{ "markdown": "\n\n# canvas-api-mcp\n\n

Never miss an assignment deadline again.

\n\n

\n Ask your AI what's due and it reads the answer straight from Canvas:
\n real deadlines, real submission status, no copying anything across.\n

\n\nAn MCP server for Canvas LMS. 16 curated tools for everyday student work, plus a\ngateway that reaches every endpoint your Canvas instance exposes.\n\n

\n \"Terminal.\n

\n\n**📖 Documentation: [mcp.johannsenlum.com/canvas-lms](https://mcp.johannsenlum.com/canvas-lms)**\n· [install guide](https://mcp.johannsenlum.com/canvas-lms/install) ·\n[tool reference](https://mcp.johannsenlum.com/canvas-lms/tools) ·\n[skills](https://mcp.johannsenlum.com/canvas-lms/skills) ·\n[compliance](https://mcp.johannsenlum.com/canvas-lms/compliance)\n\n[![PyPI](https://img.shields.io/pypi/v/canvas-api-mcp)](https://pypi.org/project/canvas-api-mcp/)\n[![Python 3.11+](https://img.shields.io/badge/python-3.11%2B-blue)](https://www.python.org/downloads/)\n[![License: MIT](https://img.shields.io/badge/License-MIT-yellow.svg)](https://github.com/JohannsenLum/canvas-api-mcp/blob/main/LICENSE)\n[![MCP Registry](https://img.shields.io/badge/MCP_Registry-io.github.JohannsenLum%2Fcanvas--api--mcp-1f6feb)](https://registry.modelcontextprotocol.io)\n[![GitHub stars](https://img.shields.io/github/stars/JohannsenLum/canvas-api-mcp?style=social)](https://github.com/JohannsenLum/canvas-api-mcp)\n\n> **Personal-use software.** Canvas's API Policy requires OAuth for applications used\n> by multiple people, and Canvas OAuth cannot be implemented safely by locally\n> installed software (no PKCE, and `client_secret` cannot be shipped in a package).\n> Use this with your own token on your own account. See [Compliance](#compliance).\n\n## What you can ask it\n\nReal prompts, and which tool answers them.\n\n> **You:** What's due this week?\n> **Claude:** *(calls `whats_due`)*: You have 3 things due: Problem Set 4 (Thu,\n> CS3230), a discussion reply (Fri, IS4302), and the Milestone 2 report (Sun,\n> EE2211).\n\n> **You:** How am I doing in my databases course, and what's on the syllabus for\n> week 6?\n> **Claude:** *(calls `my_grades`, then `get_syllabus`, then\n> `course_content` for the week 6 module)*: You're at 87% overall. Week 6 covers\n> normalization and has a reading plus a lab file due Friday.\n\n> **You:** Summarize the PDF lecture notes for lecture 8 and pull up my submission\n> for the essay so I can see the feedback.\n> **Claude:** *(calls `list_files` + `read_file` for the PDF, then `my_submission`\n> for the essay)*: ...\n\n> **You:** Reply to the \"Project teams\" discussion and say I'm free after 3pm for\n> the group meeting.\n> **Claude:** *(calls `post_discussion_reply` ✏️)*: Posted to the thread.\n\n> **You:** Has Canvas ever given me quiz statistics broken down by question, across\n> the whole semester?\n> **Claude:** *(calls `search_canvas_api` to find the right endpoint, then\n> `canvas_request` to call it)*: ...\n\nThe last example is the point of the gateway tools: if an endpoint exists on your\nCanvas instance, `search_canvas_api` can find it and `canvas_request` can call it,\neven though only 16 tools are hand-curated.\n\n## Install\n\n### Prerequisites\n\n- Python 3.11+\n- A Canvas personal access token. Your institution must allow students to create\n them: check **Canvas → Account → Settings → Approved Integrations** for a\n **\"+ New access token\"** button. Full walkthrough with screenshots:\n [mcp.johannsenlum.com/canvas-lms/install](https://mcp.johannsenlum.com/canvas-lms/install).