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canvas_mcp

by ari310126
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Python
Local

Canvas LMS MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol server that lets Claude read and write Canvas LMS course content — without a Canvas developer key or OAuth2 registration.

How it works

This MCP server authenticates to Canvas using your browser's existing session cookies — the same approach used by the AI Tutor browser extension. No API key or OAuth2 setup is needed. By default, cookies are extracted automatically from your browser. See SECURITY.md for details on the authentication model.

Session lifetime: Canvas sessions typically last days to weeks. When they expire you'll get a 401 error — just log back into Canvas in your browser and restart the server.

Related MCP server: canvas-student-mcp

Setup

1. Install dependencies

Requires Python 3.10+.

cd canvas_mcp
pip3 install -r requirements.txt

2. Set your Canvas URL

export CANVAS_BASE_URL="https://yourschool.instructure.com"

This must be an https:// URL — the server will refuse to start with plain HTTP.

3. Authenticate

Automatic (recommended): Just log into Canvas in your browser. The server automatically extracts cookies from your default browser at startup. Supported browsers: Chrome, Safari, Edge, Firefox, Brave, Chromium, Arc, Opera, Vivaldi, LibreWolf.

To force a specific browser:

export BROWSER=firefox  # or chrome, edge, brave, safari, etc.

Manual fallback: If automatic extraction fails, copy the Cookie header from your browser DevTools (Network tab → any Canvas request → Request Headers) and set:

export CANVAS_COOKIE="canvas_session=AbCdEfGh...; _csrf_token=...; log_session_id=..."

Make sure the cookie string includes _csrf_token=... — without it, all write operations will fail with HTTP 422.

4. Run the server

python3 server.py            # stdio mode (for Claude Desktop)
python3 server.py --http     # HTTP mode on localhost:8080

Claude Desktop configuration

Add to your claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "canvas": {
      "command": "python3",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/canvas_mcp/server.py"],
      "env": {
        "CANVAS_BASE_URL": "https://yourschool.instructure.com"
      }
    }
  }
}

Tip: Use the absolute path to server.py. Relative paths may not resolve correctly depending on how Claude Desktop launches the process.

Available tools (58)

General (students & instructors)

Tool

Description

canvas_get_profile

Current user's name, ID, email, avatar, bio

canvas_list_courses

All enrolled courses with current scores

canvas_get_course

Course details including syllabus body

canvas_get_activity_stream

Recent notifications, submissions, and messages

canvas_get_planner

Upcoming assignments/events from the Canvas planner

Assignments

Tool

Description

canvas_list_assignments

Assignments with due dates, points, rubrics; filterable by bucket

canvas_get_assignment

Full assignment details + rubric criteria

canvas_create_assignment

Create a new assignment with points, due date, submission types

canvas_update_assignment

Edit an existing assignment (partial update)

Pages

Tool

Description

canvas_list_pages

Wiki pages in a course with published status

canvas_get_page

Full page content (HTML body) by URL slug

canvas_create_page

Create a new wiki page (optionally publish immediately)

canvas_update_page

Edit an existing page's title, body, or publish status

Modules

Tool

Description

canvas_list_modules

Course modules with item counts

canvas_list_module_items

Items inside a specific module

canvas_create_module

Create a new module (with optional unlock date)

canvas_update_module

Rename, reposition, publish/unpublish a module

canvas_delete_module

Delete a module (content items are NOT deleted)

canvas_create_module_item

Add an item to a module (assignment, page, quiz, URL, etc.)

canvas_delete_module_item

Remove an item from a module (underlying content is NOT deleted)

Communication

Tool

Description

canvas_list_announcements

Recent course announcements

canvas_create_announcement

Post an announcement, with optional scheduled delivery

canvas_list_discussions

Discussion topics with reply counts and last activity

canvas_post_discussion_reply

Reply to a discussion topic

canvas_send_message

Send a Canvas Inbox message to students, sections, or a course

canvas_list_conversations

List Canvas Inbox conversations

Calendar

Tool

Description

canvas_list_calendar_events

Calendar events for a course (filterable by date range)

canvas_create_calendar_event

Create a calendar event (office hours, exam, meeting)

canvas_update_calendar_event

Update an event's title, time, or location

canvas_delete_calendar_event

Delete a calendar event

Grading & submissions

Tool

Description

canvas_list_submissions

Student submissions for an assignment

canvas_get_submission

Single submission with score, comments, rubric assessment

canvas_list_gradeable_students

Students eligible to be graded for an assignment

canvas_get_submission_counts

Grading progress: graded / ungraded / not submitted

canvas_grade_submission

Grade a submission (score, rubric, comment, excuse)

Overrides

Tool

Description

canvas_list_assignment_overrides

Date overrides for an assignment (per-student/section/group)

canvas_get_assignment_override

Single override details

canvas_create_assignment_override

Create a date override for students, a section, or a group

canvas_update_assignment_override

Update an existing override

canvas_delete_assignment_override

Delete an override (reverts to default dates)

Enrollments & sections

Tool

Description

canvas_list_enrollments

Course roster, filterable by role and section

canvas_list_sections

Course sections with enrollment counts

Quizzes

Tool

Description

canvas_list_quizzes

All quizzes in a course

canvas_get_quiz

Full quiz details (type, attempts, time limit, dates)

canvas_create_quiz

Create a quiz shell (add questions in Canvas UI)

canvas_update_quiz

Update quiz settings, dates, or publish status

Rubrics

Tool

Description

canvas_list_rubrics

Rubrics available in a course with criteria breakdown

canvas_create_rubric

Create a rubric with criteria and rating scales

canvas_associate_rubric

Attach a rubric to an assignment for grading

Assignment groups

Tool

Description

canvas_list_assignment_groups

Gradebook categories with weights and assignment counts

canvas_create_assignment_group

Create a new gradebook category

canvas_update_assignment_group

Update a group's name, weight, or position

canvas_delete_assignment_group

Delete a group (optionally move assignments first)

Late policy

Tool

Description

canvas_get_late_policy

Current late/missing submission policy for a course

canvas_update_late_policy

Update late deductions, grade floors, and missing scores

Analytics

Tool

Description

canvas_get_course_analytics

Per-student participation, page views, and tardiness

canvas_get_student_analytics

Per-assignment submission and score breakdown for a student

Files

Tool

Description

canvas_list_files

Files uploaded to a course with download URLs

Example prompts

What courses am I enrolled in?

Show me upcoming assignments for course 12345.

Get the syllabus for my CS 101 course (ID 9988).

Create a page called "Week 5 Overview" in course 12345 with a brief intro.

Post an announcement to course 12345: "Midterm is next Thursday -- review chapters 4-7."

What's on my Canvas planner this week?

Grade student 789's submission for assignment 456 in course 123 with a score of 95.

Create an office hours event for course 12345 on Friday from 2-4pm.

Show me the class roster for course 12345.

Send a message to all students in section 678: "Don't forget to submit your project."

Security

See SECURITY.md for the full security model. Key points:

  • Your Canvas session cookie is equivalent to your password — never commit it or share it.

  • The server only communicates with your Canvas instance — no other external requests.

  • HTTPS is enforced — the server refuses to start with an http:// URL.

  • Single-user design — one server instance = one Canvas account. Do not expose the HTTP server to the public internet.

  • Write operations require Teacher or TA enrollment; student accounts are read-only.

  • The X-CSRF-Token is automatically extracted from your cookies for write requests.

License

MIT

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Maintenance

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