Canvas Communication Channels API

openapi: 3.2.0
info:
  title: Canvas LMS REST Communication Channels API
  version: v1
  summary: The complete Canvas LMS REST API, converted from the Swagger 1.2 documents Instructure publishes under https://canvas.instructure.com/doc/api/.
  description: The Canvas LMS REST API covers courses, assignments, quizzes, grades, users, enrollments, accounts, files, modules, rubrics, submissions, SIS imports, LTI, analytics and account administration.
  contact:
    name: Instructure Canvas
    url: https://canvas.instructure.com/doc/api/
  license:
    name: AGPL-3.0
    url: https://github.com/instructure/canvas-lms/blob/master/LICENSE
servers:
- url: https://canvas.instructure.com/api
  description: Instructure-hosted Canvas (canvas.instructure.com)
- url: https://{canvas_host}/api
  description: Any Canvas instance; Canvas is multi-tenant and self-hostable, so the host is the institution's Canvas domain.
  variables:
    canvas_host:
      default: canvas.instructure.com
      description: Your institution's Canvas hostname, e.g. school.instructure.com
security:
- bearerAuth: []
- oauth2: []
tags:
- name: Communication Channels
  x-resource: communication_channels
  externalDocs:
    url: https://canvas.instructure.com/doc/api/communication_channels.html
paths:
  /v1/users/{user_id}/communication_channels:
    get:
      tags:
      - Communication Channels
      operationId: list_user_communication_channels
      summary: List user communication channels
      description: 'Returns a paginated list of communication channels for the specified user,

        sorted by position.'
      parameters:
      - name: user_id
        in: path
        schema:
          type: string
        required: true
        description: ID
      responses:
        '200':
          description: Success
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                type: array
                items:
                  $ref: '#/components/schemas/CommunicationChannel'
      externalDocs:
        url: https://canvas.instructure.com/doc/api/communication_channels.html
    post:
      tags:
      - Communication Channels
      operationId: create_communication_channel
      summary: Create a communication channel
      description: Creates a new communication channel for the specified user.
      parameters:
      - name: user_id
        in: path
        schema:
          type: string
        required: true
        description: ID
      requestBody:
        required: false
        content:
          application/json:
            schema:
              type: object
              properties:
                communication_channel[address]:
                  type: string
                  description: An email address or SMS number. Not required for "push" type channels.
                communication_channel[type]:
                  type: string
                  enum:
                  - email
                  - sms
                  - push
                  description: 'The type of communication channel.


                    In order to enable push notification support, the server must be

                    properly configured (via `sns_creds` in Vault) to communicate with Amazon

                    Simple Notification Services, and the developer key used to create

                    the access token from this request must have an SNS ARN configured on

                    it.'
                communication_channel[token]:
                  type: string
                  description: 'A registration id, device token, or equivalent token given to an app when

                    registering with a push notification provider. Only valid for "push" type channels.'
                skip_confirmation:
                  type: boolean
                  description: 'Only valid for site admins and account admins making requests; If true, the channel is

                    automatically validated and no confirmation email or SMS is sent.

                    Otherwise, the user must respond to a confirmation message to confirm the

                    channel.'
              required:
              - communication_channel[address]
              - communication_channel[type]
          application/x-www-form-urlencoded:
            schema:
              type: object
              properties:
                communication_channel[address]:
                  type: string
                  description: An email address or SMS number. Not required for "push" type channels.
                communication_channel[type]:
                  type: string
                  enum:
                  - email
                  - sms
                  - push
                  description: 'The type of communication channel.


                    In order to enable push notification support, the server must be

                    properly configured (via `sns_creds` in Vault) to communicate with Amazon

                    Simple Notification Services, and the developer key used to create

                    the access token from this request must have an SNS ARN configured on

                    it.'
                communication_channel[token]:
                  type: string
                  description: 'A registration id, device token, or equivalent token given to an app when

                    registering with a push notification provider. Only valid for "push" type channels.'
                skip_confirmation:
                  type: boolean
                  description: 'Only valid for site admins and account admins making requests; If true, the channel is

                    automatically validated and no confirmation email or SMS is sent.