\n\n **Note that the token expires.** Since Instructure's October 2025 security update,\n accounts holding only student roles must set an expiry no more than 120 days out,\n and institutions often cap it lower (NUS allows 90). Write the date down: an expired\n token makes every tool return `401` at once, which looks like a broken install rather\n than a credential that simply ran out.\n\n### Running the server\n\n`canvas-api-mcp` is published on PyPI. Run it with:\n\n```bash\nuvx canvas-api-mcp\n```\n\n**Install from source (contributors / unreleased `main`).** Not part of the\nnormal install path above, only needed if you want the latest unreleased\ncode instead of the published PyPI release:\n\n```bash\nuvx --from git+https://github.com/JohannsenLum/canvas-api-mcp canvas-api-mcp\n```\n\nOr run from a local clone:\n\n```bash\ngit clone https://github.com/JohannsenLum/canvas-api-mcp\ncd canvas-api-mcp\nuv sync\n```\n\n### Quick install (one-click)\n\nOne-click deeplinks exist for Cursor, VS Code, and LM Studio only. No other\nclient has a documented install-link format. These prefill the config below but\nstill need `CANVAS_BASE_URL` and `CANVAS_TOKEN` filled in afterward.\n\n[![Add to Cursor](https://img.shields.io/badge/Cursor-Add_MCP_Server-000000?style=flat-square&logo=cursor&logoColor=white)](https://cursor.com/en/install-mcp?name=canvas&config=eyJjb21tYW5kIjoidXZ4IiwiYXJncyI6WyJjYW52YXMtYXBpLW1jcCJdLCJlbnYiOnsiQ0FOVkFTX0JBU0VfVVJMIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9jYW52YXMueW91cnNjaG9vbC5lZHUiLCJDQU5WQVNfVE9LRU4iOiJ5b3VyLXRva2VuLWhlcmUifX0=)\n[![Add to VS Code](https://img.shields.io/badge/VS_Code-Install_Server-0098FF?style=flat-square&logo=visualstudiocode&logoColor=white)](https://vscode.dev/redirect/mcp/install?name=canvas&config=%7B%22command%22%3A%22uvx%22%2C%22args%22%3A%5B%22canvas-api-mcp%22%5D%2C%22env%22%3A%7B%22CANVAS_BASE_URL%22%3A%22https%3A%2F%2Fcanvas.yourschool.edu%22%2C%22CANVAS_TOKEN%22%3A%22your-token-here%22%7D%7D)\n[![Add to LM Studio](https://img.shields.io/badge/LM_Studio-Add_MCP_Server-6C4FE0?style=flat-square)](lmstudio://add_mcp?name=canvas&config=eyJjb21tYW5kIjoidXZ4IiwiYXJncyI6WyJjYW52YXMtYXBpLW1jcCJdLCJlbnYiOnsiQ0FOVkFTX0JBU0VfVVJMIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9jYW52YXMueW91cnNjaG9vbC5lZHUiLCJDQU5WQVNfVE9LRU4iOiJ5b3VyLXRva2VuLWhlcmUifX0=)\n\n### All clients (manual config)\n\nYour token stays on your machine, in your own config file. It is never\ntransmitted anywhere except directly to your Canvas instance.\n\n| Client | Deeplink? |\n|---|---|\n| [Claude Code](#config-claude-code) | no |\n| [Claude Desktop](#config-claude-desktop) | no |\n| [Cursor](#config-cursor) | yes, above |\n| [VS Code](#config-vscode) | yes, above |\n| [LM Studio](#config-lmstudio) | yes, above |\n| [Zed](#config-zed) | no |\n| [Windsurf](#config-windsurf) | no (Windsurf only resolves servers in its own registry) |\n\n\n
\nClaude Code: ~/.claude.json\n\n```jsonc\n{\n \"mcpServers\": {\n \"canvas\": {\n \"command\": \"uvx\",\n \"args\": [\"canvas-api-mcp\"],\n \"env\": {\n \"CANVAS_BASE_URL\": \"https://canvas.yourschool.edu\",\n \"CANVAS_TOKEN\": \"your-token-here\"\n }\n }\n }\n}\n```\n\n
\n\n\n
