Canvas MCP for Students

What Can Canvas MCP Do for You?

Think of this as having an AI study buddy that knows everything about your Canvas courses:

Prerequisites

• Python 3.10+ installed on your computer
• Claude Desktop - Download from claude.ai
• Canvas Account at your university/institution

Installation

1. Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/vishalsachdev/canvas-mcp.git
cd canvas-mcp

2. Install Dependencies

# Create and activate virtual environment
python3 -m venv .venv
. .venv/bin/activate

# Install Canvas MCP
pip install -e .

3. Get Your Canvas API Token

1. Log in to your Canvas account
2. Go to Account → Settings
3. Scroll down to Approved Integrations
4. Click + New Access Token
5. Give it a purpose (e.g., "Claude AI Assistant")
6. Click Generate Token
7. Copy the token immediately - you won't see it again!

Configuration

4. Configure Canvas MCP

# Copy the template
cp env.template .env

# Edit the .env file

Your .env file should look like this:

# Canvas API Configuration
CANVAS_API_TOKEN=your_token_here
CANVAS_API_URL=https://canvas.youruniversity.edu/api/v1

# Privacy Settings (students don't need anonymization)
ENABLE_DATA_ANONYMIZATION=false

5. Configure Claude Desktop

Add Canvas MCP to your Claude Desktop config file:

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "canvas-api": {
      "command": "/path/to/canvas-mcp/.venv/bin/canvas-mcp-server"
    }
  }
}

6. Test Your Setup

canvas-mcp-server --test

You should see: ✓ API connection successful!

7. Restart Claude Desktop

Close and reopen Claude Desktop. You should see the 🔨 hammer icon when you start a conversation.

How to Use Canvas MCP

Quick Start Prompts

Try these with Claude:

Assignment Tracking

• "What assignments do I have due this week?"
• "What's coming up in the next 3 days?"
• "Show me my Canvas TODO list"

Grade Monitoring

• "What are my current grades in all my courses?"
• "Show me my grades"
• "How am I doing in BADM 350?"

Submission Status

• "Have I submitted all my assignments?"
• "What haven't I turned in yet?"
• "Show me my submission status for CSCI 101"

Peer Reviews

• "What peer reviews do I need to complete?"
• "Show me my pending peer reviews"

Course Content

• "Show me the syllabus for BADM 350"
• "What are the recent announcements?"
• "What are the active discussions in HIST 202?"

Available Student Tools

Personal Organization

• get_my_upcoming_assignments - View assignments due soon
• get_my_todo_items - Your Canvas TODO list
• get_my_submission_status - Check what you've submitted

Academic Performance

• get_my_course_grades - Current grades across all courses

Peer Review Management

• get_my_peer_reviews_todo - Peer reviews you need to complete

Course Content (Shared Tools)

• list_courses - See all your enrolled courses
• get_course_details - View syllabus and course info
• list_pages - Access course pages
• get_page_content - Read page content
• list_announcements - See course announcements
• list_discussion_topics - View discussion forums

Privacy & Security

Your Data Stays Private

• Local only: Everything runs on your computer
• Your data only: Tools access only YOUR Canvas data (not other students')
• No external servers: No data sent anywhere except Canvas (via official API)
• Canvas API security: Uses the same security as Canvas mobile app

Best Practices

• Keep your API token secret - Don't share it or commit it to version control
• Use a strong token purpose - Name it clearly so you can revoke it later if needed
• Revoke if compromised - If you accidentally share your token, revoke it in Canvas settings

Example Workflows

Troubleshooting

"Connection failed" or "Authentication error"

• Check your Canvas API token is correct in .env
• Verify your Canvas URL is correct (should match your browser's Canvas URL)
• Make sure your token hasn't expired

"No tools appearing in Claude"

• Restart Claude Desktop completely (Quit → Reopen)
• Check canvas-mcp-server --test runs successfully
• Verify your claude_desktop_config.json is correct

"No assignments/courses showing up"

• Make sure you're enrolled in courses for the current term
• Check if assignments have due dates set
• Verify your Canvas account has the appropriate permissions

Need More Help?

Open an issue on GitHub for additional support.