Provides read-only access to Canvas LMS data, including courses, assignments, grades, submissions, syllabi, announcements, modules, pages, and files.
Click on "Install Server".
Wait a few minutes for the server to deploy. Once ready, it will show a "Started" state.
In the chat, type @ followed by the MCP server name and your instructions, e.g., "@mcp-server-canvas-lms List my active Canvas courses."
That's it! The server will respond to your query, and you can continue using it as needed.
Here is a step-by-step guide with screenshots.
A minimal, student-focused, strictly read-only MCP server for Canvas LMS.
It gives MCP clients access to courses, assignments, grades, submissions, syllabi, announcements, modules, pages, and files without exposing any Canvas write operation.
Node.js 20.19 or newer. Check with node --version.
A Canvas personal access token. In Canvas, go to
Account -> Settings -> Approved Integrations -> + New Access Token.
Your institution's Canvas base URL, such as
https://canvas.example.edu. Do not include /api/v1.
A Canvas token has your Canvas permissions. Never commit it, share it, paste it into an issue, or place it in a project configuration that may be shared.
Some institutions disable personal access tokens. If the New Access Token option is unavailable, ask your Canvas administrator whether personal tokens are permitted.
Related MCP server: Canvas MCP
The server is launched by an MCP client over standard input/output. Its primary command is:
npx -y mcp-server-canvas-lmsConfigure these two environment variables in your MCP client:
CANVAS_BASE_URL=https://canvas.example.edu
CANVAS_API_TOKEN=replace-with-your-personal-token
Then restart or reconnect the client and try this first connection check:
List my active Canvas courses.
See the exact setup for Codex, Claude Desktop, Cursor, VS Code, or a generic stdio client.
The server exposes exactly eleven tools:
Tool | Reads |
| Active courses, terms, and current scores |
| Assignments for one or all active courses |
| Requirements, rubric, and submission summary |
| Course totals or assignment-level grades |
| The current user's submission, comments, and rubric assessment |
| A course syllabus as cleaned text |
| Recent course announcements |
| Modules and their items |
| A course page by its Canvas URL slug |
| Course files and folders |
| Text from a supported course file |
Every Canvas API request is structurally restricted to HTTP GET. There are
no mutation methods, so this server cannot submit assignments, send messages,
change grades, edit course content, or perform administrative actions.
node or npx is missing: Install Node.js 20.19 or newer, reopen the
client, and confirm node --version and npx --version in a terminal.
Personal tokens are disabled: If Canvas does not show
+ New Access Token, contact your institution's Canvas administrator. This
server cannot bypass institutional policy restrictions.
Invalid or expired token: Create a new personal access token, replace the configured value, and restart the client. Never post the token in an issue.
Base URL error: Use only the institution origin, for example
https://canvas.example.edu; remove /api/v1, course paths, and trailing
account pages.
Tools do not appear: Fully restart the client after editing its MCP configuration, then check the client's MCP server list or logs.
403 response: Canvas authenticated the request but the user or
institution denied that resource. Check enrollment and institutional policy;
a more privileged token is not recommended.
429 response: Canvas is rate-limiting requests. Wait and try again; use
narrower course queries or lower result limits where available.
Institutional restrictions: Administrators may restrict personal tokens, API access, file downloads, or individual courses. Ask the institution's Canvas support team when browser access works but API access does not.
Unclaimed servers have limited discoverability.
If you are the server author, to access and configure the admin panel.
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