Canvasdoc support

Updated October 21, 2026.

Email support@canvasdoc.app for installation help or bug reports. For privacy requests, email privacy@canvasdoc.app. Canvasdoc is developed by Sam Dickson and currently supports Cal Poly and UCLA (BruinLearn) Canvas with a local companion and a Codex account.

Installing and starting the companion

Windows

Install the Chrome extension, then run this in PowerShell. It installs Node.js privately if your computer doesn't have it and adds it to your PATH, so node and npx.cmd work in new PowerShell windows, then sets up the companion, which includes Codex. No administrator rights are needed.

irm https://canvasdoc.app/install.ps1 | iex

If you already have Node.js 22.13 or later, the command uses it. It asks which school you use the first time; inside Canvas, Canvasdoc shows a ready-to-copy command for your school whenever it isn't connected.

The command creates a Canvasdoc folder in Documents, starts Canvasdoc in the background whenever you sign in to Windows, adds a Canvasdoc icon to the system tray, and finishes in about a minute. You can close PowerShell afterwards. Click Sign in in the Canvasdoc panel to sign in to Codex. The tray icon shows whether Canvasdoc is running and starts or stops it; a stopped Canvasdoc stays off until you start it again. If Windows Smart App Control blocks the tray icon, Canvasdoc still runs; use the setup command in its place. Setup saves its steps to %LOCALAPPDATA%\Canvasdoc\Logs\install.log and Canvasdoc logs to connector.log beside it; email both if something fails. Private state and the browser bridge live under %LOCALAPPDATA%\Canvasdoc. To let the agent use desktop apps and Chrome, install ChatGPT from the Microsoft Store, published by OpenAI, and sign in. In its settings, turn on Computer use. For Chrome, turn on its Chrome option, add the ChatGPT extension when asked, and sign in to ChatGPT in Chrome. Then stop and start Canvasdoc from the tray icon; it sets them up on its own.

macOS

Canvasdoc needs a companion running on your Mac. Install the Chrome extension, then run this in Terminal. It installs Node.js privately if your Mac doesn't have it, then sets up the companion, which includes Codex.

curl -fsSL https://canvasdoc.app/install.sh | bash

If you already have Node.js 22.13 or later, the command uses it. Inside Canvas, Canvasdoc shows a ready-to-copy command for your school whenever it isn't connected.

The command creates a Canvasdoc folder in Documents, starts Canvasdoc in the background whenever you log in, adds a Canvasdoc icon to the menu bar, connects it to every Chromium browser installed (Chrome, Brave, Edge, Arc, and others), and finishes in about a minute. You can close the Terminal window afterwards. Back in Canvas, click Sign in in the Canvasdoc panel to sign in to Codex for that folder. Later runs remember your folder. The menu bar icon shows whether Canvasdoc is running and starts or stops it; a stopped Canvasdoc stays off until you start it again. macOS asks once whether Canvasdoc may use your Documents folder; allow it. To let the agent use desktop apps and Chrome, turn on Computer Use (and its Chrome plugin) in the ChatGPT desktop app, then stop and start Canvasdoc from the menu bar icon. The panel's Settings show whether it's on and how to turn it on.

Setup prints each step with the time as it goes and saves a copy to ~/Library/Logs/Canvasdoc/install.log. If it stalls or fails, email that file and ~/Library/Logs/Canvasdoc/connector.log.

For dark mode, open the panel's Settings and set Appearance to Dark; it darkens Canvas and Canvasdoc together, and System follows your computer's setting.

If Canvas says Canvasdoc isn't running, click Open Canvasdoc in the panel. The app starts Canvasdoc or explains what stopped it, and asks for the folder's new location if you moved it.

Beta diagnostics

During the closed beta, Canvasdoc shares diagnostics with the developer by default so problems can be fixed without asking you to reproduce them: your messages, the agent's full activity, Canvas context, and errors. See the privacy policy for the full list. Uncheck "Share beta diagnostics" in the panel's Settings, or run curl -fsSL https://canvasdoc.app/install.sh | bash -s -- --no-diagnostics, to stop.

Reporting a problem

Include your Canvasdoc extension version, companion CLI version, operating system, and Chrome version. Describe what you expected, what happened, and the steps that reproduce the problem. If you include a screenshot or error message, remove private information first.

Do not send passwords, access tokens, session cookies, your Codex credential files, or private course materials. Do not attach your entire workspace or browser profile. Support will ask for a smaller, specific diagnostic if one is needed.

Connection problems

If Canvasdoc stops responding, click Open Canvasdoc in the panel, or choose Start Canvasdoc from its menu bar or tray icon, then select Connect. Do not delete the workspace or credentials to fix a connection problem.

If npx or node isn't found after setup on Windows, open a new PowerShell window. Windows Terminal keeps the old settings until you quit it completely and open it again.

On Windows, Smart App Control can block the Canvasdoc tray icon the first time it starts. Canvasdoc keeps running without it and tries the icon again a minute later. Without the icon, the panel's Open Canvasdoc button can't start Canvasdoc either; reload the Canvas page instead, and it starts again.

Computer and Chrome control

The agent controls your computer and Chrome through the ChatGPT desktop app. If it says it can't reach Chrome or your computer, open the ChatGPT app and check that you're signed in, make sure the ChatGPT extension is on in Chrome's extensions page, reload the Canvas page, and send your message again. If it still can't, choose Stop Canvasdoc and then Start Canvasdoc from the menu bar or tray icon.

Your files and privacy

Removing the extension does not delete your local coursework folder or recovery exports. Email the address above if you need help locating local data or want to request deletion of information you sent to support.

Read the privacy policy for details about local storage and model-provider processing.