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Connect your Canvas LMS to automatically import assignments, exams, and due dates into Sift. Canvas is fully available on the free tier—it’s essential for students.

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What You Can Ask

"What assignments do I have from Canvas?"
"Show my upcoming exams"
"What's due this week?"
"Sync my Canvas courses"

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Connecting Canvas

1

Go to Settings

Open Settings > Integrations > Canvas
2

Enter your Canvas URL

Your institution’s Canvas URL (e.g., canvas.university.edu)
3

Generate an API token

In Canvas: Account > Settings > New Access Token
Copy the token immediately—you won’t see it again after closing the dialog.
4

Paste and connect

Paste the token in Sift and click Connect

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What Gets Synced

Assignments

Essays, problem sets, projects with due dates

Quizzes

Tests and quizzes with time limits

Exams

Scheduled exams from your courses

Courses

Each course becomes a workspace in Sift

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How Sync Works

  • Initial sync imports all active assignments
  • Periodic sync catches new assignments and updates
  • Due date changes in Canvas update automatically in Sift
  • Completed assignments are marked accordingly

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Workspaces from Courses

Each Canvas course automatically creates a workspace in Sift. This helps organize:
  • Course-specific tasks
  • Assignment grouping
  • Scheduling by course
Free users get 10 workspaces (usually enough for a full course load).

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Free vs Premium

FeatureFreePremium
Canvas syncFullFull
Assignment importYesYes
Auto-refreshYesYes
Canvas is fully available on the free tier—no premium required!

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Troubleshooting

  • Check your Canvas token hasn’t expired
  • Verify the course is published and active
  • Try manually triggering a sync: “Sync my Canvas”
  • Canvas times are in your institution’s timezone
  • Sift converts to your local timezone
  • Check your timezone settings in Sift
  • Only active/published courses sync
  • Past semester courses may not appear
  • Check you have student access to the course

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Tips

  • Generate a new API token each semester for security
  • Sync before asking Sift to schedule your week
  • Check that all your courses appear after connecting
  • Assignments sync with Canvas due dates — You can adjust in Sift if needed