Canvas Lms MCP vs Education Data
A side-by-side look at the Canvas Lms MCP and Education Data MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
E
Education DataEducation · Remote HTTP/SSEBilingual (EN+ZH) education data: 299 universities, 234 intl schools, degree-ROI, sourced answers.39FairAuth: no auth requiredVerdict: choose Canvas Lms MCP for education work as a local process; choose Education Data for education over a hosted endpoint. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose Canvas Lms MCP when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Education domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: API key required.
- You have the keys it needs:
CANVAS_API_TOKEN, CANVAS_BASE_URL, CANVAS_PSEUDONYMIZE_STUDENTS. - You want tools like
health_check, list_courses, get_course.
EChoose Education Data when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Education domain.
- You prefer a remote HTTP/SSE transport.
- Its auth model fits you: No auth required.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | E Education Data | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Education | Education |
| Quality signal | 67/100 · Great | 39/100 · Fair |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Remote HTTP/SSE |
| Auth | API key required | No auth required |
| Pricing | Free | Not declared |
| Required env vars | CANVAS_API_TOKENCANVAS_BASE_URLCANVAS_PSEUDONYMIZE_STUDENTS | None listed |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 10 | — |
| Directory activity | 2 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 2 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 174 | Not listed |
| Full listing | View Canvas Lms MCP | View Education Data |
Tools & capabilities
Canvas Lms MCP tools 174
health_checkCheck if the Canvas API is reachable and the token is valid. Returns ok/error status.list_coursesList courses for the authenticated user. Use fields="slim" when enumerating courses for selection; switch to "full" once you have identified the target. slim returns id, name, course_code, term name, and workflow_state only. "full" (default) includes all Canvas fields plus `include` extras (teachers, total_students, syllabus_body, etc.). `state[]` narrows by course workflow state; `enrollment_state` narrows by the caller's enrollment state.get_courseGet details for a single course. Defaults to requesting `term` and `total_students`. Pass `include` to replace the default set with custom Canvas include[] fields (teachers, permissions, syllabus_body, sections, etc.).get_syllabusGet the syllabus HTML body for a course.create_courseCreate a new course in a Canvas account. Returns the created course object.update_courseUpdate an existing course. Only provided fields are changed; omitted fields are left as-is.list_assignmentsList all assignments in a course. Use fields="slim" when enumerating assignments for selection; switch to "full" once you've identified the target. slim returns id, name, due_at, points_possible, published, and course_id only. "full" (default) includes all Canvas fields plus `include` extras (submission, all_dates, overrides, score_statistics, etc.). Use `bucket` to filter by past/upcoming/overdue/etc. Other filters: `search_term`, `assignment_ids`, `order_by`.get_assignmentGet details for a single assignment by ID. Use `include` to request submission, overrides, all_dates, score_statistics, and other optional fields.list_assignment_groupsList assignment groups (categories like Homework, Exams) in a course. Use `include=assignments` to nest assignments under each group; other includes add submission, overrides, score_statistics, etc.create_assignmentCreate a new assignment in a course.update_assignmentUpdate an existing assignment in a course.delete_assignmentDelete an assignment from a course. This action is permanent.- +162 more on the listing page
Education Data tools
No tool names declared yet. Check the project README from the listing page.
Ready-to-paste client configs
Paste either block (or both) into your client config, e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json. We only show a config when the install command is confirmed.
Canvas Lms MCP
{
"mcpServers": {
"canvas-lms-mcp": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"canvas-lms-mcp"
],
"env": {
"CANVAS_API_TOKEN": "YOUR_CANVAS_API_TOKEN_HERE",
"CANVAS_BASE_URL": "YOUR_CANVAS_BASE_URL_HERE",
"CANVAS_PSEUDONYMIZE_STUDENTS": "YOUR_CANVAS_PSEUDONYMIZE_STUDENTS_HERE"
}
}
}
}
Education Data
{
"mcpServers": {
"education-data": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"education-data"
]
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Canvas Lms MCP is categorized under Education and uses a local stdio subprocess. Education Data belongs to Education and uses a remote HTTP/SSE transport. Pick Canvas Lms MCP for education work and Education Data for education.
Copy the mcpServers block from the config section on this page into your client's config (for example claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json), then fully restart the client.
Canvas Lms MCP is listed as free. Auth: api key required. Education Data has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. Auth: no auth required. If a server needs environment variables such as API keys, define them under the env key in your client's MCP config.
Yes. MCP clients support multiple servers: add canvas-lms-mcp and education-data as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Canvas Lms MCP has a quality signal of 67/100 (Great) with 2 views, 0 installs and 10 GitHub stars. Education Data has 39/100 (Fair) with 2 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars.