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Notis

Never Miss a Reply in Canvas Discussions

You post in a Canvas discussion, then move on. Hours later, someone replied but you never saw it because you weren't monitoring the forum. Notis reminds you in Slack the moment someone engages with your post so you can keep the conversation flowing while momentum is high.

Trigger

New Canvas Discussion Message

Polls Canvas discussion topics for new messages.

Action

Create a reminder

Creates a slack reminder with specified text and time; time accepts unix timestamps, seconds from now, or natural language (e.g., 'in 15 minutes', 'every thursday at 2pm').

Why this helps

Asynchronous discussion forums feel slow because you miss replies. By the time you check back, the thread has moved on. You lose the chance to build on peers' ideas or respond to instructor feedback while it's relevant.

  • Stay engaged in discussions in real-time
  • Respond to feedback while it's fresh
  • Build momentum in asynchronous conversations
  • Never feel like you're talking to nobody

Setup

Build it in a few focused steps.

  • 1Connect Canvas and Slack.
  • 2Create Automation: Name ('Discussion Replies'), Prompt ('Remind me in Slack whenever someone replies to my Canvas discussion posts so I can respond while the conversation is active'), Channel (your personal channel), Trigger ('New Canvas Discussion Message').
  • 3You'll get a Slack reminder the moment someone engages with your discussion post.

Questions about this workflow

Will I get reminded of every reply or just mine?

Refine the prompt to focus on replies to your specific posts, filtering out general discussion noise.

Can I customize the reminder time?

Yes—adjust the prompt to specify when you want to be reminded (e.g., 'remind me in 2 hours').

What if the thread is resolved and I don't want to revive it?

The reminder is just a notification; you can dismiss it if the thread has run its course.

When this happens · Trigger

Do this · Action

Supported Triggers and Actions

Notis builds workflows that link Canvas to Slack. A trigger fires from one place; an action lands in another.

Canvas triggers

Slack actions

Canvas Assignment Graded

Polls Canvas for newly graded submissions for a specific assignment.

TriggerPolling

Set snooze duration

Deprecated: turns on do not disturb mode for the current user, or changes its duration. use `set dnd duration` instead.

ActionInstant

New Canvas Assignment Submission

Polls Canvas for new submissions to a specific assignment.

TriggerPolling

Add a custom emoji to a Slack team

Deprecated: adds a custom emoji to a slack workspace given a unique name and an image url. use `add emoji` instead.

ActionInstant

New Canvas Discussion Message

Polls Canvas discussion topics for new messages.

TriggerPolling

Add an emoji alias

Adds an alias for an existing custom emoji in a slack enterprise grid organization.

ActionInstant

New Canvas Discussion Topic

Polls a Canvas course for new discussion topics.

TriggerPolling

Add a remote file

Adds a reference to an external file (e.g., google drive, dropbox) to slack for discovery and sharing, requiring a unique `external id` and an `external url` accessible by slack.

ActionInstant

New Course Created for User

Polls Canvas for newly created courses for a specific user.

TriggerPolling

Add a star to an item

Stars a channel, file, file comment, or a specific message in slack.

ActionInstant

New Canvas File Upload

Polls a Canvas course for new file uploads.

TriggerPolling

Add call participants

Registers new participants added to a slack call.

ActionInstant

Add emoji

Adds a custom emoji to a slack workspace given a unique name and an image url; subject to workspace emoji limits.

ActionInstant

Add reaction to message

Adds a specified emoji reaction to an existing message in a slack channel, identified by its timestamp; does not remove or retrieve reactions.

ActionInstant

Connect any two apps with Notis in the middle.

Not just Canvas and Slack. Any combination from 1,000+ integrations.

When this happens · Trigger

Do this · Action

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