canvas-lms-mcp

# Canvas LMS MCP Server

> The TypeScript MCP server for Canvas LMS.

[![CI](https://github.com/bruchris/canvas-lms-mcp/actions/workflows/ci.yml/badge.svg)](https://github.com/bruchris/canvas-lms-mcp/actions/workflows/ci.yml)
[![npm](https://img.shields.io/npm/v/canvas-lms-mcp)](https://www.npmjs.com/package/canvas-lms-mcp)
[![License: MIT](https://img.shields.io/badge/License-MIT-yellow.svg)](https://opensource.org/licenses/MIT)
[![Node](https://img.shields.io/badge/node-%3E%3D22-brightgreen)](https://nodejs.org)
[![npm downloads](https://img.shields.io/npm/dw/canvas-lms-mcp)](https://www.npmjs.com/package/canvas-lms-mcp)
[![MCP Registry](https://img.shields.io/badge/MCP%20Registry-io.github.bruchris%2Fcanvas--lms--mcp-blue)](https://registry.modelcontextprotocol.io/v0/servers/io.github.bruchris%2Fcanvas-lms-mcp/versions/latest)

MCP server for [Canvas LMS](https://www.instructure.com/canvas). Read courses, assignments, submissions, rubrics, quizzes; grade, comment, manage course content, and handle Canvas admin workflows from any AI agent.

165 tools across Canvas courses, assignments, submissions, gradebook history, rubrics, quizzes, New Quizzes (LTI), files, users, groups, enrollments, discussions, modules, pages, calendar, conversations, peer reviews, accounts, analytics, outcomes, grading standards, grade projection, link audit, accessibility audit, content exports, content migrations, quiz accommodations, appointment groups, student workflows, student search, dashboard, instructor attention workflows, and health checks. Three deployment modes: stdio, HTTP, and library import.

## One-click install (Claude Desktop)

1. **[Download `canvas-lms-mcp.mcpb`](https://github.com/bruchris/canvas-lms-mcp/releases/latest/download/canvas-lms-mcp.mcpb)** from the latest release.
2. Double-click the file (or drag it into Claude Desktop's Extensions settings).
3. When prompted, paste your Canvas API token and Canvas base URL — your institution's origin only, e.g. `https://school.instructure.com` (do not append `/api/v1`). Teachers and staff handling student data can also flip **FERPA mode — pseudonymize students** on in the same dialog ([what it does](#ferpa-mode-student-pseudonymization)).

No terminal, no Node.js install, no config-file editing — Claude Desktop bundles the runtime and handles config for you. The same `.mcpb` works in Claude Code and MCP for Windows.

Prefer the terminal? Use the [Quick Start](#quick-start) below.

## One-click install (Cursor / VS Code)

[![Add to Cursor](https://img.shields.io/badge/Add%20to-Cursor-black?logo=cursor&logoColor=white)](cursor://anysphere.cursor-deeplink/mcp/install?name=canvas-lms-mcp&config=eyJjb21tYW5kIjoibnB4IiwiYXJncyI6WyIteSIsImNhbnZhcy1sbXMtbWNwIl0sImVudiI6eyJDQU5WQVNfQVBJX1RPS0VOIjoieW91ci10b2tlbi1oZXJlIiwiQ0FOVkFTX0JBU0VfVVJMIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly95b3VyLWluc3RpdHV0aW9uLmluc3RydWN0dXJlLmNvbSJ9fQ==)
[![Install in VS Code](https://img.shields.io/badge/Install%20in-VS%20Code-007ACC?logo=visual-studio-code&logoColor=white)](vscode:mcp/install?%7B%22name%22%3A%22canvas-lms%22%2C%22command%22%3A%22npx%22%2C%22args%22%3A%5B%22-y%22%2C%22canvas-lms-mcp%22%5D%2C%22env%22%3A%7B%22CANVAS_API_TOKEN%22%3A%22your-token-here%22%2C%22CANVAS_BASE_URL%22%3A%22https%3A%2F%2Fyour-institution.instructure.com%22%7D%7D)
[![Install in VS Code Insiders](https://img.shields.io/badge/Install%20in-VS%20Code%20Insiders-24bfa5?logo=visual-studio-code&logoColor=white)](vscode-insiders:mcp/install?%7B%22name%22%3A%22canvas-lms%22%2C%22command%22%3A%22npx%22%2C%22args%22%3A%5B%22-y%22%2C%22canvas-lms-mcp%22%5D%2C%22env%22%3A%7B%22CANVAS_API_TOKEN%22%3A%22your-token-here%22%2C%22CANVAS_BASE_URL%22%3A%22https%3A%2F%2Fyour-institution.instructure.com%22%7D%7D)

Click a badge to open Cursor or VS Code with canvas-lms-mcp pre-configured (placeholder credentials filled in — replace with your actual Canvas API token and base URL after install). For manual config-file setup, see [docs/manual-setup.md](./docs/manual-setup.md).

## One-click install (Claude Code plugin)

```
/plugin marketplace add bruchris/canvas-lms-mcp
/plugin install canvas-lms-mcp
```

Installs the MCP server (via `npx canvas-lms-mcp`) and all 16 [Agent Skills](#agent-skills) in a single step, versioned and updatable through Claude Code's plugin manager. On enable, Claude Code prompts for your Canvas API token and base URL (and the optional FERPA pseudonymization settings). See the [Claude Code plugins reference](https://code.claude.com/docs/en/plugins-reference) for how marketplaces and plugin manifests work.

