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Overview

The way you add Nectir AI to a Canvas course depends on whether your institution has the Canvas LTI integration set up:

If you have the Canvas LTI integration

Use one of the four LTI methods below: add Nectir to the course sidebar, or embed an Assistant inside a page, assignment, or module.

If you don't have Canvas LTI

Share your Assistant’s invite link, invite students by email, or add a redirect link in your course sidebar. No admin setup required.

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With the Canvas LTI Integration

If your institution has the Canvas LTI integration installed, there are four ways to add Nectir AI to a course:
  • Course navigation sidebar: whole-course AI hub linked to a Nectir Group
  • Inside a page: embed a specific Assistant on a syllabus, intro, or instructions page
  • Inside an assignment: embed a specific Assistant tied to a task or problem set
  • Inside a module: add an Assistant as a standalone module item
Want to link a Canvas placement to a specific Assistant? Unlike D2L, Moodle, and Blackboard — which use an assistantId custom parameter — Canvas uses deep linking: you pick the Assistant interactively when you embed it. Use Method 2, 3, or 4 below; each ends with an Embed an Assistant modal where you choose which Assistant the placement points to. There’s no custom parameter to configure on the Canvas side.

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Before You Begin

Your institution’s Canvas administrator must have already completed the one-time LTI setup. Specifically:
  • Your institution must have installed the Canvas LTI. If you don’t see Nectir AI anywhere in Canvas, your admin hasn’t installed the integration yet. See the Canvas LTI Guided Setup for admin instructions, or skip ahead to Without the Canvas LTI Integration.
  • For Methods 2, 3, and 4: the deep linking placements must be in place. New Canvas installs include them automatically. If the Apps button doesn’t show Nectir AI in the Rich Content Editor, or Nectir AI doesn’t appear when you add an External Tool to a module, your institution likely set up Nectir AI before these placements existed. Ask your Canvas admin to apply the Deep Linking Placements update.
If you’re not sure whether your institution has completed setup, contact your Canvas administrator or support@nectir.io.

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Four Ways to Add Nectir

Expand any method below for the full walkthrough.

Nectir AI in the Canvas course navigation sidebar, opened to the linked Assistant

Use this method when you want students to access a course-wide Assistant from anywhere in the course.When you add Nectir AI to the course sidebar, you’re linking the whole Canvas course to a Nectir Group. Anyone enrolled in the course gets access to the Assistants in that Group.
Automatic access. Once your Canvas course is linked, everyone enrolled in that course (students, instructors, and TAs) gets access to the linked Group automatically. No separate invitations are required. Roles in Nectir are assigned based on Canvas roles via LMS Role Mapping.
Access Nectir AI from Canvas
1

Navigate to Your Course

Go to the Canvas course you want to link with Nectir AI.
2

Open Navigation Settings

Navigate to Settings > Navigation tab.
3

Enable Nectir AI

Find Nectir AI in the disabled items section. You can either:
  • Click the three-dot menu next to Nectir AI and select Enable
  • Drag the Nectir AI item up to the active navigation items section
Save your changes after enabling.
4

Launch Nectir AI

Click on Nectir AI in your course navigation menu to begin the linking process.
Choose Your Linking OptionWhen accessing Nectir AI from Canvas for the first time, you’ll see linking options:

Choose how to link your Canvas course to a Nectir AI Group

For first-time users: you only see the Create a Group option, which creates a brand new Nectir AI Group specifically for this Canvas course.For existing Nectir users: you see three options:
  • Create a Group: Start fresh with a new Group specifically for this Canvas course
  • Duplicate a Group: Copy an existing Group’s settings and Assistants for use with this Canvas course (perfect for reusing Assistants from previous semesters)
  • Link to an Existing Group: Connect this Canvas course to a Group you’ve already been working on (useful for cross-listed or multi-section courses)
Most instructors use “Duplicate a Group” at the start of each semester to reuse their successful Assistants while keeping each semester’s students separate.
Roster SyncAfter linking your course to a Group, Nectir prompts you to sync your course roster. You can complete this now or skip it and sync later after you’ve finished setting up your Assistants.
Important: Roster sync does not control access. Once your course is linked, users can access Nectir AI through the LMS regardless of whether they’ve been roster synced. Roster sync simply imports user names into your member list and optionally sends invitation emails.
For complete information on roster sync, including when to use it and how to send invitation emails, see Roster Sync.

