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Canvas Parent MCP server

by chrischall·io.github.chrischall/canvas-parent-mcp·v2.1.11
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Canvas LMS (Instructure) for Claude — courses, grades, assignments, planner, files

B83/100grade B
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B83/100

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Adoption
Growing

0 stars614 downloads/wk

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If you have run it, two minutes of your experience saves the next person an afternoon.

Canvas Parent tools

No tool declarations could be read from the package source. They show once the server is installed.

Not scanned yet. New listings are scanned within a day or two of arriving.

How Canvas Parent compares

Against every graded MCP server, from our own scans and uptime checks. Updated after each scan run.

Safety score
83/100
higher than 65% of 48,255 servers
Downloads a week
614
more than 90% of 12,191 servers with a package

Release history: 13 versions in the registry since 2026-09-15, latest 2026-11-03, typically one every 2 days.

Install Canvas Parent in Claude Code, Cursor or VS Code

Runs npx -y canvas-parent-mcp on your machine. Read the scan report first; the gateway never runs local packages.

claude mcp add canvas-parent-mcp -- npx -y canvas-parent-mcp
Add to Cursor

What the publisher says

From the Canvas Parent repository's README, as published. We do not edit it. Read it on GitHub

canvas-parent-mcp

MCP server for Canvas LMS (Instructure), scoped for parent observers and student self-access. Targets https://cms.instructure.com by default but works against any Canvas instance.

Mirrors the read-only parent-portal scope of sibling infinitecampus-mcp. Users interact via the canvas_* tool prefix.

Tools

18 tools across profile, observees, courses, assignments, submissions, grades, calendar, planner, announcements, conversations, discussions, and files.

Tools that the harness will gate as write/IO operations: canvasdownloadfile.

Configuration

Set CANVASBASEURL plus one of four auth modes. canvas-parent-mcp tries them in priority order:

  1. CANVASTOKEN** → personal access token
  2. CANVASCLIENTID + CANVASCLIENTSECRET + CANVASREFRESHTOKEN → OAuth
  3. CANVASUSERNAME + CANVASPASSWORD → session-scrape (direct Canvas accounts only)
  4. fetchproxy fallback → no env vars needed; reads canvassession + pseudonymcredentials cookies from your signed-in Canvas tab via the fetchproxy browser extension

If none succeed, you get an error that names every escape hatch.

Mode A — fetchproxy fallback (recommended, zero config)

CANVAS_BASE_URL=https://cms.instructure.com

Install the fetchproxy 0.3.0 Chrome / Safari extension (Chrome Web Store / Safari .dmg), sign into your Canvas instance once, and the MCP reads your session cookies at startup. After that, all Canvas API calls go directly from Node — the extension is not in the request hot path. Works with any auth flow (SSO/SAML/2FA included) because Canvas itself handled the sign-in.

Multiple districts? Declared domain instructure.com matches every .instructure.com host, so you only pair the extension once. The MCP uses whichever district you set in CANVASBASE_URL.

Set CANVASDISABLEFETCHPROXY=1 to opt out (missing creds become a hard error — useful in headless CI).

Mode B — username/password (legacy session-scrape)

CANVAS_BASE_URL=https://cms.instructure.com
CANVAS_USERNAME=me@example.com
CANVAS_PASSWORD=your-canvas-password
CANVAS_NAME=cms                # optional, defaults to host portion of base URL

Direct Canvas accounts only — won't work with SAML/Google/Microsoft SSO or 2FA. Brittle (breaks on every Canvas login-page restyling). Prefer fetchproxy if your tab is already signed in. Treat .env like a password file.

Advanced alternatives

Personal access token — simplest if your admin allows it

CANVAS_BASE_URL=https://cms.instructure.com
CANVAS_TOKEN=your-personal-access-token

Generate via Canvas → Account → Settings → "+ New Access Token". Most institutions have disabled this for non-admins.

Shortened. The full README is on GitHub.

Nothing above is checked by us. What we check is on the safety report.

Grade history

  • 2026-09-19downgradeA → Bscore 83

Canvas Parent: common questions

Is Canvas Parent MCP server safe?
Mostly: it is graded B (83/100). Read the Canvas Parent safety report
How do I install Canvas Parent?
It runs on your machine. Copy the Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code or Claude Desktop config from the install section.
Does Canvas Parent need an API key?
Yes. The registry entry asks for CANVAS_PASSWORD, CANVAS_TOKEN, CANVAS_CLIENT_SECRET, CANVAS_REFRESH_TOKEN.
Is Canvas Parent maintained?
The last commit was 37 days ago (2026-09-28). The latest release is v2.1.11.
What can I use instead of Canvas Parent?
Servers from other publishers that do the same job: Canvas MCP server.
How does Canvas Parent compare with other MCP servers?
safety score 83/100 (higher than 65% of 48,255 servers); downloads a week 614 (more than 90% of 12,191 servers with a package). Full comparison.

Alternatives to Canvas Parent

Same job from other publishers: the closest match first, then the best rated.

  • Canvas
    Canvas LMS integration for students and educators with optional privacy controls
    A

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