Skip to main content
Glama
Sign In
vishalsachdev

Canvas MCP Server

by vishalsachdev
OverviewSchemaSourceRelated ServersDiscussionsAdmin
Python
Local

Create Announcement

create_announcement

Publish course announcements to Canvas immediately or schedule them for later, notifying enrolled users based on their notification settings.

Instructions

Create and publish a course announcement.

The announcement is published on creation: without delayed_post_at it posts immediately, and Canvas may notify enrolled users depending on their notification settings. Deleting the announcement afterwards does not recall notifications already delivered. Requires Canvas permission to post announcements in the course. If Canvas refuses, the tool reports the failure; announcement content is not re-posted through the discussion tools, because that would publish it somewhere the user did not choose.

Input Schema

NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
titleYesAnnouncement title
lock_atNoISO 8601 datetime to auto-lock the announcement
messageYesAnnouncement body content
delayed_post_atNoISO 8601 datetime to schedule posting
course_identifierYesCourse code or Canvas ID

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

  1. Changed1 schema field changedv1.10.0
    • changedOutput schema / (root)
      Previous value: -{
-  "properties": {
-    "result": {
-      "type": "string"
-    }
-  },
-  "required": [
-    "result"
-  ],
-  "type": "object",
-  "x-fastmcp-wrap-result": true
-}New value: +null
  2. Changed15 schema fields changedv1.8.0
    • addedInput schema / additionalProperties
      Added value: +false
    • addedInput schema / properties / course_identifier / description
      Added value: +"Course code or Canvas ID"
    • removedInput schema / properties / course_identifier / title
      Removed value: -"Course Identifier"
    • addedInput schema / properties / delayed_post_at / description
      Added value: +"ISO 8601 datetime to schedule posting"
    • removedInput schema / properties / delayed_post_at / title
      Removed value: -"Delayed Post At"
    • addedInput schema / properties / lock_at / description
      Added value: +"ISO 8601 datetime to auto-lock the announcement"
    • removedInput schema / properties / lock_at / title
      Removed value: -"Lock At"
    • addedInput schema / properties / message / description
      Added value: +"Announcement body content"
    • removedInput schema / properties / message / title
      Removed value: -"Message"
    • addedInput schema / properties / title / description
      Added value: +"Announcement title"
    • removedInput schema / properties / title / title
      Removed value: -"Title"
    • removedInput schema / title
      Removed value: -"create_announcementArguments"
    • removedOutput schema / properties / result / title
      Removed value: -"Result"
    • removedOutput schema / title
      Removed value: -"create_announcementOutput"
    • addedOutput schema / x-fastmcp-wrap-result
      Added value: +true
  3. Changed1 schema field changedv1.0.0
    • addedInput schema / title
      Added value: +"create_announcementArguments"
  4. First observed

TDQS

A4.5/5.0
Behavior5/5

Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

The description goes well beyond the annotations (idempotentHint=false, destructiveHint=false): it discloses that publication is a side effect of creation, that enrolled users may be notified, that deleting does not recall delivered notifications, and that the call requires a Canvas posting permission. These are exactly the irreversible-consequence facts an agent needs before invoking a mutation.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness4/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

The core action and its most consequential side effect (immediate publish + notifications) are front-loaded, and every sentence carries information. The final sentence about not re-posting through discussion tools is a bit long for the point it makes, but it is not filler.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness4/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

For a mutation tool with no output schema and no readOnly hint, the description covers permissions, timing, notification fallout, and failure behavior thoroughly. The one gap is that it never indicates what the call returns (e.g. the created announcement identifier), which would matter for follow-up calls such as update or delete.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters4/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

Schema coverage is 100%, so the baseline is 3. The description earns an extra point by explaining the semantics of delayed_post_at — omitting it means immediate posting — which the schema's 'ISO 8601 datetime to schedule posting' does not make as explicit in terms of side effects.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose5/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

The opening sentence states a specific verb pair and resource: 'Create and publish a course announcement.' The closing sentence distinguishes it from the discussion-tool siblings by explaining why content is not re-posted there, so an agent can tell it apart from create_discussion_topic without opening either schema.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines4/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

It gives clear conditions for the two posting modes (immediate without delayed_post_at, scheduled with it) and explicitly rules out the fallback of re-posting via discussion tools. What it does not name is a when-not-to-use case or a direct comparison with create_discussion_topic when the user genuinely wants an announcement-topic hybrid.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.

Deploy Server

Other Tools