## Comparison

| | canvas-lms-mcp | [vishalsachdev/canvas-mcp](https://github.com/vishalsachdev/canvas-mcp) | [DMontgomery40/mcp-canvas-lms](https://github.com/DMontgomery40/mcp-canvas-lms) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Language | TypeScript | Python | TypeScript |
| Tools | 165 | 80+ | 54 |
| License | [![License: MIT](https://img.shields.io/github/license/bruchris/canvas-lms-mcp)](https://github.com/bruchris/canvas-lms-mcp/blob/main/LICENSE) | [![License](https://img.shields.io/github/license/vishalsachdev/canvas-mcp)](https://github.com/vishalsachdev/canvas-mcp/blob/main/LICENSE) | [![License](https://img.shields.io/github/license/DMontgomery40/mcp-canvas-lms)](https://github.com/DMontgomery40/mcp-canvas-lms/blob/main/LICENSE) |
| Last commit | [![Last commit](https://img.shields.io/github/last-commit/bruchris/canvas-lms-mcp)](https://github.com/bruchris/canvas-lms-mcp) | [![Last commit](https://img.shields.io/github/last-commit/vishalsachdev/canvas-mcp)](https://github.com/vishalsachdev/canvas-mcp) | [![Last commit](https://img.shields.io/github/last-commit/DMontgomery40/mcp-canvas-lms)](https://github.com/DMontgomery40/mcp-canvas-lms) |

## Quick Start

### 1. Get a Canvas API Token

1. Log in to your Canvas instance
2. Go to **Account > Settings**
3. Scroll to **Approved Integrations** and click **+ New Access Token**
4. Give it a name (e.g., "MCP Server") and click **Generate Token**
5. Copy the token immediately -- you won't see it again

### 2. Run the Setup Wizard

```bash
npx canvas-lms-mcp init
```

The wizard detects your installed AI clients (Claude Desktop, Cursor, VS Code, Windsurf, Codex, Continue, Claude Code), prompts for your Canvas token and base URL, validates the credentials against your Canvas instance, and writes the config for every client you select.

`add-mcp` is also supported as a generic alternative: `npx add-mcp canvas-lms-mcp`.

For clients not yet supported by the wizard, or if you prefer editing config files by hand, see [docs/manual-setup.md](./docs/manual-setup.md).

## Agent Skills

Install reusable Canvas workflows into Claude Code, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Cline, and 40+ other AI agents:

```bash
npx skills add bruchris/canvas-lms-mcp
```

| Skill | Description |
|-------|-------------|
| `canvas-at-risk-students` | Surface students with missing assignments or declining grades and send targeted outreach |
| `canvas-gradebook-audit` | Inspect the full grade-change audit trail — who changed what grade, when, and by how much |
| `canvas-outcome-tracker` | Track learning outcome mastery and class-wide proficiency for accreditation and program review |
| `canvas-accessibility-sweep` | Pre-launch WCAG accessibility and broken-link sweep of a course, with a prioritised remediation list |
| `canvas-office-hours` | Create, publish, and manage Canvas Scheduler office-hour sign-up slots and see who reserved |

Skills are markdown workflow files (no extra dependencies). They work with the MCP server you already have installed. See the [`skills/` directory](./skills/) for the full list.

## Example Prompts

Once configured, try these prompts with your AI client:

- "List all my active courses"
- "Show me the assignments for course 12345"
- "What's the average grade on the midterm exam?"
- "Grade Alice's essay submission with a B+ and add feedback"
- "Show me the rubric for the final project"
- "What discussions are happening in my Biology course?"
- "List all upcoming calendar events for course 12345"
- "Send a message to student 67890 about their missing assignment"

## Tool Inventory

### All Registered Tools (165)

| Category | Tools |
|----------|-------|
| Health | `health_check` |
| Courses | `list_courses`, `get_course`, `get_syllabus`, `create_course`, `update_course` |
| Assignments | `list_assignments`, `get_assignment`, `list_assignment_groups`, `create_assignment`, `update_assignment`, `delete_assignment` |
| Assignment Overrides | `list_assignment_overrides`, `create_assignment_override`, `set_student_assignment_dates` |
| Submissions | `list_submissions`, `get_submission`, `grade_submission`, `comment_on_submission` |
| Submissions Awaiting Grading | `list_submissions_awaiting_grading` |
| Submission Files | `list_course_submission_files` |
| Rubrics | `list_rubrics`, `get_rubric`, `get_rubric_assessment`, `submit_rubric_assessment`, `create_rubric` |
| Quizzes | `list_quizzes`, `get_quiz`, `list_quiz_submissions`, `list_quiz_questions`, `get_quiz_submission_answers`, `score_quiz_question`, `get_quiz_submission_events` |
| Quiz Question Responses | `get_quiz_question_responses` |
| Quiz Accommodations | `list_student_quiz_accommodations`, `set_student_quiz_accommodation` |
| New Quizzes (LTI) | `create_new_quiz`, `update_new_quiz`, `delete_new_quiz`, `list_new_quiz_items`, `get_new_quiz_item`, `create_new_quiz_item`, `update_new_quiz_item`, `delete_new_quiz_item` |
| New Quiz Accommodations | `list_student_new_quiz_accommodations`, `set_student_new_quiz_accommodation` |
| Files | `list_files`, `list_folders`, `get_file`, `upload_file`, `download_file`, `delete_file`, `find_duplicate_files` |
| Gradebook History | `list_gradebook_history_days`, `get_gradebook_history_day`, `list_gradebook_history_submissions`, `get_gradebook_history_feed` |
| Grade Explanation | `explain_grade` |
| Grading Policy | `explain_grading_policy` |
| Grade Projection | `project_grade` |
| Grading Standards | `list_grading_s