Canvas-mcp canvas-discussion-facilitator

Discussion forum facilitator for Canvas LMS. Helps students and educators browse, read, reply to, and create discussion posts. Trigger phrases include "discussion posts", "reply to students", "check discussions", "forum participation", "post a discussion", or any discussion-related Canvas task.

install

source · Clone the upstream repo

git clone https://github.com/vishalsachdev/canvas-mcp

Claude Code · Install into ~/.claude/skills/

T=$(mktemp -d) && git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/vishalsachdev/canvas-mcp "$T" && mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills && cp -r "$T/skills/canvas-discussion-facilitator" ~/.claude/skills/vishalsachdev-canvas-mcp-canvas-discussion-facilitator && rm -rf "$T"

manifest: skills/canvas-discussion-facilitator/SKILL.md

source content

Canvas Discussion Facilitator

Facilitate discussion forum activity in Canvas LMS -- browse topics, read posts, reply to students, create new discussions, and monitor participation. Works for both students and educators.

Prerequisites

Canvas MCP server must be running and connected to the agent's MCP client.
The authenticated user can have any Canvas role (student, TA, or instructor). Tool access is governed by Canvas API permissions.
FERPA compliance (educators): Set
```
ENABLE_DATA_ANONYMIZATION=true
```
in the Canvas MCP server environment to anonymize student names in output.

Steps

1. Identify the Course

Ask the user which course to work with. Accept a course code, Canvas ID, or ask them to pick from a list.

If the user does not specify, use

list_courses

to show active courses and prompt:

Which course should I look at discussions for?

2. Browse Discussion Topics

Call the MCP tool

list_discussion_topics

with the course identifier to retrieve all discussion forums.

Parameters:

```
course_identifier
```
-- course code or Canvas ID
```
include_announcements
```
-- set to
```
false
```
(default) to see only discussions, or
```
true
```
to include announcements

Data to surface per topic:

Topic ID and title
Author name
Posted date
Number of entries (if available)
Whether the topic is pinned or locked

Present the list so the user can pick a topic to drill into.

3. View Posts in a Discussion

Once the user selects a topic, call

list_discussion_entries

to retrieve posts.

Parameters:

```
course_identifier
```
-- course code or Canvas ID
```
topic_id
```
-- the selected discussion topic ID
```
include_full_content
```
-- set to
```
true
```
to see complete post bodies
```
include_replies
```
-- set to
```
true
```
to see threaded replies

Data to surface per entry:

Author name
Posted date
Message content (or preview)
Number of replies
Entry ID (needed for replying)

4. Read a Specific Post in Full

If a post is truncated or the user wants the complete text, call

get_discussion_entry_details

Parameters:

```
course_identifier
```
-- course code or Canvas ID
```
topic_id
```
-- the discussion topic ID
```
entry_id
```
-- the specific entry ID
```
include_replies
```
-- set to
```
true
```
to also fetch all replies to this entry

Present the full post content along with any replies, timestamps, and author information.

5. Reply to a Post

When the user wants to respond to a specific post, call

reply_to_discussion_entry

Parameters:

```
course_identifier
```
-- course code or Canvas ID
```
topic_id
```
-- the discussion topic ID
```
entry_id
```
-- the entry being replied to
```
message
```
-- the reply content (HTML is supported)

Before sending, always:

Show the draft reply to the user for confirmation
Reference the original post so the user can verify context
Only send after explicit approval

6. Post a New Top-Level Entry

When the user wants to add a new post to an existing discussion (not a reply), call

post_discussion_entry

Parameters:

```
course_identifier
```
-- course code or Canvas ID
```
topic_id
```
-- the discussion topic ID
```
message
```
-- the post content (HTML is supported)

Show the draft to the user and confirm before posting.

7. Create a New Discussion Topic

When the user needs an entirely new discussion forum, call

create_discussion_topic

Parameters:

```
course_identifier
```
-- course code or Canvas ID
```
title
```
-- the discussion title
```
message
```
-- the opening post / prompt for the discussion
```
delayed_post_at
```
-- (optional) ISO 8601 datetime to schedule the discussion to appear later
```
lock_at
```
-- (optional) ISO 8601 datetime to automatically lock the discussion
```
require_initial_post
```
-- set to
```
true
```
if students must post before seeing classmates' responses
```
pinned
```
-- set to
```
true
```
to pin the topic to the top of the discussion list

Confirm the title, content, and any scheduling options with the user before creating.

Educator Use Cases

Monitor Participation

Call
```
list_discussion_topics
```
to get all discussion forums in the course.
For each topic, call
```
list_discussion_entries
```
to retrieve all posts.
Cross-reference posters against the class roster (use
```
list_users
```
or
```
list_submissions
```
to get enrolled students).
Identify students who have not posted in any active discussion.

