Canvas Messenger adds Discord-style direct messages, group chats, and class-wide channels to Canvas LMS — no separate app, no accounts to juggle.
Not affiliated with or endorsed by Instructure or Canvas. Canvas is a trademark of Instructure, Inc.
Everything happens on top of the Canvas pages you already use.
Message any classmate one-on-one, in real time, without leaving Canvas.
Spin up group threads for projects, study sessions, or friends.
A shared channel for everyone in a course — announcements, questions, and banter.
Messages arrive instantly over WebRTC peer connections — fast and lightweight.
One codebase, both browsers. Loads as a standard extension.
The extension and both backend services are open source — run the whole stack yourself.
Load the extension, connect Canvas, and start chatting.
Grab the latest build from the GitHub repo and load it in your browser (use-chrome.sh / use-firefox.sh build the right manifest, then load it unpacked).
Open the extension and follow the token setup to link your Canvas profile so classmates can find you.
The messaging panel appears on top of Canvas. Start a DM, make a group, or drop into the class channel.
Three repositories make up the whole system — all public.
The short version.
Yes — free and open source under the repository's license. If it saves you a group-chat headache, you can buy me a coffee.
Both. The build scripts produce the correct manifest for each browser.
To run your own instance, yes — the relay and signaling servers are open source and container-ready (ghcr.io images + Dockerfiles). Point the extension at your own endpoints.
No. Canvas Messenger is an independent, community-built extension. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by Instructure. Canvas is a trademark of Instructure, Inc.
Messages travel peer-to-peer over WebRTC where possible; the relay handles registration, invites, and delivery. Self-host the backend to keep everything on infrastructure you control.