Canvas Content Shares API

openapi: 3.2.0
info:
  title: Canvas LMS REST Content Shares 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: Content Shares
  x-resource: content_shares
  externalDocs:
    url: https://canvas.instructure.com/doc/api/content_shares.html
paths:
  /v1/users/{user_id}/content_shares:
    post:
      tags:
      - Content Shares
      operationId: create_content_share
      summary: Create a content share
      description: Share content directly between two or more users
      parameters:
      - name: user_id
        in: path
        schema:
          type: string
        required: true
        description: ID
      requestBody:
        required: false
        content:
          application/json:
            schema:
              type: object
              properties:
                receiver_ids:
                  type: array
                  items: {}
                  description: IDs of users to share the content with.
                content_type:
                  type: string
                  enum:
                  - assignment
                  - discussion_topic
                  - page
                  - quiz
                  - module
                  - module_item
                  description: Type of content you are sharing.
                content_id:
                  type: integer
                  format: int64
                  description: The id of the content that you are sharing
              required:
              - receiver_ids
              - content_type
              - content_id
          application/x-www-form-urlencoded:
            schema:
              type: object
              properties:
                receiver_ids:
                  type: array
                  items: {}
                  description: IDs of users to share the content with.
                content_type:
                  type: string
                  enum:
                  - assignment
                  - discussion_topic
                  - page
                  - quiz
                  - module
                  - module_item
                  description: Type of content you are sharing.
                content_id:
                  type: integer
                  format: int64
                  description: The id of the content that you are sharing
              required:
              - receiver_ids
              - content_type
              - content_id
      responses:
        '200':
          description: Success
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/ContentShare'
      externalDocs:
        url: https://canvas.instructure.com/doc/api/content_shares.html
  /v1/users/{user_id}/content_shares/sent:
    get:
      tags:
      - Content Shares
      operationId: list_content_shares_sent
      summary: List content shares
      description: 'Return a paginated list of content shares a user has sent or received. Use +self+ as the user_id

        to retrieve your own content shares. Only linked observers and administrators may view other users''

        content shares.'
      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/ContentShare'
      externalDocs:
        url: https://canvas.instructure.com/doc/api/content_shares.html
  /v1/users/{user_id}/content_shares/received:
    get:
      tags:
      - Content Shares
      operationId: list_content_shares_received
      summary: List content shares
      description: 'Return a paginated list of content shares a user has sent or received. Use +self+ as the user_id

        to retrieve your own content shares. Only linked observers and administrators may view other users''

        content shares.'
      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/ContentShare'
      externalDocs:
        url: https://canvas.instructure.com/doc/api/content_shares.html
  /v1/users/{user_id}/content_shares/unread_count:
    get:
      tags:
      - Content Shares
      operationId: get_unread_shares_count
      summary: Get unread shares count
      description: 'Return the number of content shares a user has received that have not yet been read. Use +self+ as the user_id

        to retrieve your own content shares. Only linked observers and administrators may view other users''

        content shares.'
      parameters:
      - name: user_id
        in: path
        schema:
          type: string
        required: true
        description: ID
      responses:
        '200':
          description: Success
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                type: string
                x-canvas-declared-type: '{ "unread_count": "integer" }'
      externalDocs:
        url: https://canvas.instructure.com/doc/api/content_shares.html
  /v1/users/{user_id}/content_shares/{id}:
    get:
      tags:
      - Content Shares
      operationId: get_content_share
      summary: Get content share
      description: Return information about a single content share. You may use +self+ as the user_id to retrieve your own content share.
      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/ContentShare'
      externalDocs:
        url: https://canvas.instructure.com/doc/api/content_shares.html
    delete:
      tags:
      - Content Shares
      operationId: remove_content_share
      summary: Remove content share
      description: 'Remove a content share from your list. Use +self+ as the user_id. Note that this endpoint does not delete other users''

        copies of the content share.'
      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, no content returned
      externalDocs:
        url: https://canvas.instructure.com/doc/api/content_shares.html
    put:
      tags:
      - Content Shares
      operationId: update_content_share
      summary: Update a content share
      description: Mark a content share read or unread
      parameters:
      - name: user_id
        in: path
        schema:
          type: string
        required: true
        description: ID
      - name: id
        in: path
        schema:
          type: string
        required: true
        description: ID
      requestBody:
        required: false
        content:
          application/json:
            schema:
              type: object
              properties:
                read_state:
                  type: string
                  enum:
                  - read
                  - unread
                  description: Read state for the content share
          application/x-www-form-urlencoded:
            schema:
              type: object
              properties:
                read_state:
                  type: string
                  enum:
                  - read
                  - unread
                  description: Read state for the content share
      responses:
        '200':
          description: Success
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/ContentShare'
      externalDocs:
        url: https://canvas.instructure.com/doc/api/content_shares.html
  /v1/users/{user_id}/content_shares/{id}/add_users:
    post:
      tags:
      - Content Shares
      operationId: add_users_to_content_share
      summary: Add users to content share
      description: Send a previously created content share to additional users
      parameters:
      - name: user_id
        in: path
        schema:
          type: string
        required: true
        description: ID
      - name: id
        in: path
        schema:
          type: string
        required: true
        description: ID
      requestBody:
        required: false
        content:
          application/json:
            schema:
              type: object
              properties:
                receiver_ids:
                  type: array
                  items: {}
                  description: IDs of users to share the content with.
          application/x-www-form-urlencoded:
            schema:
              type: object
              properties:
                receiver_ids:
                  type: array
                  items: {}
                  description: IDs of users to share the content with.
      responses:
        '200':
          description: Success
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/ContentShare'
      externalDocs:
        url: https://canvas.instructure.com/doc/api/content_shares.html
components:
  schemas:
    ContentShare:
      type: object
      properties:
        id:
          type: integer
          example: 1
          description: The id of the content share for the current user
        name:
          type: string
          example: War of 1812 homework
          description: The name of the shared content
        content_type:
          type: string
          example: assignment
          description: The type of content that was shared. Can be assignment, discussion_topic, page, quiz, module, or module_item.
        created_at:
          type: string
          format: date-time
          example: '2017-05-09T10:12:00Z'
          description: The datetime the content was shared with this user.
        updated_at:
          type: string
          format: date-time
          example: '2017-05-09T10:12:00Z'
          description: The datetime the content was updated.
        user_id:
          type: integer
          example: 1578941
          description: The id of the user who sent or received the content share.
        sender:
          type: object
          additionalProperties: true
          example:
            id: 1
            display_name: Matilda Vargas
            avatar_image_url: http://localhost:3000/image_url
            html_url: http://localhost:3000/users/1
          description: The user who shared the content. This field is provided only to receivers; it is not populated in the sender's list of sent content shares.
        receivers:
          type: array
          items:
            type: object
            additionalProperties: true
          example:
          - id: 1
            display_name: Jon Snow
            avatar_image_url: http://localhost:3000/image_url2
            html_url: http://localhost:3000/users/2
          description: An Array of users the content is shared with.  This field is provided only to senders; an empty array will be returned for the receiving users.
        source_course:
          type: object
          additionalProperties: true
          example:
            id: 787
            name: History 105
          description: The course the content was originally shared from.
        read_state:
          type: string
          example: read
          description: Whether the recipient has viewed the content share.
        content_export:
          type: string
          example:
            id: 42
          description: The content export record associated with this content share
      description: Content shared between users
  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