                    Otherwise, the user must respond to a confirmation message to confirm the

                    channel.'
              required:
              - communication_channel[address]
              - communication_channel[type]
      responses:
        '200':
          description: Success
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/CommunicationChannel'
      externalDocs:
        url: https://canvas.instructure.com/doc/api/communication_channels.html
  /v1/users/{user_id}/communication_channels/{id}:
    delete:
      tags:
      - Communication Channels
      operationId: delete_communication_channel_id
      summary: Delete a communication channel
      description: Delete an existing communication channel.
      parameters:
      - name: user_id
        in: path
        schema:
          type: string
        required: true
        description: ID
      - name: id
        in: path
        schema:
          type: string
        required: true
        description: ID
      responses:
        '200':
          description: Success
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/CommunicationChannel'
      externalDocs:
        url: https://canvas.instructure.com/doc/api/communication_channels.html
  /v1/users/{user_id}/communication_channels/{type}/{address}:
    delete:
      tags:
      - Communication Channels
      operationId: delete_communication_channel_type
      summary: Delete a communication channel
      description: Delete an existing communication channel.
      parameters:
      - name: user_id
        in: path
        schema:
          type: string
        required: true
        description: ID
      - name: type
        in: path
        schema:
          type: string
        required: true
        description: ID
      - name: address
        in: path
        schema:
          type: string
        required: true
        description: ID
      responses:
        '200':
          description: Success
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/CommunicationChannel'
      externalDocs:
        url: https://canvas.instructure.com/doc/api/communication_channels.html
  /v1/users/self/communication_channels/push:
    delete:
      tags:
      - Communication Channels
      operationId: delete_push_notification_endpoint
      summary: Delete a push notification endpoint
      responses:
        '200':
          description: Success
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                type: string
                x-canvas-declared-type: '{success: true}'
      externalDocs:
        url: https://canvas.instructure.com/doc/api/communication_channels.html
components:
  schemas:
    CommunicationChannel:
      type: object
      properties:
        id:
          type: integer
          example: 16
          description: The ID of the communication channel.
        address:
          type: string
          example: sheldon@caltech.example.com
          description: The address, or path, of the communication channel.
        type:
          type: string
          example: email
          description: 'The type of communcation channel being described. Possible values are: ''email'', ''push'', ''sms''. This field determines the type of value seen in ''address''.'
        position:
          type: integer
          example: 1
          description: The position of this communication channel relative to the user's other channels when they are ordered.
        user_id:
          type: integer
          example: 1
          description: The ID of the user that owns this communication channel.
        bounce_count:
          type: integer
          example: 0
          description: The number of bounces the channel has experienced. This is reset if the channel sends successfully.
        last_bounce_at:
          type: string
          format: date-time
          example: '2012-05-30T17:00:00Z'
          description: The time the last bounce occurred.
        workflow_state:
          type: string
          example: active
          description: 'The current state of the communication channel. Possible values are: ''unconfirmed'' or ''active''.'
  securitySchemes:
    bearerAuth:
      type: http
      scheme: bearer
      description: 'Canvas OAuth2 access token sent as "Authorization: Bearer <token>". See https://canvas.instructure.com/doc/api/file.oauth.html'
    oauth2:
      type: oauth2
      description: Canvas OAuth2. See https://canvas.instructure.com/doc/api/file.oauth.html and https://canvas.instructure.com/doc/api/file.oauth_endpoints.html
      flows:
        authorizationCode:
          authorizationUrl: https://canvas.instructure.com/login/oauth2/auth
          tokenUrl: https://canvas.instructure.com/login/oauth2/token
          refreshUrl: https://canvas.instructure.com/login/oauth2/token
          scopes: {}
externalDocs:
  description: Canvas LMS REST API Documentation
  url: https://canvas.instructure.com/doc/api/
x-generated-from: https://canvas.instructure.com/doc/api/api-docs.json
x-provenance:
  method: derived
  derived_by: API Evangelist enrichment pipeline (Swagger 1.2 -> OpenAPI 3.1 conversion)
  source: openapi/_original/swagger-1.2/*.json (144 verbatim first-party Swagger 1.2 documents)
  source_url: https://canvas.instructure.com/doc/api/api-docs.json
  fetched: '2026-09-05'
  http_status: 200