# Courseforge > AI-powered Canvas LMS course creator, MCP server, agent skills, and an IMSCC/Common Cartridge toolkit that turn a syllabus into an importable Canvas course - **Type:** MCP server - **Install:** `agentstack add mcp-jasp-nerd-courseforge` - **Verified:** Yes — security-reviewed for prompt injection and unsafe behavior - **Seller:** [jasp-nerd](https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/jasp-nerd) - **Installs:** 0 - **Category:** [Integrations](https://agentstack.voostack.com/c/integrations) - **Latest version:** 0.1.0 - **License:** Apache-2.0 - **Upstream author:** [jasp-nerd](https://github.com/jasp-nerd) - **Source:** https://github.com/jasp-nerd/courseforge ## Install ```sh agentstack add mcp-jasp-nerd-courseforge ``` Requires the [AgentStack CLI](https://agentstack.voostack.com/docs/cli). Works with Claude Code, Cursor, and any MCP-compatible agent. ## About **CourseForge turns a syllabus into a real Canvas course.** Hand your AI assistant a course outline and get back modules, pages, assignments, quizzes with questions, and discussions, imported straight into Canvas LMS or packaged as a standards-compliant `.imscc` file that any Canvas instance can import. ## Why CourseForge? Existing Canvas MCP servers read courses well, and some create individual pages or assignments. CourseForge builds the whole course: it generates a Canvas-flavored IMS Common Cartridge (the same format Canvas itself exports) and pushes it through Canvas's content-migrations API, so one import call creates every module, page, assignment, and quiz. The content arrives unpublished, and you review it in Canvas before students see anything. ## Quickstart ### 1 · MCP server: let your AI build courses in Canvas ```bash npx -y courseforge-mcp init # interactive: writes config for Claude Code/Desktop/Cursor ``` Then ask your assistant: *“Here's my syllabus. Build it into Canvas course 12345.”* Manual config / Claude Code one-liner ```bash claude mcp add courseforge \ -e CANVAS_BASE_URL=https://youruni.instructure.com \ -e CANVAS_API_TOKEN=your-token \ -- npx -y courseforge-mcp ``` Get a token in Canvas: **Account → Settings → + New access token**. ### 2 · No API token? Build an importable file instead ```bash npx -y @courseforge/imscc build examples/intro-to-chemistry.json ``` Upload the resulting `.imscc` in Canvas under **Settings → Import Course Content → Common Cartridge 1.x Package**. ### 3 · Agent skills for Claude Code, Codex, Cursor & 40+ agents ```bash npx skills add jasp-nerd/courseforge # canvas-course-builder, imscc-editor, canvas-course-qc ``` ## What you get | | | |---|---| | 🏗️ **`build_course_from_spec`** | One tool call: CourseSpec JSON → validated `.imscc` → imported into Canvas with progress and issue reporting | | 📦 **`@courseforge/imscc`** | Build, parse, modify, and validate Canvas cartridges (the export → edit → re-import loop), with QTI 1.2 quiz generation for 8 question types | | 🔌 **`courseforge-mcp`** | 20 tools: course/module/page/assignment/quiz/discussion creation, import/export, migration progress, and a pre-publish QC linter | | 🧠 **Agent skills** | Interview the teacher, apply university branding, preview the build plan, create everything unpublished. Portable across the open Agent Skills standard | | 🌐 **`@courseforge/canvas-client`** | Standalone Canvas REST client: token or browser-cookie auth, Link-header pagination, 429 retry, the 3-step upload dance | | 🛡️ **Tested** | 61 tests: golden-file manifests, round-trips on real Canvas exports, zip-slip/zip-bomb/XXE guards, MSW-mocked API, MCP protocol integration | ## How it works ```mermaid flowchart LR A["📄 Syllabus / course idea"] --> B["🤖 AI agent+ canvas-course-builder skill"] B --> C["CourseSpec JSONZod-validated"] C -->|"@courseforge/imscc"| D["📦 .imsccCanvas cartridge"] D -->|"content_migrations API"| E["🎓 Canvas courseunpublished, ready for review"] D -->|"manual upload"| E C -->|"mode: api"| E E -->|"export"| D ``` A plain JSON course description called the [CourseSpec](skills/canvas-course-builder/references/course-spec.md) connects everything. Agents write it, the `imscc` package turns it into a cartridge with the same structure Canvas's own exports use (including the `canvas_export.txt` flag and `cccv1p0` extension XMLs, which preserve module structure and assignment settings on import), and the MCP server pushes it through the same import pipeline as the Canvas UI. ## Compared to existing Canvas MCP servers | | CourseForge | vishalsachdev/canvas-mcp | bruchris/canvas-lms-mcp | |---|:---:|:---:|:---:| | Build a whole course in one call | ✅ | — | — | | Generate + import `.imscc` packages | ✅ | — | — | | Modify existing Canvas exports | ✅ | — | — | | Quiz generation incl. questions | ✅ QTI 1.2 | — | New Quizzes API | | Course/content creation tools | ✅ | partial | ✅ | | Grading / student-facing tools | — | ✅ | ✅ | | Language | TypeScript | Python | TypeScript | *vishalsachdev's and bruchris's servers cover course management (grading, feedback, student workflows) far more deeply than CourseForge does. CourseForge covers creation. They run side by side without conflict.* ## Repository layout ``` packages/shared CourseSpec Zod schemas (the shared course format) packages/imscc .imscc build / parse / modify / validate + CLI packages/canvas-client Canvas REST client (zero MCP dependencies) packages/mcp The courseforge-mcp server skills/ Agent Skills (open SKILL.md standard) fixtures/ Real .imscc exports used in round-trip tests docs/ IMSCC format ground truth, specs, launch playbook ``` ## Documentation - [The Canvas `.imscc` format — ground truth](docs/imscc-format.md) - [CourseSpec reference](skills/canvas-course-builder/references/course-spec.md) - [Contributing](CONTRIBUTING.md) · [Code of Conduct](CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md) ## Roadmap - [ ] Chrome extension (build courses from inside the Canvas UI, no token needed) - [ ] Rubrics + outcomes in cartridges - [ ] New Quizzes (QTI 2.x) authoring - [ ] Course templates gallery - [ ] `.mcpb` one-click bundle on the MCP registries ## License [Apache-2.0](LICENSE) © jasp-nerd. Not affiliated with Instructure. Canvas is a trademark of Instructure, Inc. ## Source & license This open-source MCP server is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code. - **Author:** [jasp-nerd](https://github.com/jasp-nerd) - **Source:** [jasp-nerd/courseforge](https://github.com/jasp-nerd/courseforge) - **License:** Apache-2.0 Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above. ## Pricing - **Free** — Free ## Security capabilities Automated source analysis of v0.1.0 — what this tool can access: - **Network access:** no - **Filesystem access:** no - **Shell / process execution:** no - **Environment & secrets:** no - **Dynamic code execution:** no *"Yes" means the capability is present in the source — more access means more to trust, not that it is unsafe.* ## Versions - **0.1.0** — security scan: passed — Imported from the upstream source. ## Links - Listing page: https://agentstack.voostack.com/l/mcp-jasp-nerd-courseforge - Seller: https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/jasp-nerd - Browse the marketplace: https://agentstack.voostack.com/browse --- Listed on AgentStack — the marketplace for AI agent skills and MCP servers. Every listing is security-reviewed. Creators keep 70%.