Canvas Mcp

Canvas MCP Server

[](https://opensource.org/licenses/MIT) [](https://skills.sh)

MCP server for Canvas LMS with 90 tools and 8 agent skills. Works with Claude Desktop, Cursor, Codex, Windsurf, and 40+ other agents.

npx skills add vishalsachdev/canvas-mcp

For AI Agents

Canvas MCP provides 90 tools for interacting with Canvas LMS. Tools are organized by user type:

Student Tools (click to expand)

| Tool | Purpose | Example Prompt | |------|---------|----------------| | get_my_upcoming_assignments | Due dates for next N days | "What's due this week?" | | get_my_todo_items | Canvas TODO list | "Show my TODO list" | | get_my_submission_status | Submitted vs missing | "Have I submitted everything?" | | get_my_course_grades | Current grades | "What are my grades?" | | get_my_peer_reviews_todo | Pending peer reviews | "What peer reviews do I need to do?" |

Educator Tools (click to expand)

| Tool | Purpose | Example Prompt | |------|---------|----------------| | list_assignments | All assignments in course | "Show assignments in BADM 350" | | create_assignment | Create new assignment | "Create an assignment due Jan 26 with online text submission" | | update_assignment | Update existing assignment | "Change the due date for Assignment 3 to Feb 15" | | list_submissions | Student submissions | "Who submitted Assignment 3?" | | bulk_grade_submissions | Grade multiple at once | "Grade these 10 students" | | get_assignment_analytics | Performance stats | "Show analytics for Quiz 2" | | send_conversation | Message students | "Message students who haven't submitted" | | create_announcement | Post announcements | "Announce the exam date change" | | Module Management | | | | create_module | Create course module | "Create a module for Week 5" | | update_module | Update module settings | "Rename the midterm module" | | add_module_item | Add content to module | "Add the syllabus page to Week 1" | | delete_module | Remove a module | "Delete the empty test module" | | Page & Content | | | | create_page | Create course page | "Create a page for office hours" | | edit_page_content | Update page content | "Update the syllabus page" | | update_page_settings | Publish/unpublish pages | "Publish all Week 3 pages" | | bulk_update_pages | Batch page operations | "Unpublish all draft pages" | | File Management | | | | upload_course_file | Upload local file to Canvas | "Upload syllabus.pdf to the course" |

Shared Tools (click to expand)

| Tool | Purpose | |------|---------| | list_courses | All enrolled courses | | get_course_details | Course info + syllabus | | list_pages | Course pages | | get_page_content | Read page content | | list_modules | List course modules | | list_module_items | Items within a module | | list_discussion_topics | Discussion forums | | list_discussion_entries | Posts in a discussion | | post_discussion_entry | Add a discussion post | | reply_to_discussion_entry | Reply to a post |

Learning Designer Tools (course design & QC)

| Tool | Purpose | Example Prompt | |------|---------|----------------| | get_course_structure | Full module→items tree as JSON | "Show me the structure of CS 101" | | scan_course_content_accessibility | WCAG violation scanner (20 checks: headings, tables, links, contrast, alt text, captions, DesignPLUS) | "Audit accessibility for BADM 350" | | fetch_ufixit_report | Institutional accessibility report | "Pull the UFIXIT report for this course" | | parse_ufixit_violations | Extract structured violations | "Parse the UFIXIT violations" | | format_accessibility_summary | Readable violation report | "Summarize the accessibility issues" |

Skills: canvas-course-qc (pre-semester audit), canvas-accessibility-auditor (WCAG compliance), canvas-course-builder (scaffold courses from specs/templates).

Developer Tools (for bulk operations)

| Tool | Purpose | When to Use | |------|---------|-------------| | search_canvas_tools | Discover code API operations | Finding available bulk ops | | execute_typescript | Run TypeScript locally | 30+ items, custom logic, 99.7% token savings |

Decision tree: Simple query → MCP tools. Batch grading (10+) → bulk_grade_submissions. Complex bulk (30+) → execute_typescript.

Quick Reference

Course identifiers: Canvas ID (12345), course code (badm_350_120251_246794), or SIS ID

Cannot do: Create/delete courses, modify course settings, access other users' data, create/update rubrics (use Canvas UI)

Rate limits: ~700 requests/10 min. Use max_concurrent=5 for bulk operations.

Full documentation: [AGENTS.md](AGENTS.md) | [tools/TOOLMANIFEST.json](tools/TOOLMANIFEST.json) | [tools/README.md](tools/README.md)

Overview

The Canvas MCP Server bridges the gap between AI assistants and Canvas Learning Management System, providing both students and educators with an intelligent interface to their Canvas environment. Built on the Model Context Protocol (MCP), it enables natural language interactions with Canvas data through any MCP-compatible client.

