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.
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Setup
1. Install dependencies
Requires Python 3.10+.
cd canvas_mcp
pip3 install -r requirements.txt2. 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.
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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 |
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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-Tokenis automatically extracted from your cookies for write requests.
