canvas-mcp

# Canvas LMS MCP Server (`canvas-mcp`)

<!-- mcp-name: io.github.admin978/canvas-mcp -->

[![CI](https://github.com/admin978/canvas-mcp/actions/workflows/ci.yml/badge.svg)](https://github.com/admin978/canvas-mcp/actions/workflows/ci.yml)
[![PyPI](https://img.shields.io/pypi/v/canvas-local-mcp)](https://pypi.org/project/canvas-local-mcp/)
[![Python](https://img.shields.io/pypi/pyversions/canvas-local-mcp)](https://pypi.org/project/canvas-local-mcp/)
[![License](https://img.shields.io/github/license/admin978/canvas-mcp)](https://github.com/admin978/canvas-mcp/blob/main/LICENSE)

Ask Claude about your Canvas courses, assignments, deadlines, modules, and grades from one place.

`canvas-mcp` is a local-first MCP server for Canvas LMS users (students, instructors, and MCP builders). It turns Canvas REST API actions into MCP tools that work from Claude Code, Claude Desktop, and other MCP-compatible clients.

> **Status:** alpha. Single-user, no warranty, API surface may still shift. File issues if it breaks.

## Who this is for

- **Students** who want one view across multiple courses
- **Educators** who want faster access to assignments, modules, and announcements
- **MCP users** who want Canvas data in local Claude workflows

## What you can ask Claude

- “What assignments are due this week across all my active courses?”
- “Show upcoming events and planner items for next week.”
- “List my current grades by course.”
- “Get the modules (with items) for course `12345`.”
- “Show announcements for course `12345`.”
- “Fetch the page `syllabus` from course `12345`.”

## Quick start

Prerequisite: **Python 3.10+**.

### 1) Create a Canvas personal access token

In Canvas: **Account → Settings → Approved Integrations → + New Access Token**.
Copy the token shown (Canvas does not show it again later).

### 2) Install

From PyPI (recommended):

```bash
pip install canvas-local-mcp
```

Or from source:

```bash
git clone https://github.com/admin978/canvas-mcp.git && cd canvas-mcp
python3 -m venv .venv && source .venv/bin/activate
pip install -e .
```

### 3) Configure `~/.canvas.env`

```bash
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/admin978/canvas-mcp/main/.canvas.env.example -o ~/.canvas.env
chmod 600 ~/.canvas.env
# edit ~/.canvas.env: set CANVAS_BASE_URL (institution root, no /api/v1)
# and paste the token into CANVAS_TOKEN
```

For token safety guidance (least privilege, file permissions, rotation/revocation, and vulnerability reporting), see [SECURITY.md](SECURITY.md).

### 4) Register in your MCP client

Claude Code:

```bash
claude mcp add canvas-local -- canvas-local-mcp
```

Claude Desktop:

- macOS example path: `~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json`
- Windows example path: `%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json`
- Linux example path: `~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json`

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "canvas-local": {
      "command": "canvas-local-mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

## Tools exposed

- `list_courses`
- `list_assignments`
- `list_modules`
- `list_announcements`
- `get_page`
- `get_file_info`
- `get_grades`
- `planner_items`
- `upcoming_events`
- `todo`

## Bulk dump

`canvas-local-mcp-dump` downloads course files and related content for offline indexing.

```bash
canvas-local-mcp-dump              # all active courses
canvas-local-mcp-dump 12345 67890  # specific course IDs
```

Output goes to `./canvas-dump/` by default. Override with `CANVAS_DUMP_DIR=/path/to/dir`.

## Local-first, privacy and token flow

- The server runs locally and uses **stdio** transport with your MCP client.
- Configuration is read from `~/.canvas.env` (`CANVAS_BASE_URL`, `CANVAS_TOKEN`).
- Requests go from your local server to the official Canvas API endpoints.
- No external token broker is used in the request path.
- Security guidance and disclosure policy: [SECURITY.md](SECURITY.md).

## Demo

No demo GIF is currently committed yet. You can still verify the workflow quickly:

### Try these prompts

After registering the MCP server, ask Claude:

- “List my active Canvas courses.”
- “What assignments are due this week across all my active courses?”
- “Show upcoming events and planner items for next week.”
- “List my current grades by course.”

> Placeholder: add a short terminal/GIF walkthrough here in a future PR.

## Development

Requires **Python 3.10+**.

```bash
pip install -e ".[dev]"
ruff check canvas_local_mcp tests   # lint
pytest                              # tests run against a mocked Canvas API — no token needed
```

CI runs lint + tests on Python 3.10–3.13 for every push and pull request.

## Publishing a new release

Follow this order to publish a new version (e.g. `0.1.4`) consistently across PyPI and the MCP Registry.

### 1. Bump the version everywhere

Update all three files to the new version string in a single PR:

| File | Field |
|---|---|
| `pyproject.toml` | `[project].version` |
| `canvas_local_mcp/__init__.py` | `__version__` |
| `server.json` | root `version` **and** `packages[0].version` |

The CI test `test_server_json_version_matches_package` and the workflow validation step will fail if any of these three disagree.

### 2. Merge the PR into `main`

Wait for all CI checks to pass before merging.

### 3. Publish `canvas-local-mcp` to PyPI

The project uses [Trusted Publisher (OIDC)](https://docs.pypi.org/trusted-publishers/) for PyPI uploads.
Trigger the PyPI publish workflow (or run `python -m build && twine upload dist/*` if you have credentials configured) **before** creating the tag, so the package is available when the MCP Registry fetches it.

### 4. Create and push the tag `vX.Y.Z`

```bash
git tag v0.1.4
git push origin v0.1.4
```

This triggers the `Publish to MCP Registry` workflow, which:

1. Validates that `server.json`, `pyproject.toml`, and the tag all declare the same version.
2. Publishes `server.json` to the MCP Registry via GitHub OIDC (no secrets needed).

### 5. Verify

- PyPI: `https://pypi.org/project/canvas-local-mcp/`
- MCP Registry: `https://registry.modelcontextprotocol.io/?q=canvas-mcp`
- GitHub Actions: `https://github.com/admin978/canvas-mcp/actions`

> **Important**: never reuse or move an existing tag. If you need to re-publish after a mistake,
> bump to the next patch version (e.g. `0.1.4`) and start from step 1.

## Contributing, roadmap and support

- [Issues / feature requests](https://github.com/admin978/canvas-mcp/issues)
- Pull requests are welcome for bug fixes and Canvas workflow improvements
- Roadmap direction currently lives in open issues and upcoming PRs

If this project helps you manage Canvas with Claude, please try the flow above and consider giving it a ⭐ so other students and educators can find it.

## License

MIT — see `LICENSE`.

---

Built by [AGENTE 404 S.L.](https://www.agente404.com) · admin@agente404.com