Canvas LMS Student Skill#

This skill enables read-only access to Canvas LMS for student workflows.

When to Use#

Invoke this skill when the user asks anything related to their Canvas courses, such as:

• "Check my homework" / "what's due this week"
• "List my Canvas courses" / "what classes am I taking"
• "Download my lecture PDFs" / "get course materials"
• "When is my assignment due" / "upcoming deadlines"
• "Show my grades" / "how am I doing in CS101"
• "Find the syllabus" / "search for project requirements"
• "Export deadlines to my calendar"
• "Help me write my essay" (will gather assignment requirements)

Key indicators: Canvas, course, assignment, homework, deadline, grade, syllabus, lecture notes, materials.

Prerequisites#

Configuration (in order of precedence):

1. Environment Variables (highest priority):
   • CANVAS_BASE_URL - Institution Canvas URL (e.g., https://canvas.university.edu)
   • CANVAS_API_TOKEN - Personal API token from Canvas Settings
2. Config File (fallback if env vars not set):
   • Location: ~/.config/canvas-lms/config.json
   • Format: {"base_url": "...", "api_token": "..."}
   • Created automatically if you use the CLI tool ( canvas-lms config)

Setup Guide (if not configured):

1. Guide user to: Canvas → Account → Settings → Approved Integrations
2. Click "+ New Access Token"
3. Configure using ONE of these methods:

   • Environment variables: bash

     export CANVAS_BASE_URL="https://your-school.instructure.com"
     export CANVAS_API_TOKEN="copied-token"
     
     

   • CLI tool (easier for humans): bash

     pip install canvas-lms-cli
     canvas-lms config  # Interactive setup
     
     

4. Test with: python scripts/canvas_client.py --test

Available Tools#

1. List Courses#

Script: python scripts/list_courses.py

Purpose: Get course IDs and basic information for other operations.

Key Options:

• --active-only - Show only current enrollments
• --with-grades - Include current scores
• --json - Output structured JSON (recommended for AI parsing)
• --resolve "Course Name" - Find course by name instead of ID

Output: Course ID, name, code, grade (optional)

When to Use:

• First step before any course-specific operation to get valid course IDs
• Or use --resolve to find course ID from name (e.g., --resolve "CS101")

AI Tip: Use --json for reliable parsing, or --resolve to convert course names to IDs automatically.

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2. Get Assignments#

Script: python scripts/get_assignments.py --course <ID>

Purpose: List assignments with deadlines and submission status.

Key Options:

• --course 12345 or --course "CS101" --resolve-name - Course ID or name
• --upcoming - Only future assignments
• --overdue - Only overdue assignments
• --unsubmitted - Only pending work
• --with-description - Include full descriptions
• --json - Output structured JSON
• --assignment-name "Project" - Find specific assignment by name

When to Use: Checking workload, finding deadlines, or getting assignment overview.

AI Tip: Use --resolve-name to avoid manual ID lookup, or --assignment-name to find specific assignments by name.

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3. Get Assignment Detail (For AI Writing)#

Script: python scripts/get_assignment_detail.py --course <ID> --assignment <ID>

Purpose: Retrieve complete assignment requirements for AI-assisted writing.

Returns:

• Full description/prompt (cleaned HTML)
• Points possible and rubric criteria
• Submission type requirements
• Due date and submission status
• Allowed file extensions

When to Use: Before AI-assisted essay/assignment writing to get full context and requirements.

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4. Download Course Files#

Script: python scripts/download_files.py --course <ID> --output <DIR>

Purpose: Download all course materials to local directory.

Key Options:

• --folder "Folder Name" - Download specific folder only
• --type pdf - Filter by file extension
• --dry-run - Preview without downloading
• --flat - Flat structure (don't preserve Canvas folders)
• --json - Output file list as JSON
• --no-id-prefix - Don't add ID prefix to duplicate filenames

When to Use: Gathering reading materials, saving lecture notes, or collecting reference documents.

File Organization: By default, preserves Canvas folder structure. Files with duplicate names get ID prefix (e.g., 12345_lecture.pdf). Use --flat for flat structure.

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5. Export Deadlines to Calendar#

Script: python scripts/export_calendar.py --course <IDs> --output <FILE>

Purpose: Export assignment deadlines to iCalendar (.ics) format.

