Canvas MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server providing read-only access to Canvas LMS for student workflows, with optional NotebookLM integration for study material organization.

Features

• 45 Tools covering Canvas LMS functionality
• Read-only access - Safe for student use
• Smart caching - Reduces API calls
• Rate limiting - Respects Canvas API limits (~3000 req/hour)
• NotebookLM integration - Upload course content for AI-powered study

Quick Start

1. Install Dependencies

npm install
npm run build

2. Configure Environment

cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env with your Canvas credentials

Required settings:

• CANVAS_BASE_URL - Your Canvas instance URL
• CANVAS_API_TOKEN - Generate at Canvas > Account > Settings > New Access Token

3. Add to Claude Code

Add to your Claude Code MCP configuration (~/.claude/claude_desktop_config.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "canvas": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["dist/index.js"],
      "cwd": "/path/to/canvas-mcp-server",
      "env": {
        "CANVAS_BASE_URL": "https://your-school.instructure.com",
        "CANVAS_API_TOKEN": "your_token_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

4. (Optional) Setup NotebookLM

For NotebookLM integration:

cd src/python-bridge
python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt
playwright install chromium

Then use notebooklm_auth_setup tool for interactive Google login.

Available Tools (45 total)

Phase 1: Core (5 tools)

Tool	Description
canvas_course_list	List enrolled courses
canvas_course_get	Get course details
canvas_assignment_list	List assignments (with bucket filtering)
canvas_assignment_get	Get assignment details
canvas_get_my_submission	Get your submission for an assignment

Phase 2: Content (16 tools)

Tool	Description
canvas_module_list	List course modules
canvas_module_get	Get module details
canvas_module_items	List items in a module
canvas_module_progress	Get module completion progress
canvas_file_list	List files in a folder
canvas_file_get	Get file metadata
canvas_file_search	Search for files
canvas_folder_list	List folders
canvas_file_download	Download file content
canvas_discussion_list	List discussions
canvas_discussion_get	Get discussion with replies
canvas_announcement_list	List announcements
canvas_planner_items	Get planner items
canvas_todo_list	Get todo items
canvas_upcoming_events	Get upcoming events
canvas_missing_submissions	Get missing assignments

Phase 3: Assessment (8 tools)

Tool	Description
canvas_rubric_list	List rubrics in a course
canvas_rubric_get	Get rubric details
canvas_rubric_for_assignment	Get rubric for an assignment
canvas_quiz_list	List quizzes
canvas_quiz_get	Get quiz details
canvas_quiz_submission	Get your quiz submission
canvas_group_list	List your groups
canvas_group_members	List group members

Phase 4: User (11 tools)

Tool	Description
canvas_bookmark_list	List your bookmarks
canvas_bookmark_create	Create a bookmark
canvas_bookmark_delete	Delete a bookmark
canvas_inbox_list	List inbox messages
canvas_inbox_get	Get conversation details
canvas_inbox_unread_count	Get unread message count
canvas_notification_list	List notifications
canvas_dashboard	Comprehensive dashboard view
canvas_profile	Get your profile
canvas_grades_overview	Get grades across courses
canvas_cache_status	View/clear cache

Phase 5: NotebookLM (5 tools)

Tool	Description
notebooklm_auth_check	Check Google auth status
notebooklm_auth_setup	Interactive Google login
notebooklm_list_notebooks	List NotebookLM notebooks
notebooklm_upload_sources	Upload sources to notebook
notebooklm_prepare_content	Convert/split files for upload

Authentication

Canvas API (Primary)

• API Token: Required for all API calls
• Generate at: Canvas > Account > Settings > New Access Token
• Provides access to your enrolled courses, assignments, grades, etc.

Cookies (Secondary, Optional)

• Only needed if file downloads return 403 errors
• Export browser cookies using extensions like "Get cookies.txt"
• Set CANVAS_COOKIES_FILE in your environment

NotebookLM (Interactive)

• Uses Playwright browser automation (no public API exists)
• Run notebooklm_auth_setup once to save Google session
• Session persists in src/python-bridge/state.json

Architecture

canvas-mcp-server/
├── src/
│   ├── core/
│   │   ├── auth.ts        # Token + cookie authentication
│   │   ├── cache.ts       # Memory cache with TTL
│   │   ├── client.ts      # Canvas API client
│   │   ├── pagination.ts  # Link header parsing
│   │   └── rate-limiter.ts # Token bucket rate limiter
│   ├── tools/
│   │   ├── courses.ts     # Course tools
│   │   ├── assignments.ts # Assignment tools
│   │   ├── modules.ts     # Module tools
│   │   ├── files.ts       # File tools
│   │   ├── discussions.ts # Discussion tools
│   │   ├── planner.ts     # Planner tools
│   │   ├── rubrics.ts     # Rubric tools
│   │   ├── quizzes.ts     # Quiz tools
│   │   ├── groups.ts      # Group tools
│   │   ├── bookmarks.ts   # Bookmark tools
│   │   ├── communication.ts # Inbox/notification tools
│   │   ├── dashboard.ts   # Dashboard tools
│   │   └── notebooklm.ts  # NotebookLM tools
│   ├── python-bridge/
│   │   ├── notebooklm_auth.py   # Google auth management
│   │   ├── notebooklm_upload.py # Source upload automation
│   │   └── requirements.txt     # Python dependencies
│   ├── types/
│   │   └── canvas.ts      # TypeScript types
│   ├── server.ts          # MCP server
│   └── index.ts           # Entry point
├── .env.example           # Environment template
├── mcp.json               # MCP configuration
└── package.json

Rate Limits

Canvas API allows ~3000 requests per hour. This server implements:

• Token bucket rate limiter (0.8 req/sec default)
• Smart caching (5-30 min TTL per resource type)
• Automatic retry with backoff on 429 responses

License

MIT