Canvas MCP Server

Instructions

    Args:
        course_identifier: The Canvas course code (e.g., badm_554_120251_246794) or ID
        assignment_id: The Canvas assignment ID
        user_id: The Canvas user ID of the student
    

Implementation Reference

• src/canvas_mcp/tools/rubrics.py:551-661 (handler)

  The handler function implementing the get_submission_rubric_assessment tool. It fetches the submission via Canvas API, anonymizes data, retrieves the rubric assessment, matches it with rubric criteria, and formats a detailed report.

  async def get_submission_rubric_assessment(course_identifier: str | int,
                                           assignment_id: str | int,
                                           user_id: str | int) -> str:
      """Get rubric assessment scores for a specific submission.
  
      Args:
          course_identifier: The Canvas course code (e.g., badm_554_120251_246794) or ID
          assignment_id: The Canvas assignment ID
          user_id: The Canvas user ID of the student
      """
      course_id = await get_course_id(course_identifier)
      assignment_id_str = str(assignment_id)
      user_id_str = str(user_id)
  
      # Get submission with rubric assessment
      response = await make_canvas_request(
          "get",
          f"/courses/{course_id}/assignments/{assignment_id_str}/submissions/{user_id_str}",
          params={"include[]": ["rubric_assessment", "full_rubric_assessment"]}
      )
  
      if "error" in response:
          return f"Error fetching submission rubric assessment: {response['error']}"
  
      # Anonymize submission data to protect student privacy
      try:
          response = anonymize_response_data(response, data_type="submissions")
      except Exception as e:
          log_error(
              "Failed to anonymize rubric assessment data",
              exc=e,
              course_id=course_id,
              assignment_id=assignment_id,
              user_id=user_id
          )
          # Continue with original data for functionality
  
      # Check if submission has rubric assessment
      rubric_assessment = response.get("rubric_assessment")
  
      if not rubric_assessment:
          # Get user and assignment names for better error message
          assignment_response = await make_canvas_request(
              "get", f"/courses/{course_id}/assignments/{assignment_id_str}"
          )
          assignment_name = assignment_response.get("name", "Unknown Assignment") if "error" not in assignment_response else "Unknown Assignment"
  
          course_display = await get_course_code(course_id) or course_identifier
          return f"No rubric assessment found for user {user_id} on assignment '{assignment_name}' in course {course_display}."
  
      # Get assignment details for context
      assignment_response = await make_canvas_request(
          "get", f"/courses/{course_id}/assignments/{assignment_id_str}",
          params={"include[]": ["rubric"]}
      )
  
      assignment_name = assignment_response.get("name", "Unknown Assignment") if "error" not in assignment_response else "Unknown Assignment"
      rubric_data = assignment_response.get("rubric", []) if "error" not in assignment_response else []
  
      # Format rubric assessment
      course_display = await get_course_code(course_id) or course_identifier
  
      result = f"Rubric Assessment for User {user_id} on '{assignment_name}' in Course {course_display}:\n\n"
  
      # Submission details
      submitted_at = format_date(response.get("submitted_at"))
      graded_at = format_date(response.get("graded_at"))
      score = response.get("score", "Not graded")
  
      result += "Submission Details:\n"
      result += f"  Submitted: {submitted_at}\n"
      result += f"  Graded: {graded_at}\n"
      result += f"  Score: {score}\n\n"
  
      # Rubric assessment details
      result += "Rubric Assessment:\n"
      result += "=" * 30 + "\n"
  
      total_rubric_points = 0
  
      for criterion_id, assessment in rubric_assessment.items():
          # Find criterion details from rubric data
          criterion_info = None
          for criterion in rubric_data:
              if str(criterion.get("id")) == str(criterion_id):
                  criterion_info = criterion
                  break
  
          criterion_description = criterion_info.get("description", f"Criterion {criterion_id}") if criterion_info else f"Criterion {criterion_id}"
          points = assessment.get("points", 0)
          comments = assessment.get("comments", "")
          rating_id = assessment.get("rating_id")
  
          result += f"\n{criterion_description}:\n"
          result += f"  Points Awarded: {points}\n"
  
          if rating_id and criterion_info:
              # Find the rating description
              for rating in criterion_info.get("ratings", []):
                  if str(rating.get("id")) == str(rating_id):
                      result += f"  Rating: {rating.get('description', 'N/A')} ({rating.get('points', 0)} pts)\n"
                      break
  
          if comments:
              result += f"  Comments: {comments}\n"
  
          total_rubric_points += points
  
      result += f"\nTotal Rubric Points: {total_rubric_points}"
  
      return result

• src/canvas_mcp/server.py:51-52 (registration)

  The call to register_rubric_tools which registers the get_submission_rubric_assessment tool among others.

  register_rubric_tools(mcp)
  register_peer_review_tools(mcp)

• src/canvas_mcp/tools/__init__.py:7-7 (registration)

  Import of register_rubric_tools function used for tool registration.

  from .rubrics import register_rubric_tools

• src/canvas_mcp/tools/rubrics.py:246-291 (helper)

  Helper function to build form data for rubric assessments, used in grading tools but supports the overall rubric functionality.

  def build_rubric_assessment_form_data(
      rubric_assessment: dict[str, Any],
      comment: str | None = None
  ) -> dict[str, str]:
      """Convert rubric assessment dict to Canvas form-encoded format.
  
      Canvas API expects rubric assessment data as form-encoded parameters with
      bracket notation: rubric_assessment[criterion_id][field]=value
  
      Args:
          rubric_assessment: Dict mapping criterion IDs to assessment data
                            Format: {"criterion_id": {"points": X, "rating_id": Y, "comments": Z}}
          comment: Optional overall comment for the submission
  
      Returns:
          Flattened dict with Canvas bracket notation keys
  
      Example:
          Input: {"_8027": {"points": 2, "rating_id": "blank", "comments": "Great work"}}
          Output: {
              "rubric_assessment[_8027][points]": "2",
              "rubric_assessment[_8027][rating_id]": "blank",
              "rubric_assessment[_8027][comments]": "Great work"
          }
      """
      form_data: dict[str, str] = {}
  
      # Transform rubric_assessment object into Canvas's form-encoded format
      for criterion_id, assessment in rubric_assessment.items():
          # Points are required
          if "points" in assessment:
              form_data[f"rubric_assessment[{criterion_id}][points]"] = str(assessment["points"])
  
          # Rating ID is optional but recommended
          if "rating_id" in assessment:
              form_data[f"rubric_assessment[{criterion_id}][rating_id]"] = str(assessment["rating_id"])
  
          # Comments are optional
          if "comments" in assessment:
              form_data[f"rubric_assessment[{criterion_id}][comments]"] = str(assessment["comments"])
  
      # Add optional overall comment
      if comment:
          form_data["comment[text_comment]"] = comment
  
      return form_data