Key Options:

• --courses 123,456,789 - Multiple courses (comma-separated)
• --unsubmitted-only - Only pending assignments

When to Use: Creating calendar reminders, syncing with Google/Apple Calendar.

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6. Search Canvas Content#

Script: python scripts/search_canvas.py --query "<search>"

Purpose: Find files, assignments, or announcements across courses.

Key Options:

• --course <ID> - Search specific course only
• --type assignment|file|announcement - Limit search type
• --full-content - Show content previews

When to Use: Finding specific resources, locating assignment requirements, checking announcements.

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Workflow Patterns#

Pattern 1: AI-Assisted Essay Writing#

text

1. List courses → get course ID
2. Get assignments → find target assignment ID
3. Get assignment detail → retrieve full requirements and rubric
4. (Optional) Search for related materials
5. (Optional) Download reference files
6. AI generates essay based on gathered context

Pattern 2: Deadline Management#

text

1. List courses → get all course IDs
2. Export calendar → generate .ics with all deadlines
3. Import to calendar app for reminders

Pattern 3: Course Material Collection#

text

1. List courses → get course ID
2. Download files → get all course materials
3. Search for specific topics if needed

Safety & Limitations#

Read-Only: This skill only reads data. It cannot:

• Submit assignments
• Modify grades
• Post to discussions
• Upload files to Canvas

Rate Limits: Canvas API has rate limiting. For bulk operations:

• Use pagination (handled automatically)
• Add delays between requests if needed
• Handle 429 errors with exponential backoff

Data Privacy:

• API tokens are password-equivalent
• Never log or expose tokens
• All data stays local (downloads only)

Error Handling#

Common errors and solutions:

ErrorCauseSolution401 UnauthorizedInvalid/expired tokenGuide user to regenerate token403 ForbiddenInsufficient permissionsCheck enrollment status404 Not FoundWrong course/assignment IDVerify IDs from list commands429 Rate LimitedToo many requestsAdd delay and retry

References#

• API Overview - Authentication and pagination
• Courses - Course operations details
• Assignments - Assignment handling
• Files - File download details
• Calendar Export - ICS format details
• Search - Search techniques

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OpenClaw Integration#

This repository can be installed from ClawHub/OpenClaw as a skill bundle. OpenClaw discovers the skill from SKILL.md. The added manifest.json and wrapper.py are supplemental helper files for wrapper-based environments; they do not auto-register seven native OpenClaw tools by themselves. If you want native tool exposure inside OpenClaw, package the wrapper as a plugin or MCP server separately.

Installation#

bash

# Preferred: install from ClawHub/OpenClaw
openclaw skills install canvas-lms-student

# Or install with clawhub
clawhub install canvas-lms-student

# Or clone the repository directly
git clone https://github.com/Efan404/canvas-lms-student-skill.git

# Run setup to install dependencies
cd canvas-lms-student-skill
./setup.sh

# Or manually install dependencies
pip3 install canvasapi requests

Configuration#

Set up Canvas API access:

bash

# Method 1: Environment variables
export CANVAS_BASE_URL="https://your-school.instructure.com"
export CANVAS_API_TOKEN="your-api-token"

# Method 2: Config file
mkdir -p ~/.config/canvas-lms
echo '{"base_url": "https://...", "api_token": "..."}' > ~/.config/canvas-lms/config.json

Get API token: Canvas → Account → Settings → Approved Integrations → + New Access Token

Available Tools#

When used through the local wrapper, these commands are available:

ToolDescriptionExamplelist_coursesList all courseslist_courses()``resolve_courseFind course by nameresolve_course(name="CS5293")``get_assignmentsGet course assignmentsget_assignments(course="CS5293")``get_assignment_detailGet assignment infoget_assignment_detail(course=67488, assignment=319756)``search_canvasSearch contentsearch_canvas(query="project", type="assignment")``download_filesDownload course filesdownload_files(course=67488, type="pdf")``export_calendarExport deadlinesexport_calendar(courses="67488,67524")

Wrapper Usage#

For programmatic access, use the wrapper:

bash

python3 wrapper.py list_courses '{"active_only": true}'
python3 wrapper.py get_assignments '{"course": "CS5293", "upcoming": true}'
python3 wrapper.py search_canvas '{"query": "deadline", "type": "announcement"}'

Manifest#

See manifest.json for complete tool definitions and parameter schemas.