Canvas MCP Server

# Canvas MCP for Students Welcome! This guide will help you set up Canvas MCP to use Claude as your personal Canvas assistant. ## What Can Canvas MCP Do for You? Think of this as having an AI study buddy that knows everything about your Canvas courses: - **Track assignments**: "What's due this week?" - Get a complete view of deadlines - **Monitor grades**: "What's my current grade in all my courses?" - Stay on top of your performance - **Manage peer reviews**: "What peer reviews do I need to complete?" - Never miss a review - **Access course content**: "Show me the syllabus for BADM 350" - Quick access to pages and announcements - **Check submission status**: "Have I submitted everything?" - Know what's missing ## Prerequisites - **Python 3.10+** installed on your computer - **Claude Desktop** - Download from [claude.ai](https://claude.ai/download) - **Canvas Account** at your university/institution ## Installation ### 1. Clone the Repository ```bash git clone https://github.com/vishalsachdev/canvas-mcp.git cd canvas-mcp ``` ### 2. Install Dependencies ```bash # Install uv package manager (faster than pip) pip install uv # Install Canvas MCP uv pip install -e . ``` ### 3. Get Your Canvas API Token 1. Log in to your Canvas account 2. Go to **Account** → **Settings** 3. Scroll down to **Approved Integrations** 4. Click **+ New Access Token** 5. Give it a purpose (e.g., "Claude AI Assistant") 6. Click **Generate Token** 7. **Copy the token immediately** - you won't see it again! ### 4. Configure Canvas MCP Create a `.env` file in the `canvas-mcp` directory: ```bash # Copy the template cp env.template .env # Edit the .env file and add your credentials ``` Your `.env` file should look like this: ```bash # Canvas API Configuration CANVAS_API_TOKEN=your_token_here CANVAS_API_URL=https://canvas.youruniversity.edu/api/v1 # MCP Server Configuration (optional) MCP_SERVER_NAME=canvas-mcp # Privacy Settings (students don't need anonymization) ENABLE_DATA_ANONYMIZATION=false ``` **Important**: Replace `https://canvas.youruniversity.edu/api/v1` with your actual Canvas URL (including the `/api/v1` suffix). ### 5. Configure Claude Desktop Add Canvas MCP to Claude Desktop's configuration file: **macOS**: `~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json` ```json { "mcpServers": { "canvas-api": { "command": "canvas-mcp-server" } } } ``` ### 6. Test Your Setup ```bash # Test the Canvas API connection canvas-mcp-server --test ``` You should see: ✓ API connection successful! ### 7. Restart Claude Desktop Close and reopen Claude Desktop. You should see the 🔨 hammer icon when you start a conversation. ## How to Use Canvas MCP ### Quick Start Prompts Try these with Claude: **Assignment Tracking:** - "What assignments do I have due this week?" - "What's coming up in the next 3 days?" - "Show me my Canvas TODO list" **Grade Monitoring:** - "What are my current grades in all my courses?" - "Show me my grades" - "How am I doing in BADM 350?" **Submission Status:** - "Have I submitted all my assignments?" - "What haven't I turned in yet?" - "Show me my submission status for CSCI 101" **Peer Reviews:** - "What peer reviews do I need to complete?" - "Show me my pending peer reviews" **Course Content:** - "Show me the syllabus for BADM 350" - "What are the recent announcements?" - "What's on the homepage for my Marketing course?" **Discussions:** - "What are the active discussions in HIST 202?" - "Show me recent posts in the Week 5 discussion" ### Understanding Tool Calls When you ask Claude a question, you'll see it use various "tools" (indicated by the 🔨 icon). These tools fetch data from Canvas. For example: - `get_my_upcoming_assignments` - Fetches your deadlines - `get_my_course_grades` - Gets your current grades - `list_discussion_topics` - Shows discussion forums - `get_page_content` - Retrieves course pages ## Available Student Tools ### Personal Organization - **get_my_upcoming_assignments** - View assignments due soon - **get_my_todo_items** - Your Canvas TODO list - **get_my_submission_status** - Check what you've submitted ### Academic Performance - **get_my_course_grades** - Current grades across all courses ### Peer Review Management - **get_my_peer_reviews_todo** - Peer reviews you need to complete ### Course Content (Shared Tools) - **list_courses** - See all your enrolled courses - **get_course_details** - View syllabus and course info - **list_pages** - Access course pages - **get_page_content** - Read page content - **list_announcements** - See course announcements - **list_discussion_topics** - View discussion forums ## Privacy & Security ### Your Data Stays Private - **Local only**: Everything runs on your computer - **Your data only**: Tools access only YOUR Canvas data (not other students') - **No external servers**: No data sent anywhere except Canvas (via official API) - **Canvas API security**: Uses the same security as Canvas mobile app ### Best Practices - **Keep your API token secret** - Don't share it or commit it to version control - **Use a strong token purpose** - Name it clearly so you can revoke it later if needed - **Revoke if compromised** - If you accidentally share your token, revoke it in Canvas settings ## Troubleshooting ### "Connection failed" or "Authentication error" - Check your Canvas API token is correct in `.env` - Verify your Canvas URL is correct (should match your browser's Canvas URL) - Make sure your token hasn't expired (some institutions have expiration policies) ### "No tools appearing in Claude" - Restart Claude Desktop completely (Quit → Reopen) - Check `canvas-mcp-server --test` runs successfully - Verify your `claude_desktop_config.json` is correct ### "No assignments/courses showing up" - Make sure you're enrolled in courses for the current term - Check if assignments have due dates set - Verify your Canvas account has the appropriate permissions ### Need More Help? - [Open an issue](https://github.com/vishalsachdev/canvas-mcp/issues) on GitHub - Check the [main README](../README.md) for general setup help - Review the [CLAUDE.md](./CLAUDE.md) development guide for technical details ## Example Workflows ### Morning Check-In ``` You: "Good morning! What do I need to focus on today?" Claude will: 1. Check your upcoming assignments (next 24-48 hours) 2. Show any incomplete peer reviews 3. List recent announcements 4. Highlight your TODO items ``` ### Weekly Planning ``` You: "Help me plan my week" Claude will: 1. Show all assignments due in the next 7 days 2. Identify which courses need attention 3. Check peer review deadlines 4. Summarize your current grade status ``` ### Before a Big Assignment ``` You: "I have a paper due Friday in ENGL 101. What do I need to know?" Claude will: 1. Find the assignment details 2. Check if you've submitted 3. Show the rubric (if available) 4. Review peer review requirements (if applicable) ``` ## Tips for Best Results 1. **Be specific about courses**: Use course codes (e.g., "BADM 350") when you can 2. **Ask follow-up questions**: Claude remembers context within a conversation 3. **Request summaries**: "Summarize my workload for next week" 4. **Combine requests**: "Show me my grades and what's due this week" ## What's Next? Now that you're set up, explore what Canvas MCP can do! Try different prompts and see how Claude can help streamline your academic workflow. Happy studying! 📚