Canva

Search and read designs through the Canva MCP server, and choose which AI agents can edit designs or import from URLs

An agent with Canva can search designs and read their content, but it can also edit designs and pull in files from any URL. No tool deletes anything. Adding Canva here puts each tool behind a policy rule and records each call in the audit log, so you decide which agents can change designs and which can only read them.

Server URL: https://mcp.canva.com/mcp

Credential modes

Canva supports per-org dynamic registration only, so there is no app to create on Canva's side and no client ID or secret to enter. See Credential modes for how it compares with Use SecureAuth's app and Bring your own app.

Before you begin

  • A Canva account that can reach the designs and folders your agents need.
  • Administrator access to your Agent Authority workspace, to add the resource.

Setup

  1. In the Agent Authority console, go to Tools & Services and click Add Resource.
  2. Select Canva from the catalog.
  3. On Choose how to install Canva, click Per-org dynamic registration. Selecting it adds the resource right away with its tools pre-configured.

Dynamic client registration

When you add the resource, the gateway registers its own OAuth client with Canva, the credential that lets it sign users in. Canva's own team and folder-level permissions still apply, so an agent can only reach what the person who signed in could already reach.

Verify the connection

The gateway syncs the Canva tools automatically. To check the connection end to end, ask your agent to run a request:

Search my Canva designs

If your designs come back, the connection is working.

How users connect

Access is per user. Each additional user connects their own Canva account the first time their agent calls a Canva tool: the gateway returns a sign-in link, the user authorizes once, and the tools work from then on. Go to Connections to manage linked accounts.

Available tools

ToolTagsDescription
search-designsread-onlySearch for designs
get-designread-onlyGet details about a specific design
get-design-pagesread-onlyGet the pages of a design
get-design-contentread-onlyGet the content of a design
get-presenter-notesread-onlyGet presenter notes for a design
get-design-thumbnailread-onlyGet a thumbnail image of a design
copy-designwriteCopy an existing design
import-design-from-urlwrite, externalImport a design from a URL
upload-asset-from-urlwrite, externalUpload an asset from a URL
resize-designwriteResize a design
export-design / get-export-formatsread-onlyExport a design, or get the formats it can be exported to
start-editing-transactionwriteStart an editing session for a Canva design
perform-editing-operationswritePerform editing operations on a design
commit-editing-transactionwriteCommit an editing transaction
cancel-editing-transactionwriteCancel an editing transaction
create-design-from-brand-templatewriteCreate a new design from a brand template
search-brand-templatesread-onlySearch for brand templates
get-brand-template-datasetread-onlyGet the data fields of a brand template
list-brand-kitsread-onlyList brand kits
get-design-candidatesread-onlyPoll for design candidates (internal tool for widget UI)
create-design-from-candidatewriteCreate a new Canva design from a generation job candidate ID
generate-designwriteGenerate a new design
get-assetsread-onlyGet details about assets
resolve-shortlinkread-onlyResolve a Canva shortlink to its target
create-folderwriteCreate a folder
list-folder-itemsread-onlyList items in a folder
move-item-to-folderwriteMove an item to a folder
search-foldersread-onlySearch for folders
comment-on-designwriteAdd a comment on a design
list-commentsread-onlyGet a list of comments for a particular Canva design
list-repliesread-onlyGet a list of replies for a specific comment on a Canva design
reply-to-commentwriteReply to an existing comment on a Canva design

Required scopes

The gateway does not request a fixed scope list for Canva. It registers the client without naming any scopes and records the ones Canva returns.

Policy examples

Read-only Canva access. Deny design mutations, exports, and comment writes:

Deny - MCP: canva - Tools: perform-editing-operations, commit-editing-transaction, resize-design, export-design, copy-design, import-design-from-url, upload-asset-from-url, create-design-from-brand-template, create-design-from-candidate, generate-design, create-folder, move-item-to-folder, comment-on-design, reply-to-comment - Effect: Deny

Scope an agent to search and read only:

Allow - MCP: canva - Tools: search-designs, get-design, get-design-pages, get-design-content, get-design-thumbnail, search-brand-templates, search-folders, list-folder-items - Effect: Allow

Block destructive tools by built-in tag:

Deny - MCP: canva - Tools: tag destructive - Effect: Deny

Next steps

  • Create a policy – start from the read-only pattern in Policy examples above.
  • Connections – manage the Canva accounts your users have linked.

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