_assignment_groups, create_assignment, update_assignment, delete_assignment | | Submissions | list_submissions, get_submission, grade_submission, comment_on_submission | | Rubrics | list_rubrics, get_rubric, get_rubric_assessment, submit_rubric_assessment | | Quizzes | list_quizzes, get_quiz, list_quiz_submissions, list_quiz_questions, get_quiz_submission_answers, score_quiz_question | | New Quizzes (LTI) | create_new_quiz, update_new_quiz, delete_new_quiz, list_new_quiz_items, get_new_quiz_item, create_new_quiz_item, update_new_quiz_item, delete_new_quiz_item | | Files | list_files, list_folders, get_file, upload_file, delete_file | | Gradebook History | list_gradebook_history_days, get_gradebook_history_day, list_gradebook_history_submissions, get_gradebook_history_feed | | Users | list_students, get_user, get_profile, search_users, list_course_users | | Groups | list_groups, list_group_members | | Enrollments | list_enrollments, enroll_user, remove_enrollment | | Discussions | list_discussions, get_discussion, list_announcements, post_discussion_entry, create_discussion, update_discussion, delete_discussion | | Modules | list_modules, get_module, list_module_items, get_course_structure, view_course_structure, create_module, update_module, create_module_item | | Pages | list_pages, get_page, create_page, update_page, delete_page | | Calendar | list_calendar_events, create_calendar_event, update_calendar_event | | Conversations | list_conversations, get_conversation, get_conversation_unread_count, send_conversation | | Peer Reviews | list_peer_reviews, get_submission_peer_reviews, create_peer_review, delete_peer_review | | Accounts | get_account, list_accounts, list_sub_accounts, list_account_courses, list_account_users, get_account_reports | | Analytics | search_course_content, get_course_analytics, get_student_analytics, get_course_activity_stream | | Outcomes | get_root_outcome_group, list_outcome_groups, list_outcome_group_links, get_outcome_group, list_outcome_group_outcomes, list_outcome_group_subgroups, get_outcome, get_outcome_alignments, get_outcome_results, get_outcome_rollups, get_outcome_contributing_scores, get_outcome_mastery_distribution | | Student | get_my_courses, get_my_grades, get_my_submissions, get_my_upcoming_assignments | | Dashboard | get_dashboard_cards, get_todo_items, get_upcoming_events, get_missing_submissions | | Attention | list_submission_comments_needing_attention, list_students_needing_attention | | FERPA (conditional) | resolve_pseudonym — registered only when CANVAS_PSEUDONYMIZE_STUDENTS=true |

84 tools are read-only and 35 tools perform Canvas write operations. When FERPA mode is enabled, resolve_pseudonym adds a 120th read tool.

All write tools require appropriate Canvas permissions. Canvas enforces its own permission model -- the MCP server does not bypass it.

Bulk operations

Canvas applies rate limits per-user. When creating many New Quizzes items (e.g., RAG-generated quizzes), call the tools serially rather than in parallel. For >50 items, chunk and pause between batches. If you hit a rate-limit error, wait a few seconds and retry.

MCP Resources (2)

| Resource | URI Template | Type | |----------|-------------|------| | Course Syllabus | canvas://course/{courseId}/syllabus | text/html | | Assignment Description | canvas://course/{courseId}/assignment/{assignmentId}/description | text/html |

Interactive widgets

view_course_structure is an MCP Apps tool: hosts that support the spec render an interactive tree explorer (collapsible modules, type-filter chips, title search, published/unpublished badges, links open in a new tab); hosts that don't fall back transparently to the same JSON payload that get_course_structure returns. The widget is self-contained — no external scripts, fonts, or network calls — and is shipped inline with the tool definition.

| Tool | UI resource URI | Fallback | |------|----------------|----------| | view_course_structure | ui://canvas-lms-mcp/course-structure.html | Same JSON payload as get_course_structure |

Host verification (Claude Desktop, ChatGPT, Codex fallback) is performed manually after each release, since it requires real Canvas credentials. A screenshot will be added once the first verified host pass lands.

Deployment Modes

stdio (Default)

For local AI clients like Claude Desktop, Cursor, and VS Code. The server communicates over stdin/stdout.

npx canvas-lms-mcp --token $CANVAS_API_TOKEN --base-url $CANVAS_BASE_URL

HTTP

For web-based clients or hosted services. Starts an HTTP server with Streamable HTTP transport.

npx canvas-lms-mcp serve \
  --token $CANVAS_API_TOKEN \
  --base-url $CANVAS_BASE_URL \
  --port 3001 \
  --allowed-origin https://your-app.example.com

Endpoints:

• POST /mcp -- MCP protocol endpoint
• GET /health -- Health check (returns {"status":"ok"})

Docker

docker compose up -d

Requires CANVAS_API_TOKEN and CANVAS_BASE_URL environment variables. See docker-compose.yml.

services:
  canvas-lms-mcp:
    build: .
    ports:
      - "3001:3001"
    environment:
      - CANVAS_API_TOKEN=${CANVAS_API_TOKEN}
      - CANVAS_BASE_URL=${CANVAS_BASE_URL}

Library Import

Use the server factory directly in your own Node.js application:

import { createCanvasMCPServer } from 'canvas-lms-mcp'

const { server, canvas } = createCanvasMCPServer({
  token: userToken,
  baseUrl: canvasBaseUrl,
})