Latest Release: v1.4.0

Released: June 2026 | [Full Changelog](./CHANGELOG.md) | All Releases

• check_enrollment — data-minimizing "is this NetID enrolled in the course?" check; returns only a yes/no plus minimal metadata, never the roster (teacher-scoped, PR #126)
• Claude Desktop Extension (.mcpb) — one-click install in Claude Desktop (no terminal, no config-file editing); attached to each GitHub Release
• Authenticated institutional hosting — Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD) platform authentication for in-tenant App Service deployments (#115, PR #125)
• Security — HTTP mode now fails closed without an auth gate configured (PR #123)

Previous releases

v1.3.0 — create_rubric (PR #100), read_course_file (@DomBarker99, PR #90), event-loop fix for user-scoped tools (PR #99), bulk-delete safety cap (PR #96), dependency pruning (PR #93)

v1.2.0 — Role-Based Tool Filtering (@Promithius-DR, PR #84), Accessibility Remediation (fix_accessibility_issues, scanner expanded 4→20 checks), Security Hardening (path traversal/symlink protections), Windows Support for execute_typescript (PR #85), CI consolidation (11→8 checks)

v1.1.0 — Hosted Server (mcp.illinihunt.org), Learning Designer tools + 3 skills, Agent Skills on skills.sh, File Management (@Metzpapa, PR #75), Token Optimization, Generic Distribution

v1.0.8 — Security Hardening (PII sanitization, audit logging, sandbox-by-default), Ruff linting, 235+ tests

v1.0.7 — Assignment Update Tool (update_assignment), complete CRUD, 9 tests

v1.0.6 — Module Management (7 tools), Page Settings (2 tools), 235+ tests

v1.0.5 — Claude Code Skills, GitHub Pages site

v1.0.4 — Code Execution API (99.7% token savings), Bulk Operations, MCP 2.14 compliance

For Students 👨‍🎓

Get AI-powered assistance with:

• Tracking upcoming assignments and deadlines
• Monitoring your grades across all courses
• Managing peer review assignments
• Accessing course content and discussions
• Organizing your TODO list

→ Get Started as a Student

For Educators 👨‍🏫

Enhance your teaching with:

• Assignment and grading management
• Student analytics and performance tracking
• Discussion and peer review facilitation
• FERPA-compliant student data handling
• Bulk messaging and communication tools

→ Get Started as an Educator

For Learning Designers 🎨

AI-powered course design and quality assurance:

• Course scaffolding — Build entire course structures from specs, templates, or by cloning existing courses
• Quality audits — Pre-semester QC checks for structure, content, publishing, and completeness
• Accessibility compliance — 20-check WCAG scanner (headings, tables, scope, contrast, alt text, links, captions, DesignPLUS migration), prioritized reports, guided remediation, and verification
• Course structure analysis — Full module→items tree in a single call for rapid course review

3 dedicated skills (canvas-course-qc, canvas-accessibility-auditor, canvas-course-builder) plus the get_course_structure tool.

🤖 Agent Skills

Pre-built workflow recipes that teach AI agents how to use Canvas MCP tools effectively. Available for 40+ coding agents via skills.sh, or as Claude Code-specific slash commands.

Install via skills.sh (Any Agent)

npx skills add vishalsachdev/canvas-mcp

This launches an interactive picker to install skills into your agent of choice (Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, OpenCode, Cline, Zed, and many more).

| Skill | For | What It Does | |-------|-----|--------------| | canvas-week-plan | Students | Weekly planner: due dates, submission status, grades, peer reviews | | canvas-morning-check | Educators | Course health dashboard: submission rates, struggling students, deadlines | | canvas-bulk-grading | Educators | Grading decision tree: single → bulk → code execution with safety checks | | canvas-peer-review-manager | Educators | Full peer review pipeline: analytics, quality analysis, reminders, reports | | canvas-discussion-facilitator | Both | Discussion browsing, participation monitoring, replying, facilitation | | canvas-course-qc | Learning Designers | Pre-semester quality audit: structure, content, publishing, completeness | | canvas-accessibility-auditor | Learning Designers | WCAG scan, prioritized report, guided remediation, verification | | canvas-course-builder | Learning Designers | Scaffold courses from specs, templates, or existing courses |

Install a specific skill:

npx skills add vishalsachdev/canvas-mcp -s canvas-week-plan

Claude Code Slash Commands

If you use Claude Code, the same workflows are also available as slash commands:

You: /canvas-morning-check CS 101
Claude: [Generates comprehensive course status report]

You: /canvas-week-plan
Claude: [Shows prioritized weekly assignment plan]

Claude Code skills are located in .claude/skills/ and can be customized for your workflow.

