canvas-mcp

Canvas LMS MCP Server for Claude

An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that connects Claude to Canvas LMS, letting you manage your coursework through natural conversation.

Ask Claude things like:

• "What assignments do I have due this week?"
• "Show me the rubric for my essay assignment"
• "What did my professor say in the feedback?"
• "List all my courses"
• "Are there any overdue assignments?"

Quick Start

1. Get Your Canvas API Token

1. Log in to Canvas
2. Click your profile picture → Settings
3. Scroll to Approved Integrations
4. Click + New Access Token
5. Name it (e.g., "Claude") and click Generate Token
6. Copy the token - you won't see it again!

2. Install the MCP Server

# Clone this repository
git clone https://github.com/lucanardinocchi/canvas-mcp.git
cd canvas-mcp

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build the project
npm run build

3. Configure Claude Desktop

Open Claude Desktop's config file:

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

Add (or merge) this configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "canvas": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/FULL/PATH/TO/canvas-mcp/dist/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "CANVAS_API_TOKEN": "YOUR_TOKEN_HERE",
        "CANVAS_BASE_URL": "https://your-school.instructure.com"
      }
    }
  }
}

Replace:

• /FULL/PATH/TO/canvas-mcp with the actual path where you cloned this repo
• YOUR_TOKEN_HERE with your Canvas API token
• https://your-school.instructure.com with your Canvas URL

Common Canvas URLs: | University | Canvas URL | |------------|------------| | University of Sydney | https://canvas.sydney.edu.au | | Generic Instructure | https://canvas.instructure.com | | Your school | Check your browser when logged into Canvas |

4. Restart Claude Desktop

Quit Claude Desktop completely (Cmd+Q / Alt+F4) and reopen it.

You should now see Canvas tools available in Claude!

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What Can It Do?

📚 Courses

• List all your enrolled courses
• Get course details and syllabi

📝 Assignments

• List assignments (filter by upcoming, overdue, etc.)
• View full assignment details and instructions
• See rubrics and grading criteria
• Check your grades and submission status

💬 Discussions

• View discussion boards
• Post new discussion entries
• Reply to classmates

📤 Submissions

• Submit text assignments directly
• Upload files for submission
• View instructor feedback and comments

🔍 Search

• Find assignments by due date
• Search course content
• Get all upcoming work across all courses

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All Available Tools

| Tool | What it does | |------|--------------| | list_courses | List your enrolled courses | | get_course | Get details about a specific course | | list_assignments | List assignments (with filters) | | get_assignment | Get full assignment details + rubric | | get_rubric | Get grading rubric for an assignment | | get_submission | View your submission and feedback | | submit_assignment | Submit text or URL to an assignment | | upload_file | Upload a file for submission | | list_modules | Browse course modules | | list_announcements | Get course announcements | | list_discussions | View discussion topics | | get_discussion_entries | Read discussion posts | | post_discussion_entry | Post to a discussion | | reply_to_discussion | Reply to a discussion post | | find_assignments_by_due_date | Find assignments in a date range | | get_upcoming_assignments | Get work due in the next N days | | get_overdue_assignments | Find past-due work | | search_course_content | Search modules and assignments | | get_all_upcoming_work | Upcoming work across ALL courses |

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Troubleshooting

"Canvas tools not showing up"

1. Make sure you restarted Claude Desktop completely
2. Check that the path in your config is correct
3. Verify your claude_desktop_config.json is valid JSON

"401 Unauthorized" errors

Your API token is invalid or expired. Generate a new one in Canvas settings.

"403 Forbidden" errors

You don't have access to that resource. The course may have ended, or you're not enrolled.

"Connection refused" or network errors

Check that your CANVAS_BASE_URL is correct (no trailing slash).

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Security Notes

⚠️ Keep your API token secret!

• Never commit your token to git
• Don't share your token with others
• Set an expiration date when creating tokens
• Revoke tokens you no longer use (Canvas Settings → Approved Integrations)

Your API token has the same access as your Canvas account - anyone with it can view your grades, submit assignments, etc.

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Development

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build once
npm run build

# Watch mode (auto-rebuild on changes)
npm run dev

Project Structure

canvas-mcp/
├── src/
│   ├── index.ts           # MCP server entry point
│   ├── canvas-client.ts   # Canvas API wrapper
│   ├── tools/             # Tool implementations
│   │   ├── courses.ts
│   │   ├── assignments.ts
│   │   ├── submissions.ts
│   │   ├── discussions.ts
│   │   ├── modules.ts
│   │   └── search.ts
│   └── types/
│       └── canvas.ts      # TypeScript types
├── dist/                  # Compiled output
├── package.json
└── tsconfig.json

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Contributing

Contributions welcome! Feel free to:

• Report bugs
• Suggest new features
• Submit pull requests

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License

MIT - Use it however you want!

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Acknowledgments

Built with:

• Model Context Protocol SDK
• Canvas LMS REST API