Present participation as a summary:

## Discussion Participation: [Course Name]

### Topic: "Week 5 Reading Response" (due Mar 3)
- **Posted:** 28 / 32 students (88%)
- **Not posted:** Student_a1b2c3d, Student_e4f5g6h, Student_i7j8k9l, Student_m0n1o2p

### Topic: "Case Study Analysis" (due Mar 5)
- **Posted:** 15 / 32 students (47%)
- **Not posted:** [17 students listed]

### Students Missing Multiple Discussions
- Student_a1b2c3d -- missing 2 discussions
- Student_e4f5g6h -- missing 2 discussions

Send Reminders About Participation

After identifying non-participants, offer to:

Post an announcement using
```
create_announcement
```
with a general reminder about discussion deadlines.
Message specific students using
```
send_conversation
```
to contact students who are behind on participation.

Draft Thoughtful Replies

When an educator wants to reply to student posts:

Read the full post with
```
get_discussion_entry_details
```
(include replies for context).
Draft a reply that acknowledges the student's points, asks follow-up questions, or connects ideas to course material.
Show the draft for educator review and revision before calling
```
reply_to_discussion_entry
```
.

Student Use Cases

Browse and Catch Up on Discussions

Call
```
list_discussion_topics
```
to see all active discussions.

Call

list_discussion_entries

with

include_full_content=true

to read posts.

Summarize key themes or arguments across posts to help the student catch up quickly.

Reply to Classmates

Read the target post with
```
get_discussion_entry_details
```
.
Help the student draft a reply that engages substantively with the original post.
Confirm and send via
```
reply_to_discussion_entry
```
.

Post a New Entry

Review existing posts with
```
list_discussion_entries
```
to avoid duplicating points already made.
Help the student draft a post that adds a distinct perspective or builds on the conversation.
Confirm and send via
```
post_discussion_entry
```
.

MCP Tools Used

Tool	Purpose
`list_courses`	Find the target course
`list_discussion_topics`	Browse all discussion forums in a course
`list_discussion_entries`	View posts within a discussion topic
`get_discussion_entry_details`	Read a single post with full content and replies
`get_discussion_topic_details`	Get metadata about a discussion topic
`reply_to_discussion_entry`	Reply to an existing post
`post_discussion_entry`	Add a new top-level post to a discussion
`create_discussion_topic`	Create a new discussion forum
`create_announcement`	Post a course announcement (educator)
`send_conversation`	Message specific students through Canvas (educator)
`list_users`	Get enrolled students for participation tracking (educator)

Best Practices

Read before replying. Always read the full post and its replies before drafting a response. This avoids repeating points and shows engagement with the conversation.
Check for existing similar posts. Before posting a new entry, scan existing posts to avoid duplicating what others have already said. Build on or respectfully challenge existing arguments instead.
Reference specific points. When replying, quote or paraphrase specific parts of the original post. This makes the reply more substantive and shows careful reading.
Confirm before sending. Always show draft content to the user for approval before calling any write tool (
```
reply_to_discussion_entry
```
,
```
post_discussion_entry
```
,
```
create_discussion_topic
```
,
```
create_announcement
```
).
Respect discussion settings. Some discussions require an initial post before viewing others (
```
require_initial_post
```
). If a student cannot see other posts, they need to post first.
Mind the timing. Check
```
delayed_post_at
```
and
```
lock_at
```
dates on topics. Do not attempt to post to locked discussions.
Anonymization for educators. When reviewing student participation, rely on anonymous IDs if anonymization is enabled. The Canvas MCP server preserves functional user IDs for messaging while anonymizing display names.

Example

User (educator): "Show me who hasn't posted in the Week 5 discussion for CS 101."

Agent: Calls

list_discussion_topics

to find the Week 5 topic, then

list_discussion_entries

to get all posts, then cross-references with enrolled students. Outputs a participation summary listing students who have not posted.

User: "Send them a reminder."

Agent: Drafts a reminder message referencing the discussion deadline, shows it for confirmation, then calls

send_conversation

to message the non-participating students.

User (student): "I need to reply to Maria's post in the Case Study discussion."

Agent: Calls

list_discussion_topics

to find the Case Study topic, then

list_discussion_entries

to locate Maria's post, then

get_discussion_entry_details

to read the full content. Helps draft a reply that references Maria's key arguments, shows the draft for confirmation, then calls

reply_to_discussion_entry

Notes

This skill pairs well with
```
canvas-morning-check
```
for educators who want a full course status before diving into discussions.
Discussion entries support HTML content. When drafting posts, use paragraph tags for readability but avoid overly complex markup.
Canvas API permissions determine what each user can do. Students cannot create discussion topics unless the course allows it. Educators have full access.
For courses with many discussions, suggest filtering by recent or pinned topics to keep the workflow focused.