\nClaude Desktop: claude_desktop_config.json\n\nmacOS: `~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json`\nWindows: `%APPDATA%\\Claude\\claude_desktop_config.json`\n\nNo one-click install exists for Claude Desktop (it installs `.mcpb` bundles, not\ndeeplinks). Copy this JSON in via **Settings → Developer → Edit Config**:\n\n```jsonc\n{\n \"mcpServers\": {\n \"canvas\": {\n \"command\": \"uvx\",\n \"args\": [\"canvas-api-mcp\"],\n \"env\": {\n \"CANVAS_BASE_URL\": \"https://canvas.yourschool.edu\",\n \"CANVAS_TOKEN\": \"your-token-here\"\n }\n }\n }\n}\n```\n
\n\n\n
\nCursor: ~/.cursor/mcp.json\n\nFallback for the button above, or if you'd rather paste it directly:\n\n```jsonc\n{\n \"mcpServers\": {\n \"canvas\": {\n \"command\": \"uvx\",\n \"args\": [\"canvas-api-mcp\"],\n \"env\": {\n \"CANVAS_BASE_URL\": \"https://canvas.yourschool.edu\",\n \"CANVAS_TOKEN\": \"your-token-here\"\n }\n }\n }\n}\n```\n
\n\n\n
\nVS Code: .vscode/mcp.json\n\nFallback for the button above, or if you'd rather paste it directly. Note VS\nCode uses a `servers` key, not `mcpServers`:\n\n```jsonc\n{\n \"servers\": {\n \"canvas\": {\n \"type\": \"stdio\",\n \"command\": \"uvx\",\n \"args\": [\"canvas-api-mcp\"],\n \"env\": {\n \"CANVAS_BASE_URL\": \"https://canvas.yourschool.edu\",\n \"CANVAS_TOKEN\": \"your-token-here\"\n }\n }\n }\n}\n```\n
\n\n\n
\nLM Studio: mcp.json (Program → Install → Edit mcp.json)\n\nFallback for the button above, or if you'd rather paste it directly:\n\n```jsonc\n{\n \"mcpServers\": {\n \"canvas\": {\n \"command\": \"uvx\",\n \"args\": [\"canvas-api-mcp\"],\n \"env\": {\n \"CANVAS_BASE_URL\": \"https://canvas.yourschool.edu\",\n \"CANVAS_TOKEN\": \"your-token-here\"\n }\n }\n }\n}\n```\n
\n\n\n
\nZed: settings.json\n\nNo deeplink exists for Zed. Add this under `context_servers` in your Zed\nsettings:\n\n```jsonc\n{\n \"context_servers\": {\n \"canvas\": {\n \"source\": \"custom\",\n \"command\": \"uvx\",\n \"args\": [\"canvas-api-mcp\"],\n \"env\": {\n \"CANVAS_BASE_URL\": \"https://canvas.yourschool.edu\",\n \"CANVAS_TOKEN\": \"your-token-here\"\n }\n }\n }\n}\n```\n
\n\n\n
\nWindsurf: ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json\n\nNo deeplink exists for Windsurf. It only resolves servers from its own\nregistry, so this has to be pasted in manually via **Windsurf Settings → MCP\nServers → Edit raw config**:\n\n```jsonc\n{\n \"mcpServers\": {\n \"canvas\": {\n \"command\": \"uvx\",\n \"args\": [\"canvas-api-mcp\"],\n \"env\": {\n \"CANVAS_BASE_URL\": \"https://canvas.yourschool.edu\",\n \"CANVAS_TOKEN\": \"your-token-here\"\n }\n }\n }\n}\n```\n
\n\n## Tools\n\n| Tool | What it does |\n|---|---|\n| `whoami` | Identity and your role in each course |\n| `get_calendar_feed_url` | Your private calendar `.ics` link (only when you ask for it) |\n| `my_courses` | Active courses with code, term, role |\n| `whats_due` | Everything due, soonest first |\n| `my_grades` | Current score per course |\n| `list_assignments` | A course's assignments and submission state |\n| `get_assignment` | One assignment in full, with rubric |\n| `my_submission` | Your submission, score, and feedback |\n| `submit_assignment` ✏️ | Submit work |\n| `course_announcements` | Recent announcements |\n| `course_content` | Modules and their contents |\n| `list_files` | Files in a course |\n| `read_file` | Extract text from PDF/DOCX/PPTX/text |\n| `get_page` | A Canvas wiki page by slug |\n| `get_syllabus` | A course's syllabus |\n| `read_discussion` | Topics, or one topic's replies |\n| `post_discussion_reply` ✏️ | Post to a discussion |\n| `search_canvas_api` | Find any endpoint by keyword (gateway) |\n| `canvas_request` ✏️ | Execute any endpoint (gateway) |\n\n✏️ writes to Canvas. That's 3 write tools total: `submit_assignment`,\n`post_discussion_reply`, and `canvas_request` when called with a non-GET method\n(GET calls through `canvas_request` are read-only).