Canvas Agent

Connect Claude AI to your Canvas LMS — manage courses, assignments, and grades just by asking.

Get Started

Four steps to connect Claude to your Canvas courses. The whole process takes about 10 minutes.

  1. 1

    Get Claude Pro

    Sign up for a Claude Pro subscription ($20/month). This gives you access to Claude Code, the tool that powers Canvas Agent.

    If you already have a Claude account, just make sure you're on the Pro plan.

  2. 2

    Install Node.js

    Download and install Node.js (click the big green "LTS" button). This is a small program that Canvas Agent needs to run.

    Just download it and click through the installer — all the default options are fine.

  3. 3

    Install Claude Code

    Open your terminal and paste this command:

    npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
    How do I open a terminal?

    Mac: Press Cmd+Space to open Spotlight, type Terminal, and press Enter.

    Windows: Press the Windows key, type Command Prompt or PowerShell, and press Enter.

    After installing, type claude in your terminal to sign in with your Claude account.

  4. 4

    Run the Setup Wizard

    In your terminal, paste this command:

    npx -y canvas-agent setup

    The wizard will walk you through connecting your Canvas account. You'll need your school's Canvas web address and a few minutes to generate an access token (the wizard shows you exactly how).

You're all set!

Open Claude Code by typing claude in your terminal, and try asking something like:

  • "List my Canvas courses"
  • "Show me upcoming assignments for my English class"
  • "Create a discussion board about Chapter 5"

What Can Canvas Agent Do?

Canvas Agent gives Claude full access to your Canvas LMS. Here's what you can do with it:

Courses & Modules

View your courses, create and organize modules, and manage course structure.

Assignments

Create, update, and manage assignments. Set due dates, submission types, and point values.

Grading & Rubrics

Grade submissions, create rubrics, and post grades. Review student work with AI assistance.

Discussions & Quizzes

Create discussion boards and quizzes. Supports both Classic and New Quizzes.

Student Management

View enrollments, manage student access, and track submissions and analytics.

Pages, Files & Calendar

Create course pages, upload files, and manage calendar events and scheduling.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is my Canvas data safe?

Yes. Canvas Agent runs on your own computer, not on a remote server. Your Canvas access token is stored locally in your Claude configuration and is never sent to anyone except Canvas itself. Claude processes your requests, but your credentials stay on your machine.

What does this cost?

Canvas Agent itself is free and open source. You'll need a Claude Pro subscription ($20/month) to use Claude Code, which is the AI that powers Canvas Agent.

What kind of Canvas account do I need?

You need a Canvas account with teacher or admin access. Student accounts can view courses but can't create or modify content. The access token you generate will have the same permissions as your Canvas account.

Can Claude see my students' data?

Claude can access whatever your Canvas account has permission to see. If you can view student submissions and grades in Canvas, Claude can too when using Canvas Agent. This data is processed by Claude to answer your questions but is handled according to Anthropic's privacy policy.

Can Claude accidentally delete my course content?

Claude will always ask for your confirmation before making changes. Claude Code shows you exactly what it's about to do and waits for you to approve. You stay in control.

Something went wrong during setup. What do I do?

Run the setup wizard again — it's safe to re-run at any time:

npx -y canvas-agent setup

If you're still stuck, open an issue on GitHub and we'll help you out.