Or use the Canvas client standalone (no MCP dependency):

import { CanvasClient } from 'canvas-lms-mcp/canvas'

const canvas = new CanvasClient({
  token: userToken,
  baseUrl: canvasBaseUrl,
})

const courses = await canvas.courses.list()

CLI Reference

| Flag | Env Variable | Default | Description | |------|-------------|---------|-------------| | --token | CANVAS_API_TOKEN | (required) | Canvas personal access token | | --base-url | CANVAS_BASE_URL | (required) | Canvas instance URL | | serve | -- | stdio mode | Switch to HTTP mode | | --port | -- | 3001 | HTTP server port | | --allowed-origin | CANVAS_ALLOWED_ORIGIN | http://localhost:3000 | CORS allowed origin | | --role | CANVAS_ROLE | (all tools) | Filter tools by Canvas role: student, teacher, or admin (see [Role-based tool filtering](#role-based-tool-filtering)) |

Environment Variables

| Variable | Required | Description | |----------|----------|-------------| | CANVAS_API_TOKEN | Yes | Canvas personal access token | | CANVAS_BASE_URL | Yes | Canvas instance URL (e.g., https://school.instructure.com) | | CANVAS_ALLOWED_ORIGIN | No | CORS origin for HTTP mode (default: http://localhost:3000) | | CANVAS_ROLE | No | Filter the tool list by role: student, teacher, or admin (see [Role-based tool filtering](#role-based-tool-filtering)) | | CANVAS_PSEUDONYMIZE_STUDENTS | No | Set to true to enable [FERPA mode](#ferpa-mode-student-pseudonymization) | | CANVAS_PSEUDONYMIZE_REVERSE_LOOKUP | No | Set to true (with CANVAS_PSEUDONYMIZE_STUDENTS=true) to register the resolve_pseudonym audit tool | | CANVAS_PSEUDONYM_DIR | No | Absolute path that overrides the default pseudonym map directory | | CANVAS_PSEUDONYM_AUDIT_LOG | No | Path to an append-only file that mirrors resolve_pseudonym audit lines (stderr is always written) |

FERPA mode (student pseudonymization)

Opt-in, server-side mode that replaces student names and contact info in tool output with stable pseudonyms (Student 1, Student 2, …) so structured PII never reaches the LLM. Designed for teacher / staff tokens — students running their own MCP should leave the flag off, otherwise their own data is replaced too.

CANVAS_PSEUDONYMIZE_STUDENTS=true canvas-lms-mcp serve --base-url https://school.instructure.com

What it does:

• Replaces name, short_name, sortable_name, email, login_id, sis_user_id, integration_id, avatar_url, bio, pronouns, and last_login on student users.
• Maps are stable per (canvas-base-url, course_id) and persisted to disk under ${XDG_DATA_HOME:-~/.local/share}/canvas-lms-mcp/pseudonyms (Linux), ~/Library/Application Support/canvas-lms-mcp/pseudonyms (macOS), or %APPDATA%\canvas-lms-mcp\pseudonyms (Windows). Override the location with CANVAS_PSEUDONYM_DIR.
• Student 7 in March is still Student 7 in October. Dropped students are marked historical; their slot is never reused.
• Tool responses carry _meta.pseudonymized: true so the agent can mention it in summaries.
• Cannot be toggled per tool call, per HTTP header, or per session. The env flag is the only switch.

What it does NOT do:

• It does not scrub free text inside submission bodies, discussion messages, or page bodies — a student writing "Hi, I'm Alice" in their submission still says so. Document this for your end users.
• It cannot re-anonymize the LLM's working memory. If the agent saw real names in a prior turn, they remain in its context.
• It does not protect the bare canvas-lms-mcp/canvas library import — pseudonymization is a tool-layer concern. Embedders that use the raw Canvas client get raw data.
• HTTP transports are process-wide: to run both modes side by side, run two server instances.

Conversation participants are pseudonymized as Person N from a cross-course pool. If you chat with a colleague, they appear as Person 1 rather than their name — conservative because conversations span courses and we cannot infer their role.

Optional resolve_pseudonym reverse-lookup tool: register it only by also setting CANVAS_PSEUDONYMIZE_REVERSE_LOOKUP=true. Every call is audit-logged to stderr (and to CANVAS_PSEUDONYM_AUDIT_LOG if set). When the flag is off the tool is absent from tools/list — a prompt-injection attempt to call it fails at the protocol layer.

Threat model and design rationale in [docs/superpowers/specs/2026-05-25-ferpa-pseudonymization.md](docs/superpowers/specs/2026-05-25-ferpa-pseudonymization.md).

Role-based tool filtering

Optionally narrow the tool list to a single Canvas role so an agent sees only the tools relevant to its user. This is a client-side UX / context-reduction filter only — Canvas still enforces real permissions server-side. Setting CANVAS_ROLE=admin does not grant admin powers; a 403 still comes from Canvas if the token lacks the scope.

# stdio: env var or --role flag (flag wins)
CANVAS_ROLE=student canvas-lms-mcp --base-url https://school.instructure.com
canvas-lms-mcp --base-url https://school.instructure.com --role teacher

Three roles, plus the default of "unset = every tool":

| CANVAS_ROLE | Tools exposed | Typical use | |---------------|---------------|-------------| | (unset) | all (~121) | defaul

…

Source & license

This open-source MCP server is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: bruchris
• Source: bruchris/canvas-lms-mcp
• License: MIT

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.