Create Canvas assignments from Slack requests
Capture a teaching task where your team already discusses it, then let Notis create the Canvas assignment so it does not get lost in the channel.
Trigger
Channel Message Received
Triggered when a message is posted in a Slack channel (public, private, or multi-party IM). Does NOT match direct messages.
Action
Create an assignment
Creates a new assignment within a specified course in canvas lms.
Why this helps
Assignment ideas buried in a busy Slack channel can be easy to forget when you switch back to course setup.
- Reduce manual re-entry between team chat and course setup.
- Keep assignment requests from falling through during context switches.
- Use one clear instruction to tell Notis which course and task the message refers to.
Setup
Build it in a few focused steps.
- 1Connect Slack and Canvas to Notis once through the portal.
- 2Create a new automation in the portal, or ask Notis conversationally to set it up.
- 3In one plain-language instruction, tell Notis to create a Canvas assignment when a channel message clearly requests learner work, using the course and task details from the message.
- 4Select Slack Channel Message Received as the trigger, choose a channel for run reports, and test with one real request.
Questions about this workflow
Does every Slack message become an assignment?
Describe the specific kinds of messages that count in the automation prompt. Test with a real request and refine the wording if needed.
Can the Slack message identify the course?
Tell Notis in the prompt to use course details stated in the message and to report a run when they are unclear.
When this happens · Trigger
Do this · Action
Supported Triggers and Actions
Notis builds workflows that link Slack to Canvas. A trigger fires from one place; an action lands in another.
Slack triggers
Canvas actions
Recurring trigger
Notis starts this workflow on a schedule, such as daily, weekly, or during business hours.
Create account notification
Creates a global notification within a canvas account, ensuring `end at` is after `start at` and any specified `notification roles` are valid.
Webhook trigger
Notis starts this workflow when an external tool or custom backend sends an HTTP request.
Create appointment group
Creates a new appointment group in canvas for schedulable time slots within specified course or group contexts.
New Channel Created Trigger
Triggered when a new channel is created in Slack.
Create an assignment
Creates a new assignment within a specified course in canvas lms.
Channel Message Received
Triggered when a message is posted in a Slack channel (public, private, or multi-party IM). Does NOT match direct messages.
Create assignment override
Creates an assignment override to adjust due/unlock/lock dates for an assignment in a course, targeting specific students (requires `title`), a group, or a course section; at least one target (`student ids`, `group id`, or `course section id`) is required.
Direct Message Received
Triggered when a new direct message (DM) is sent to a user in Slack. Catches all DMs across all DM channels.
Create Calendar Event
Creates a calendar event with options for recurrence (finite `rrule` series only), section-specific timings, and blackout dates within a specified context.
Message Reaction Added
Triggered when a reaction is added to a message in Slack. Supports optional filtering by channel and emoji name.
Create communication channel
Creates a new communication channel (e.g., email, sms, push) for an existing canvas user to receive notifications.
Message Reaction Removed
Triggered when a reaction is removed from a message in Slack. Supports optional filtering by channel and emoji name.
Create content share
Shares a canvas content item to specified users, if the sender has necessary permissions and receiver ids are valid.
Reaction Added Trigger
DEPRECATED: use `SLACK_MESSAGE_REACTION_ADDED` instead. Triggered when a reaction is added to a message in Slack.
Create conversation
Use to send messages in canvas by creating a new conversation or adding to an existing one; an existing conversation with the same recipients (and matching scope/filter, if specified) may be reused unless `force new` is true.
Connect any two apps with Notis in the middle.
Slack and Canvas, or any other combination from 1,000+ integrations.
When this happens · Trigger
Do this · Action
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