Canvas Parent MCP Server

by chrischallio.github.chrischall/canvas-parent-mcpv2.1.8

Canvas LMS (Instructure) for Claude — courses, grades, assignments, planner, files

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Active2d ago

Install Canvas Parent MCP server

claude mcp add canvas-parent -e CANVAS_BASE_URL='<canvas-base-url>' -e CANVAS_PASSWORD='<canvas-password>' -e CANVAS_TOKEN='<canvas-token>' -e CANVAS_CLIENT_SECRET='<canvas-client-secret>' -e CANVAS_REFRESH_TOKEN='<canvas-refresh-token>' -- npx -y canvas-parent-mcp

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "canvas-parent": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "canvas-parent-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "CANVAS_BASE_URL": "<canvas-base-url>",
        "CANVAS_PASSWORD": "<canvas-password>",
        "CANVAS_TOKEN": "<canvas-token>",
        "CANVAS_CLIENT_SECRET": "<canvas-client-secret>",
        "CANVAS_REFRESH_TOKEN": "<canvas-refresh-token>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Add to ~/.cursor/mcp.json (global) or .cursor/mcp.json (project).

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "canvas-parent": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "canvas-parent-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "CANVAS_BASE_URL": "<canvas-base-url>",
        "CANVAS_PASSWORD": "<canvas-password>",
        "CANVAS_TOKEN": "<canvas-token>",
        "CANVAS_CLIENT_SECRET": "<canvas-client-secret>",
        "CANVAS_REFRESH_TOKEN": "<canvas-refresh-token>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Settings → Developer → Edit Config (claude_desktop_config.json), then restart.

{
  "servers": {
    "canvas-parent": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "canvas-parent-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "CANVAS_BASE_URL": "<canvas-base-url>",
        "CANVAS_PASSWORD": "<canvas-password>",
        "CANVAS_TOKEN": "<canvas-token>",
        "CANVAS_CLIENT_SECRET": "<canvas-client-secret>",
        "CANVAS_REFRESH_TOKEN": "<canvas-refresh-token>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Add to .vscode/mcp.json in your workspace.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "canvas-parent": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "canvas-parent-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "CANVAS_BASE_URL": "<canvas-base-url>",
        "CANVAS_PASSWORD": "<canvas-password>",
        "CANVAS_TOKEN": "<canvas-token>",
        "CANVAS_CLIENT_SECRET": "<canvas-client-secret>",
        "CANVAS_REFRESH_TOKEN": "<canvas-refresh-token>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Add to ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json.

Configuration

Variable	Required	Secret	Description
CANVAS_BASE_URL	yes	—	Canvas instance base URL, e.g. https://cms.instructure.com
CANVAS_USERNAME	—	—	Canvas login username/email (recommended) — pair with CANVAS_PASSWORD for auto-login. No SSO/2FA.
CANVAS_PASSWORD	—	yes	Canvas password (recommended) — required iff CANVAS_USERNAME is set
CANVAS_TOKEN	—	yes	Canvas personal access token (advanced) — most schools have disabled token creation
CANVAS_CLIENT_ID	—	—	Canvas OAuth client ID (advanced — for SSO accounts that can't use username/password)
CANVAS_CLIENT_SECRET	—	yes	Canvas OAuth client secret (advanced)
CANVAS_REFRESH_TOKEN	—	yes	Canvas OAuth refresh token (advanced) — bootstrap via canvas-parent-mcp-qr-login
CANVAS_NAME	—	—	Friendly name for the Canvas instance (defaults to the host portion of the base URL)
CANVAS_SESSION_CACHE	—	—	Set to false to disable the on-disk session cache and re-authenticate on every process start. Defaults to enabled.
CANVAS_SESSION_FILE	—	—	Absolute path for the session cache file. Defaults to $MCP_DATA_DIR/.canvas-parent-mcp/session.json.

Freshness

Active — last maintenance signal 2d ago. The newest of the signals below sets the band.

Last commit (default branch)
2026-10-07 · 2d ago · GitHub
Latest release
2026-10-07 · 2d ago · GitHub · v2.1.8
Package published
no data · npm/PyPI
Registry entry updated
2026-10-07 · 2d ago · official registry · v2.1.8

FAQ

›How do I install the Canvas Parent MCP server in Claude Code?

Run: claude mcp add canvas-parent -e CANVAS_BASE_URL='<canvas-base-url>' -e CANVAS_PASSWORD='<canvas-password>' -e CANVAS_TOKEN='<canvas-token>' -e CANVAS_CLIENT_SECRET='<canvas-client-secret>' -e CANVAS_REFRESH_TOKEN='<canvas-refresh-token>' -- npx -y canvas-parent-mcp. For Cursor, VS Code, Claude Desktop and Windsurf, use the install tabs above.

›Does Canvas Parent require an API key?

Yes. It expects CANVAS_BASE_URL, CANVAS_PASSWORD, CANVAS_TOKEN, CANVAS_CLIENT_SECRET, CANVAS_REFRESH_TOKEN, of which 4 are secrets.

›Can I use Canvas Parent as a remote (hosted) MCP server?

No hosted endpoint is published; it runs locally over stdio.

›Is Canvas Parent in the official MCP registry?

Yes, as io.github.chrischall/canvas-parent-mcp.