Want a custom skill? Submit a request describing your repetitive workflow!

🔒 Privacy & Data Protection

For Educators: FERPA Compliance

Complete FERPA compliance through systematic data anonymization when working with student data:

• Source-level data anonymization converts real names to consistent anonymous IDs (Student_xxxxxxxx)
• Automatic email masking and PII filtering from discussion posts and submissions
• Local-only processing with configurable privacy controls (ENABLE_DATA_ANONYMIZATION=true)
• FERPA-compliant analytics: Ask "Which students need support?" without exposing real identities
• De-anonymization mapping tool for faculty to correlate anonymous IDs with real students locally

All student data is anonymized before it reaches AI systems. See Educator Guide for configuration details.

For Students: Your Data Stays Private

• Your data only: Student tools access only your own Canvas data via Canvas API's "self" endpoints
• No credential storage: In hosted mode, your Canvas token is sent as an HTTP header per-request and never stored on the server. In local mode, everything runs on your machine.
• No tracking: Your Canvas usage and AI interactions remain private
• No anonymization needed: Since you're only accessing your own data, there are no privacy concerns

Hosted Server (Retired)

The public hosted server (mcp.illinihunt.org) has been retired. A public MCP endpoint without an access gate isn't safe to operate — it would expose the built-in code-execution tool — so the supported path is [local installation](#local-installation) below.

The HTTP/streamable transport itself remains fully supported for self-hosting behind your own authentication (canvas-mcp-server --transport streamable-http). An authenticated institutional deployment is planned (#115).

---

Prerequisites (Local Installation)

• Python 3.10+ - Required for modern features and type hints
• Canvas API Access - API token and institution URL
• MCP Client - Any MCP-compatible client (Claude Desktop, Cursor, Zed, Windsurf, Continue, etc.)

Supported MCP Clients

Works with any MCP-compatible client: Claude Desktop, Cursor, Zed, Windsurf, Continue, Replit, Copilot Studio, and more.

Canvas MCP is compliant with Canvas LMS API 2024-2026 requirements (User-Agent header, per_page pagination). Works with Canvas Cloud and self-hosted instances.

Install as a Claude Desktop Extension (easiest)

If you use Claude Desktop, you can install Canvas MCP with one click — no terminal, no config-file editing:

1. Download canvas-mcp.mcpb from the latest release.
2. Double-click the file (or drag it into Claude Desktop → Settings → Extensions).
3. When prompted, enter your Canvas API URL — this must include the /api/v1 path (e.g. https://canvas.youruniversity.edu/api/v1) — and your Canvas API token (Canvas → Account → Settings → New Access Token). The token is stored in your OS keychain.

The extension runs the server locally and calls Canvas with your own token — every action runs under your own Canvas role and audit trail. Requires Python 3.10+ (the bundled runtime manages dependencies automatically). For other clients, or to run from source, use the manual setup below.

Local Installation

1. Install Dependencies

# (Recommended) Use a dedicated virtualenv so the MCP binary is in a stable location
python3 -m venv .venv
. .venv/bin/activate

# Install the package editable
pip install -e .

2. Configure Environment

# Copy environment template
cp env.template .env

# Edit with your Canvas credentials
# Required: CANVAS_API_TOKEN, CANVAS_API_URL

Get your Canvas API token from: Canvas → Account → Settings → New Access Token

> Note for Students: Some educational institutions restrict API token creation for students. If you see an error like "There is a limit to the number of access tokens you can create" or cannot find the token creation option, contact your institution's Canvas administrator or IT support department to request API access or assistance in creating a token.

3. MCP Client Configuration

Canvas MCP works with any MCP-compatible client. Below are configuration examples for popular clients:

Claude Desktop (Most Popular)

Configuration file location:

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
• Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

Configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "canvas-api": {
      "command": "/absolute/path/to/canvas-mcp/.venv/bin/canvas-mcp-server"
    }
  }
}

Note: Use the absolute path to your virtualenv binary to avoid issues with shell-specific PATH entries (e.g., pyenv shims).

Cursor

Configuration file location:

• macOS/Linux: `~/.cursor/mcp_con

…

Source & license

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

• Author: vishalsachdev
• Source: vishalsachdev/canvas-mcp
• License: MIT
• Homepage: http://canvas-mcp.illinihunt.org/

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