Canvas API MCP Server

Connect Claude to your Canvas LMS. Ask natural questions like "What assignments do I have due this week?" or "What's my current grade in Biology?" and get real answers pulled directly from your Canvas account.

Works with Claude Desktop and Claude Code (the CLI).

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Quick Install

Requires: Node.js 18+, Git, and a Canvas personal access token (how to get one)

git clone https://github.com/Kdude43ver/Canvas-API-MCP.git
cd Canvas-API-MCP
bash install.sh

The install script will:

• Install dependencies and build the project
• Ask for your Canvas URL and API token
• Add the server to Claude Code and/or Claude Desktop automatically

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Manual Setup

1. Get your Canvas API token

1. Log into your Canvas instance (e.g. https://yourschool.instructure.com)
2. Click your profile picture → Account → Settings
3. Scroll down to Approved Integrations
4. Click + New Access Token
5. Name it (e.g. Claude MCP) and click Generate Token
6. Copy the token now — Canvas will never show it again

2. Clone and build

git clone https://github.com/Kdude43ver/Canvas-API-MCP.git
cd Canvas-API-MCP
npm install
npm run build

3. Create your .env file

cp .env.example .env

Edit .env:

CANVAS_TOKEN=your_token_here
CANVAS_BASE_URL=https://yourschool.instructure.com

4. Add to Claude Code

claude mcp add canvas \
  -e CANVAS_TOKEN=your_token_here \
  -e CANVAS_BASE_URL=https://yourschool.instructure.com \
  -- node /absolute/path/to/Canvas-API-MCP/dist/index.js

Replace /absolute/path/to/Canvas-API-MCP with the actual path (run pwd inside the repo to get it).

5. Add to Claude Desktop

Edit ~/.config/claude/claude_desktop_config.json on Linux/Mac, or %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json on Windows. Create the file if it doesn't exist.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "canvas": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/Canvas-API-MCP/dist/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "CANVAS_TOKEN": "your_token_here",
        "CANVAS_BASE_URL": "https://yourschool.instructure.com"
      }
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude Desktop after saving. You should see a hammer icon in the chat interface indicating tools are available.

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Available Tools

Tool	What it does
list_courses	List all your active courses
get_course	Full details for a course (including syllabus)
list_assignments	All assignments for a course with due dates and point values
get_assignment	Full assignment details including description
list_upcoming_assignments	Assignments due in the next N days across all your courses
get_grades	Your current and final grade for a course
list_submissions	Submission status for every assignment in a course
list_announcements	Recent announcements for a course
list_discussions	Discussion topics for a course
list_calendar_events	Upcoming events and due dates in a date range
list_files	Files available in a course with download links

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Example Prompts

Once installed, try asking Claude:

• "What assignments do I have due in the next 3 days?"
• "List all my courses this semester."
• "What's my current grade in each class?"
• "Are there any announcements in my CS class?"
• "Show me the discussion topics for course 12345."
• "What files are available in my Biology course?"
• "What's on my calendar this week?"

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Verifying It Works (MCP Inspector)

Before adding to Claude, you can test the server directly:

npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector node dist/index.js

Set CANVAS_TOKEN and CANVAS_BASE_URL in the Environment Variables section of the inspector, then call list_courses to confirm you get real data back.

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Troubleshooting

"No courses found" or empty results

• Double-check your CANVAS_BASE_URL — it should be your school's Canvas URL, not canvas.instructure.com
• Make sure your token was copied correctly (no extra spaces)
• Try generating a fresh token

Claude Desktop doesn't show Canvas tools

• Confirm the path in claude_desktop_config.json is the absolute path to dist/index.js
• Make sure you ran npm run build and that dist/index.js exists
• Restart Claude Desktop fully (quit from the system tray, not just close the window)

Claude Code can't find the server

• Run claude mcp list to see registered servers
• Run claude mcp remove canvas then re-add it if something looks wrong

403 errors from Canvas

• Your token may have expired — generate a new one in Canvas Settings
• Some Canvas instances restrict API access; contact your school's IT department

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Security

• Your Canvas token is stored only in your local .env file (which is git-ignored) and/or your local Claude config files
• The token gives read access to everything your Canvas account can see — treat it like a password
• To revoke access: go to Canvas → Account → Settings → Approved Integrations → delete the token
• Never share your .env file or commit it to version control

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Development

# Install deps
npm install

# Build (uses esbuild, outputs to dist/)
npm run build

# Run directly (requires .env file)
node dist/index.js

# Dev mode with ts-node
npm run dev

The source is organized as:

src/
├── index.ts          # Entry point — loads env, starts server
├── server.ts         # McpServer setup, registers all tools
├── canvas-client.ts  # Axios wrapper: auth headers, pagination, rate-limit backoff
└── tools/
    ├── courses.ts        # list_courses, get_course
    ├── assignments.ts    # list_assignments, get_assignment, list_upcoming_assignments
    ├── grades.ts         # get_grades, list_submissions
    ├── announcements.ts  # list_announcements
    ├── discussions.ts    # list_discussions
    ├── calendar.ts       # list_calendar_events
    └── files.ts          # list_files