Canvas MCP Server V2.0

Instructions

Implementation Reference

• src/client.ts:340-350 (handler)

  Core implementation of canvas_get_submission tool: Makes authenticated GET request to Canvas API endpoint for retrieving a specific user's submission for an assignment, including comments, rubric assessment, and assignment details.

  async getSubmission(courseId: number, assignmentId: number, userId: number | 'self' = 'self'): Promise<CanvasSubmission> {
    const response = await this.client.get(
      `/courses/${courseId}/assignments/${assignmentId}/submissions/${userId}`,
      {
        params: {
          include: ['submission_comments', 'rubric_assessment', 'assignment']
        }
      }
    );
    return response.data;
  }

• src/index.ts:224-235 (registration)

  MCP tool registration defining the name, description, and input schema (JSON Schema) for the canvas_get_submission tool.

    name: "canvas_get_submission",
    description: "Get submission details for an assignment",
    inputSchema: {
      type: "object",
      properties: {
        course_id: { type: "number", description: "ID of the course" },
        assignment_id: { type: "number", description: "ID of the assignment" },
        user_id: { type: "number", description: "ID of the user (optional, defaults to self)" }
      },
      required: ["course_id", "assignment_id"]
    }
  },

• src/index.ts:1196-1210 (handler)

  Tool dispatch handler in MCP server: Validates input arguments, calls CanvasClient.getSubmission, and formats response as MCP content block.

  case "canvas_get_submission": {
    const { course_id, assignment_id, user_id } = args as { 
      course_id: number; 
      assignment_id: number;
      user_id?: number;
    };
    if (!course_id || !assignment_id) {
      throw new Error("Missing required fields: course_id and assignment_id");
    }
    
    const submission = await this.client.getSubmission(course_id, assignment_id, user_id || 'self');
    return {
      content: [{ type: "text", text: JSON.stringify(submission, null, 2) }]
    };
  }

• src/types.ts:144-160 (schema)

  TypeScript interface defining the structure of Canvas submission data returned by the tool.

  export interface CanvasSubmission {
    readonly id: number;
    readonly assignment_id: AssignmentId;
    readonly user_id: UserId;
    readonly submitted_at: string | null;
    readonly score: number | null;
    readonly grade: string | null;
    readonly attempt: number;
    readonly workflow_state: CanvasSubmissionState;
    readonly body?: string;
    readonly url?: string;
    readonly attachments?: CanvasFile[];
    readonly submission_comments?: CanvasSubmissionComment[];
    readonly rubric_assessment?: CanvasRubricAssessment;
    readonly late: boolean;
    readonly missing: boolean;
  }