Canvas API Connection Skill

Complete guide to connecting and using Canvas LMS API for Whitecliffe courses.

Quick Reference

Item	Value
User ID	2396
User Name	Mohamed Abdul Latiff (Ariff)
Canvas URL	https://learn.mywhitecliffe.com
MCP Server	canvas-mcp-sse.ariff.dev

Current Courses (2025)

Course	ID	Code
Applied Project	2366	IT8107
Cybersecurity Architecture	2368	IT8109

Connection Methods

Method 1: Canvas MCP (Recommended)

The Canvas MCP server is already configured and provides 12 tools:

Course Tools:

• get_courses - List all enrolled courses
• get_modules - Get course modules

Assignment Tools:

• get_assignments - List assignments for a course
• get_upcoming_assignments - Next 7 days deadlines

Grade Tools:

• get_grades - Current grades for a course
• get_submissions - Submission details

Discussion Tools:

• get_discussion_topics - List discussions
• get_announcements - Course announcements

Quiz Tools:

• get_quizzes - List quizzes

Example Usage

# Get all courses
mcp__canvas-mcp__get_courses()

# Get assignments for IT8107
mcp__canvas-mcp__get_assignments(course_id=2366)

# Check grades
mcp__canvas-mcp__get_grades(course_id=2366)

# Get upcoming deadlines
mcp__canvas-mcp__get_upcoming_assignments()

Method 2: Direct API

For custom integrations or when MCP is unavailable:

Base URL: https://learn.mywhitecliffe.com/api/v1

Authentication:

# Store token securely (never commit!)
export CANVAS_TOKEN="your-token-here"

# API request
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $CANVAS_TOKEN" \
     "https://learn.mywhitecliffe.com/api/v1/courses"

Common Endpoints:

Endpoint	Description
/courses	List courses
/courses/:id/assignments	Course assignments
/courses/:id/grades	Course grades
/courses/:id/modules	Course modules
/users/self/upcoming_events	Upcoming events

Method 3: Python SDK

from canvasapi import Canvas

API_URL = "https://learn.mywhitecliffe.com"
API_KEY = os.environ.get("CANVAS_TOKEN")

canvas = Canvas(API_URL, API_KEY)
user = canvas.get_current_user()
courses = user.get_courses(enrollment_state='active')

Setup Instructions

Adding Canvas MCP to Claude

Already configured in mcp-config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "canvas-mcp": {
      "type": "sse",
      "url": "https://canvas-mcp-sse.ariff.dev/sse"
    }
  }
}

Getting API Token

1. Log in to https://learn.mywhitecliffe.com
2. Go to Account → Settings
3. Scroll to "Approved Integrations"
4. Click "+ New Access Token"
5. Set expiry (recommended: end of semester)
6. Copy token immediately (shown only once)

Storing Token Securely

macOS Keychain:

security add-generic-password -a "$USER" -s "canvas-api" -w "YOUR_TOKEN"

Environment variable:

# Add to ~/.zshrc
export CANVAS_TOKEN="$(security find-generic-password -a "$USER" -s "canvas-api" -w)"

Important Notes

⚠️ Always verify with MCP tools - Don't assume course/assignment details

⚠️ Token security - Never commit tokens to git

⚠️ Rate limits - Canvas has API rate limits, batch requests when possible

⚠️ Course IDs change - Each semester has new course IDs

Troubleshooting

"Unauthorized" errors:

• Token expired - generate new one
• Token revoked - check Canvas settings

MCP not responding:

• Check https://canvas-mcp-sse.ariff.dev/health
• Verify mcp-config.json syntax

Missing courses:

• Check enrollment status
• Some courses may be unpublished