Introduction
# Canvas LMS Skill
Access Canvas LMS data via the REST API.
## Setup
1. Generate an API token in Canvas: Account → Settings → New Access Token 2. Store token in environment or `.env` file: ```bash export CANVAS_TOKEN="your_token_here" export CANVAS_URL="https://your-school.instructure.com" # or canvas.yourschool.edu ```
## Authentication
Include token in all requests: ```bash curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $CANVAS_TOKEN" "$CANVAS_URL/api/v1/..." ```
## Common Endpoints
### Courses & Profile ```bash # User profile curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $CANVAS_TOKEN" "$CANVAS_URL/api/v1/users/self/profile"
# Active courses curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $CANVAS_TOKEN" "$CANVAS_URL/api/v1/courses?enrollment_state=active&per_page=50"
# Dashboard cards (quick overview) curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $CANVAS_TOKEN" "$CANVAS_URL/api/v1/dashboard/dashboard_cards" ```
### Assignments & Due Dates ```bash # To-do items (upcoming work) curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $CANVAS_TOKEN" "$CANVAS_URL/api/v1/users/self/todo"
# Upcoming events curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $CANVAS_TOKEN" "$CANVAS_URL/api/v1/users/self/upcoming_events"
# Missing/overdue submissions curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $CANVAS_TOKEN" "$CANVAS_URL/api/v1/users/self/missing_submissions"
# Course assignments curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $CANVAS_TOKEN" "$CANVAS_URL/api/v1/courses/{course_id}/assignments?per_page=50"
# Assignment details curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $CANVAS_TOKEN" "$CANVAS_URL/api/v1/courses/{course_id}/assignments/{id}"
# Submission status curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $CANVAS_TOKEN" "$CANVAS_URL/api/v1/courses/{course_id}/assignments/{id}/submissions/self" ```
### Grades ```bash # Enrollments with scores curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $CANVAS_TOKEN" "$CANVAS_URL/api/v1/users/self/enrollments?include[]=current_grading_period_scores&per_page=50" ``` Extract grade: `.grades.current_score`
### Course Content ```bash # Announcements curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $CANVAS_TOKEN" "$CANVAS_URL/api/v1/announcements?context_codes[]=course_{course_id}&per_page=20"
# Modules curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $CANVAS_TOKEN" "$CANVAS_URL/api/v1/courses/{course_id}/modules?include[]=items&per_page=50"
# Files curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $CANVAS_TOKEN" "$CANVAS_URL/api/v1/courses/{course_id}/files?per_page=50"
# Discussion topics curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $CANVAS_TOKEN" "$CANVAS_URL/api/v1/courses/{course_id}/discussion_topics?per_page=50"
# Inbox curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $CANVAS_TOKEN" "$CANVAS_URL/api/v1/conversations?per_page=20" ```
## Response Handling
- List endpoints return arrays - Pagination: check `Link` header for `rel="next"` - Dates are ISO 8601 (UTC) - Use `--max-time 30` for slow endpoints
Parse with jq: ```bash curl -s ... | jq '.[] | {name: .name, due: .due_at}' ```
Or Python if jq unavailable: ```bash curl -s ... | python3 -c "import sys,json; data=json.load(sys.stdin); print(json.dumps(data, indent=2))" ```
## Tips
- Course IDs appear in todo/assignment responses - File download URLs are in the `url` field of file objects - Always include `per_page=50` to get more results (default is often 10)