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canvas

The Canvas skill provides read-only access to Canvas LMS, enabling retrieval of enrolled courses and their assignments through API token authentication. Use this skill to list active or all courses, fetch assignments for specific courses with optional sorting by due date, and access assignment metadata including descriptions and submission types. The skill handles API pagination automatically and requires environment configuration with a Canvas API token and instance base URL.

View source Repository: hermes-agent

Install in Claude Code

Copy

git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent /tmp/canvas && cp -r /tmp/canvas/optional-skills/productivity/canvas ~/.claude/skills/canvas

Then start a new Claude Code session; the skill loads automatically.

Definition

SKILL.md

# Canvas LMS — Course & Assignment Access

Read-only access to Canvas LMS for listing courses and assignments.

## Scripts

- `scripts/canvas_api.py` — Python CLI for Canvas API calls

## Setup

1. Log in to your Canvas instance in a browser
2. Go to **Account → Settings** (click your profile icon, then Settings)
3. Scroll to **Approved Integrations** and click **+ New Access Token**
4. Name the token (e.g., "Hermes Agent"), set an optional expiry, and click **Generate Token**
5. Copy the token and add to `${HERMES_HOME:-~/.hermes}/.env`:

```
CANVAS_API_TOKEN=your_token_here
CANVAS_BASE_URL=https://yourschool.instructure.com
```

The base URL is whatever appears in your browser when you're logged into Canvas (no trailing slash).

## Usage

```bash
CANVAS="python $HERMES_HOME/skills/productivity/canvas/scripts/canvas_api.py"

# List all active courses
$CANVAS list_courses --enrollment-state active

# List all courses (any state)
$CANVAS list_courses

# List assignments for a specific course
$CANVAS list_assignments 12345

# List assignments ordered by due date
$CANVAS list_assignments 12345 --order-by due_at
```

## Output Format

**list_courses** returns:
```json
[{"id": 12345, "name": "Intro to CS", "course_code": "CS101", "workflow_state": "available", "start_at": "...", "end_at": "..."}]
```

**list_assignments** returns:
```json
[{"id": 67890, "name": "Homework 1", "due_at": "2025-02-15T23:59:00Z", "points_possible": 100, "submission_types": ["online_upload"], "html_url": "...", "description": "...", "course_id": 12345}]
```

Note: Assignment descriptions are truncated to 500 characters. The `html_url` field links to the full assignment page in Canvas.

## API Reference (curl)

```bash
# List courses
curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $CANVAS_API_TOKEN" \
  "$CANVAS_BASE_URL/api/v1/courses?enrollment_state=active&per_page=10"

# List assignments for a course
curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $CANVAS_API_TOKEN" \
  "$CANVAS_BASE_URL/api/v1/courses/COURSE_ID/assignments?per_page=10&order_by=due_at"
```

Canvas uses `Link` headers for pagination. The Python script handles pagination automatically.

## Rules

- This skill is **read-only** — it only fetches data, never modifies courses or assignments
- On first use, verify auth by running `$CANVAS list_courses` — if it fails with 401, guide the user through setup
- Canvas rate-limits to ~700 requests per 10 minutes; check `X-Rate-Limit-Remaining` header if hitting limits

## Troubleshooting

| Problem | Fix |
|---------|-----|
| 401 Unauthorized | Token invalid or expired — regenerate in Canvas Settings |
| 403 Forbidden | Token lacks permission for this course |
| Empty course list | Try `--enrollment-state active` or omit the flag to see all states |
| Wrong institution | Verify `CANVAS_BASE_URL` matches the URL in your browser |
| Timeout errors | Check network connectivity to your Canvas instance |