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FREE CHROME EXTENSION · CANVAS FEEDBACK

Canvas Grading Assistant

Canvas Grading Assistant drafts grades and feedback inside Canvas SpeedGrader using your rubric. Read the draft, make it your own, and choose when to apply it.

Before you download

The extension is free. It drafts feedback with your own Anthropic API key (how to get one), so Anthropic bills that AI use to your account. You can set a daily spending cap in the extension’s settings. You’ll also need a Canvas teacher account on an instructure.com address and permission to install a Chrome extension. Custom Canvas domains are not supported by this version.

Download extension

Free ZIP download · Chrome on a desktop or laptop · Manual installation

Install in Chrome

  1. Download and unzip. Save the Canvas Grading Assistant download, then extract the ZIP into a folder you can keep on your computer.
  2. Open Chrome’s extensions page. Type chrome://extensions into Chrome’s address bar.
  3. Turn on Developer mode. Use the switch in the upper-right corner of the extensions page.
  4. Load the extension. Choose Load unpacked and select the extracted folder containing manifest.json.
  5. Pin Canvas Grading Assistant. Open Chrome’s puzzle-piece menu and pin the extension so you can find it during class.

If Developer mode or Load unpacked is disabled on a school-managed device, ask your technology team to approve installation. Downloading the ZIP alone does not install the extension.

Installed an earlier copy? Remove it on chrome://extensions before loading this one. The new copy installs as a separate extension, so enter your API key and settings again; drafts and history from the earlier copy don’t carry over.

Get an Anthropic API key

The extension sends its grading requests to Anthropic, the company that makes the Claude AI models, using a key from your own Anthropic account.

  1. Create an Anthropic account. Sign up at console.anthropic.com. This account is separate from a Claude chat subscription, and a Claude subscription does not cover API use.
  2. Add credit. Open Billing in the Console and buy a small amount of credit. API use is prepaid: requests stop when the credit runs out unless you turn on automatic reload.
  3. Create a key. Open API keys, choose Create key, and give it a name you’ll recognize, such as “Canvas grading”. Copy the key right away. It starts with sk-ant-, and the Console shows it only once.
  4. Keep it private. Anyone with the key can spend your credit. Paste it only into the extension’s settings, never into an email or a shared document. If it leaks, delete it in the Console and create a new one.

Set up your first review

  1. Add your API key. Open Canvas Grading Assistant from Chrome’s toolbar, open Settings, and enter your Anthropic API key. Use an account and data handling arrangement approved for the work you are reviewing.
  2. Check your settings. Choose your feedback style and set a daily API spending cap. Keep automatic application off while you get familiar with the tool.
  3. Open Canvas SpeedGrader. Select an assignment with a rubric and open a submission. Refresh the Canvas tab if it was already open during installation.
  4. Generate and review a draft. Check the rubric selections, score, and feedback against the student’s work. Edit anything you want to change.
  5. Apply when you’re ready. Choose Apply to Canvas only after your review. Start with a sample or practice submission to learn the workflow.

What leaves the browser?

Canvas Grading Assistant sends assignment, rubric, and submission content to Anthropic for the grading request using your API key. It works directly with Canvas and Anthropic; it has no separate application server. Treat AI feedback as a draft and follow your school’s student-data requirements.

Need a hand? Contact the teacher or colleague who shared these tools with you. Include the page you were on and any error message, without API keys or student work.

Read the teacher guide