---
name: Configure Canvas Authoring MCP
slug: configure-canvas-authoring-mcp
category: AI Engineering
description: Configure Canvas Authoring MCP connects the server to a specific Power Apps canvas app coauthoring session. Use it when the MCP server is not connected, so Canvas App skills can create or edit the app.
github: "https://github.com/microsoft/power-platform-skills/tree/main/plugins/canvas-apps/skills/configure-canvas-mcp"
language: JavaScript
stars: 757
forks: 158
install: "npx degit https://github.com/microsoft/power-platform-skills/tree/main/plugins/canvas-apps/skills/configure-canvas-mcp ~/.claude/skills/configure-canvas-mcp"
installs_to: ~/.claude/skills/configure-canvas-mcp
source_path: plugins/canvas-apps/skills/configure-canvas-mcp/SKILL.md
collection_size: 25
category_size: 2451
collection_url: "https://dirskills.com/collections/microsoft/power-platform-skills"
added: 2026-08-23T05:19:47.741Z
last_synced: 2026-08-23T05:19:47.741Z
canonical_url: "https://dirskills.com/skills/configure-canvas-authoring-mcp"
---

# Configure Canvas Authoring MCP

Configure Canvas Authoring MCP connects the server to a specific Power Apps canvas app coauthoring session. Use it when the MCP server is not connected, so Canvas App skills can create or edit the app.

**Install:**

```bash
npx degit https://github.com/microsoft/power-platform-skills/tree/main/plugins/canvas-apps/skills/configure-canvas-mcp ~/.claude/skills/configure-canvas-mcp
```

## README

# Configure the Canvas Authoring MCP Server

This skill configures the Canvas Authoring MCP server for the user's current Power Apps coauthoring session. The MCP server is auto-registered by the plugin — this skill connects it to a specific app session.

## Instructions

### 1. Ask for the studio URL

Ask the user:

> What is the URL of your canvas app studio session?
>
> Copy the URL from the browser address bar while your app is open in Power Apps Designer (it should look like `https://make.powerapps.com/e/Default-xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx/canvas/?action=edit&app-id=...`).
>
> Make sure coauthoring is enabled in the app (Settings → Updates → Coauthoring).
>
> **Keep this browser tab open for the entire session.** The MCP server communicates with Power Apps through the coauthoring session tied to that tab. Closing the tab ends the coauthoring session, which prevents `compile_canvas` and `sync_canvas` from working and means you can't see or save generated changes.

### 2. Extract parameters from the URL

Parse the following from the studio URL:

- **ENV_ID**: the path segment between `/e/` and the next `/` (e.g. `Default-91bee3d9-0c15-4f17-8624-c92bb8b36ead`).
- **APP_ID**: URL-decode the `app-id` query parameter value, then take the last segment after the final `/` (e.g. `6fc3e3d1-292b-4281-8826-577f78512e56`)
- **MAKER_HOSTNAME**: the hostname of the URL (e.g. `make.powerapps.com`)
- **ENVIRONMENT_CATEGORY**: determined from MAKER_HOSTNAME (see table below)

**Determine ENVIRONMENT_CATEGORY from MAKER_HOSTNAME:**

| MAKER_HOSTNAME               | ENVIRONMENT_CATEGORY |
| ---------------------------- | -------------------- |
| `make.powerapps.com`         | `prod`               |
| `make.preview.powerapps.com` | `prod`               |
| `make.preprod.powerapps.com` | `preprod`            |
| `make.gov.powerapps.us`      | `gov`                |
| `make.high.powerapps.us`     | `high`               |
| `make.apps.appsplatform.us`  | `dod`                |
| `make.powerapps.cn`          | `china`              |
| Any other hostname           | `test`               |

**Example:**

Example URL: `https://make.powerapps.com/e/Default-91bee3d9-0c15-4f17-8624-c92bb8b36ead/canvas/?action=edit&app-id=%2Fproviders%2FMicrosoft.PowerApps%2Fapps%2F6fc3e3d1-292b-4281-8826-577f78512e56`

- ENV_ID → `Default-91bee3d9-0c15-4f17-8624-c92bb8b36ead`
- APP_ID → `6fc3e3d1-292b-4281-8826-577f78512e56`
- MAKER_HOSTNAME → `make.powerapps.com`
- ENVIRONMENT_CATEGORY → `prod`

### 3. Configure the MCP server

Call the `connect` MCP tool to connect the server to the user's coauthoring session:

```
mcp__canvas-authoring__connect(
  environment_id: ENV_ID,
  app_id: APP_ID,
  environment_category: ENVIRONMENT_CATEGORY,
  // Optional — include only if the user has expressed a preference or a prior sign-in failed (see below):
  auth_flow: "broker" | "browser" | "devicecode",
  login_hint: "user@contoso.com",
  tenant_id: "00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000",
  force_account_select: true
)
```

**Optional parameters — do NOT prompt the user for these.** Only include them if the user has already expressed a preference earlier in the conversation, or if a prior connect attempt failed:

- `login_hint`: Pass the user's UPN or email **only if** they have indicated they want to connect as a specific/different user (e.g. "log in as alice@contoso.com"). These values cannot be derived from the maker portal URL — never guess. Omit otherwise to use the first signed-in user. When reconnecting to switch environment/app, reuse the same `login_hint` value as the previous successful connect (if known) so the same user is reused without re-prompting.
- `auth_flow`: Pass `"browser"`, `"broker"`, or `"devicecode"` **only if** the user has explicitly stated a preferred auth flow (e.g. "use browser sign-in"). Use `"devicecode"` on headless/SSH hosts where neither broker nor browser flow can pop a UI — the verification URL and user code are surfaced via an MCP elicitation request and require a client that supports elicitation. Omit otherwise to use the default.
- `tenant_id`: Pass a tenant GUID **only** for Entra B2B guest access — set it to the host/resource tenant where the user is a guest so the token is issued by that tenant rather than the user's home tenant. Combine with `login_hint` (the guest's home UPN) to pre-fill the account. Omit for normal same-tenant sign-in.
- `force_account_select`: Pass `true` **only** to force the account picker instead of silently reusing a cached account — set this when a previous connect failed with a 401/403 and no `login_hint` was given, so the user can pick the correct account. Omit otherwise.

If the `mcp__canvas-authoring__connect` tool is **not available** (the MCP server did not start), run the following command to check whether the server failed to launch due to a missing .NET 10 SDK:

```bash
dotnet --list-sdks
```

If a version 10.x.y or higher is **not** listed, tell the user:

> ⚠️ .NET 10 SDK is required to run the Canvas Authoring MCP server. It looks like you don't have it installed. Please install it from https://dotnet.microsoft.com/download/dotnet/10.0 and then try again.

If the tool is available but the call returns an error, report the error and suggest checking that:

1. The studio URL is correct and the browser tab is still open
2. Coauthoring is enabled in the app settings
3. If sign-in failed, the user may need to specify `auth_flow` (`broker`, `browser`, or `devicecode`) or a `login_hint` (UPN/email) to authenticate as the correct account. On a headless/SSH host, use `auth_flow: "devicecode"`. If a cached account keeps getting picked, retry with `force_account_select: true`. For Entra B2B guest access, set `tenant_id` to the host tenant.

### 4. Confirm

Tell the user:

> ✅ Canvas Authoring MCP server configured for your coauthoring session.
>
> You can now use Canvas App skills like `/canvas-app` to create or edit your app.
>
> To verify the setup, try: "List available Canvas App controls" — this should invoke `list_controls`.