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