\n\n`search_canvas_api` + `canvas_request` reach all ~1,116 endpoints your instance\nexposes. What they may do is decided by Canvas from your token's permissions: a\nteacher token unlocks educator endpoints with no change to this server.\n\n## Prompts\n\n`week_ahead`, `study_pack`, `grade_check`.\n\n## Resources\n\n`canvas://me`, `canvas://courses`, `canvas://api/catalog`.\n\n## Skills\n\nIf your client supports the [skills](https://github.com/anthropics/skills)\nconvention:\n\n```bash\nnpx skills add JohannsenLum/canvas-api-mcp\n```\n\n## Other institutions\n\nWorks with any Canvas instance: set `CANVAS_BASE_URL`. The catalog of ~1,116\nendpoints ships inside the package at\n`canvas_api_mcp/data/catalog.json`. To match your deployment's exact feature\nset, regenerate it:\n\n```bash\npython scripts/build_catalog.py https://canvas.yourschool.edu -o data/catalog.json\n```\n\n## Compliance\n\n- **Academic integrity.** `submit_assignment` can submit anything, including\n AI-generated work. Submitting work that is not your own breaches the academic\n integrity rules of essentially every institution, and Canvas's API Policy\n explicitly prohibits use that violates them. That is on you.\n- **Rate limiting.** The client throttles against Canvas's published quota. Do not\n remove it: overloading the API is prohibited.\n- **Course material.** `read_file` fetches materials for your own study. Do not\n redistribute them.\n- **Your token is password-equivalent.** It can read your grades and submit work as\n you. Set an expiry. Never commit it.\n- **Personal-use scope.** Phase 1 targets a single student using their own token.\n There are no curated educator tools; Canvas's OAuth flow has no PKCE, so this\n locally-installed server cannot implement the multi-user OAuth that Canvas's API\n Policy requires for anything broader. Do not repackage this as a multi-tenant\n service.\n\n## Development\n\n```bash\nuv sync\nuv run pytest -v\n\n# Live tests against your real account (read-only)\nCANVAS_LIVE_TESTS=1 uv run pytest tests/test_live.py -v\n```\n\nEnvironment variables: `CANVAS_BASE_URL`, `CANVAS_TOKEN`, optional\n`CANVAS_MAX_PAGES` (default 10) and `CANVAS_TIMEOUT` (seconds, default 30).\nSee `env.template`.\n\n## Contributing\n\nIssues and pull requests are welcome: see [CONTRIBUTING.md](CONTRIBUTING.md) for\nsetup, the architectural rules worth knowing before you change anything, and the bar\nfor adding a new curated tool.\n\nFound a security problem? **Do not open a public issue.** See\n[SECURITY.md](SECURITY.md) for private reporting, particularly important here, since\nthis project handles password-equivalent Canvas tokens.\n\nChanges are recorded in [CHANGELOG.md](CHANGELOG.md).\n\n## Licence\n\n[MIT](LICENSE) © 2026 Johannsen Lum.\n\nUse it, change it, redistribute it, build something commercial on it: the only\ncondition is that you keep the copyright notice and licence text. It comes with no\nwarranty of any kind.\n\nContributions are accepted under the same licence.\n", "bytes": 14619, "sha": "056b1b3550f32f5957abfe3598332bbea2c5958298e87d2cae6f458b0b0fc9fe", "repo_slug": "johannsenlum/canvas-api-mcp", "fonte": "repo", "truncated": false, "api": "https://agentalog.com/api/listings/mcp_io_github_johannsenlum_canvas_api_mcp_fb4bd0a3/readme" }