How do I install the Canvas skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add nousresearch/canvas in your terminal (requires Node.js), paste this page's agent-chat prompt into Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-connected agent, or download the SKILL.md file and copy it into your agent's skills directory.

What does the Canvas skill do?

Fetch Canvas LMS courses and assignments via API token. It is listed under Web & Frontend on SkillMD.

Is Canvas safe to use?

This skill has not completed SkillMD's automated safety review yet. Capability flags: executes scripts, makes network calls, reads secrets. SkillMD never runs a skill's scripts for you; review the SKILL.md before installing.

Which AI agents work with Canvas?

This skill is tagged as working with Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex. SKILL.md is an open format, so most agents that read a skills directory can load it too.

Is Canvas free to use?

Yes. Installing skills from SkillMD is free, and the skill stays under its author's original license.

Who published Canvas?

NousResearch (@nousresearch) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

Canvas by nousresearch — Agent Skill

Name: Canvas
Rating: 4.5 (4 reviews)
Author: NousResearch

File contents

Canvas LMS — Course & Assignment Access

Read-only access to Canvas LMS for listing courses and assignments.

Scripts

scripts/canvas_api.py — Python CLI for Canvas API calls

Setup

Log in to your Canvas instance in a browser
Go to Account → Settings (click your profile icon, then Settings)
Scroll to Approved Integrations and click + New Access Token
Name the token (e.g., "Hermes Agent"), set an optional expiry, and click Generate Token
Copy the token and add to ${HERMES_HOME:-~/.hermes}/.env:

CANVAS_API_TOKEN=your_token_here
CANVAS_BASE_URL=https://yourschool.instructure.com

The base URL is whatever appears in your browser when you're logged into Canvas (no trailing slash).

Usage

CANVAS="python $HERMES_HOME/skills/productivity/canvas/scripts/canvas_api.py"

# List all active courses
$CANVAS list_courses --enrollment-state active

# List all courses (any state)
$CANVAS list_courses

# List assignments for a specific course
$CANVAS list_assignments 12345

# List assignments ordered by due date
$CANVAS list_assignments 12345 --order-by due_at

Output Format

list_courses returns:

[{"id": 12345, "name": "Intro to CS", "course_code": "CS101", "workflow_state": "available", "start_at": "...", "end_at": "..."}]

list_assignments returns:

[{"id": 67890, "name": "Homework 1", "due_at": "2025-02-15T23:59:00Z", "points_possible": 100, "submission_types": ["online_upload"], "html_url": "...", "description": "...", "course_id": 12345}]

Note: Assignment descriptions are truncated to 500 characters. The html_url field links to the full assignment page in Canvas.

API Reference (curl)

# List courses
curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $CANVAS_API_TOKEN" \
  "$CANVAS_BASE_URL/api/v1/courses?enrollment_state=active&per_page=10"

# List assignments for a course
curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $CANVAS_API_TOKEN" \
  "$CANVAS_BASE_URL/api/v1/courses/COURSE_ID/assignments?per_page=10&order_by=due_at"

Canvas uses Link headers for pagination. The Python script handles pagination automatically.

Rules

This skill is read-only — it only fetches data, never modifies courses or assignments
On first use, verify auth by running $CANVAS list_courses — if it fails with 401, guide the user through setup
Canvas rate-limits to ~700 requests per 10 minutes; check X-Rate-Limit-Remaining header if hitting limits

Troubleshooting

Problem	Fix
401 Unauthorized	Token invalid or expired — regenerate in Canvas Settings
403 Forbidden	Token lacks permission for this course
Empty course list	Try `--enrollment-state active` or omit the flag to see all states
Wrong institution	Verify `CANVAS_BASE_URL` matches the URL in your browser
Timeout errors	Check network connectivity to your Canvas instance

Source: NousResearch/hermes-agent → optional-skills/productivity/canvas/SKILL.md

---name: canvasdescription: Fetch Canvas LMS courses and assignments via API token.---# Canvas LMS — Course & Assignment AccessRead-only access to Canvas LMS for listing courses and assignments.## Scripts- `scripts/canvas_api.py` — Python CLI for Canvas API calls## Setup1. Log in to your Canvas instance in a browser2. Go to **Account → Settings** (click your profile icon, then Settings)3. Scroll to **Approved Integrations** and click **+ New Access Token**4. Name the token (e.g., "Hermes Agent"), set an optional expiry, and click **Generate Token**5. Copy the token and add to `${HERMES_HOME:-~/.hermes}/.env`:```CANVAS_API_TOKEN=your_token_hereCANVAS_BASE_URL=https://yourschool.instructure.com```The base URL is whatever appears in your browser when you're logged into Canvas (no trailing slash).## Usage```bashCANVAS="python $HERMES_HOME/skills/productivity/canvas/scripts/canvas_api.py"# List all active courses$CANVAS list_courses --enrollment-state active# List all courses (any state)$CANVAS list_courses# List assignments for a specific course$CANVAS list_assignments 12345# List assignments ordered by due date$CANVAS list_assignments 12345 --order-by due_at```## Output Format**list_courses** returns:```json[{"id": 12345, "name": "Intro to CS", "course_code": "CS101", "workflow_state": "available", "start_at": "...", "end_at": "..."}]```**list_assignments** returns:```json[{"id": 67890, "name": "Homework 1", "due_at": "2025-02-15T23:59:00Z", "points_possible": 100, "submission_types": ["online_upload"], "html_url": "...", "description": "...", "course_id": 12345}]```Note: Assignment descriptions are truncated to 500 characters. The `html_url` field links to the full assignment page in Canvas.## API Reference (curl)```bash# List coursescurl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $CANVAS_API_TOKEN" \ "$CANVAS_BASE_URL/api/v1/courses?enrollment_state=active&per_page=10"# List assignments for a coursecurl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $CANVAS_API_TOKEN" \ "$CANVAS_BASE_URL/api/v1/courses/COURSE_ID/assignments?per_page=10&order_by=due_at"```Canvas uses `Link` headers for pagination. The Python script handles pagination automatically.## Rules- This skill is **read-only** — it only fetches data, never modifies courses or assignments- On first use, verify auth by running `$CANVAS list_courses` — if it fails with 401, guide the user through setup- Canvas rate-limits to ~700 requests per 10 minutes; check `X-Rate-Limit-Remaining` header if hitting limits## Troubleshooting| Problem | Fix ||---------|-----|| 401 Unauthorized | Token invalid or expired — regenerate in Canvas Settings || 403 Forbidden | Token lacks permission for this course || Empty course list | Try `--enrollment-state active` or omit the flag to see all states || Wrong institution | Verify `CANVAS_BASE_URL` matches the URL in your browser || Timeout errors | Check network connectivity to your Canvas instance |---**Source:** [`NousResearch/hermes-agent`](https://github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent) → `optional-skills/productivity/canvas/SKILL.md`

Frequently asked questions

Canvas