A Canvas page with an Assistant embedded inline below the page content (student view)

Use this method when you want a specific Assistant to appear directly inside a Canvas page, like a syllabus, course introduction, or instructions page.
1

Open the Page in the Editor

Go to Pages in your Canvas course, open the page you want to embed an Assistant in, and click Edit.If you’re creating a new page, click + Page instead.
2

Open the Apps Menu

In the Rich Content Editor toolbar, click the Apps button (plug icon).
3

Select Nectir AI

From the Apps dropdown, select Nectir AI.
4

Choose Your Assistant

In the Embed an Assistant modal, choose the Assistant you want to embed from the list.
5

Embed the Assistant

Click Embed Assistant. The Assistant placeholder appears inside the page editor.
6

Save the Page

Click Save (or Save & Publish) at the bottom of the page.

An Assistant launched from inside a Canvas assignment via the Nectir AI embed

Use this method when an Assistant is tied to a specific task, problem set, or activity. Students see the Assistant inline with the assignment instructions. The flow is identical to Method 2 because Canvas assignments use the same Rich Content Editor.
1

Open the Assignment in the Editor

Go to Assignments in your Canvas course, open the assignment you want to embed an Assistant in, and click Edit.If you’re creating a new assignment, click + Assignment instead.
2

Open the Apps Menu

In the Rich Content Editor toolbar, click the Apps button (plug icon).
3

Select Nectir AI

From the Apps dropdown, select Nectir AI.
4

Choose Your Assistant

In the Embed an Assistant modal, choose the Assistant you want to embed from the list.
5

Embed the Assistant

Click Embed Assistant. The Assistant placeholder appears inside the assignment editor.
6

Save the Assignment

Configure the rest of the assignment (points, due date, submission type) and click Save (or Save & Publish).

Nectir AI added to a Canvas module as an External Tool item

Use this method when the Assistant should appear as its own item in a module, sequenced alongside other course content. Students click the module item to open the Assistant in full view.
Modules use a different flow than pages and assignments. Instead of the Apps button in the Rich Content Editor, you add the Assistant as an External Tool module item.
1

Open the Modules Page

Go to Modules in your Canvas course.
2

Add an Item to a Module

Click the + button on the module where you want to add the Assistant.
3

Choose External Tool

In the Add Item dialog, change the Add dropdown to External Tool.
4

Select Nectir AI

From the list of external tools, select Nectir AI.
5

Choose Your Assistant

In the Embed an Assistant modal, choose the Assistant you want and click Embed Assistant.
6

Add the Item

Click Add Item to place the Assistant in the module.

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Without the Canvas LTI Integration

If your institution hasn’t set up the Canvas LTI integration, you can still get Nectir AI in front of your students through one of three options below.
Send students a direct email invitation from Nectir. They’ll click the link in the email, sign in to Nectir AI, and land in your Group with access to your Assistants.
1

Open Your Group in Nectir AI

Go to ai.nectir.io and open the Group that contains the Assistant you want to share.
2

Open Invite Members

Hover over the Group on the left sidebar, click the three-dot menu, and select Invite Members. Then click Invite members at the top right.
3

Paste Student Emails

Copy and paste your students’ school-provided emails. You can paste directly from your roster: emails will be automatically extracted from the surrounding text.
4

Customize the Email (Optional)

Customize the invitation message to provide context for your students. Choose whether to send to Everyone in the list or only New people.
5

Send Invitations

Click Send Invite. Students receive an email with a sign-in link.
For full details on email invitations, including the Members tab and managing access, see Inviting Users to Groups.

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Managing Courses Across Terms

Nectir’s flexible setup framework allows you to link and unlink LMS courses as needed:
You can link as many LMS courses to Nectir as you need. Each course can be linked to its own Group or share a Group with other courses (useful for cross-listed sections).How to link a course:
  1. Open your new Canvas course
  2. Access Nectir AI from the course navigation
  3. You’ll be prompted to choose how to link the course to a Group
When a term ends, you can unlink the LMS course from the Nectir Group. This removes the course connection while preserving the Group and all Assistants for future use.How to unlink a course:
  1. Go to Group Settings
  2. Navigate to LMS Integration
  3. Click the three dots next to the course you want to unlink
  4. Select Unlink
Unlinking a course will remove access for all users within that LMS course. The Group and Assistants will remain intact for future use.
When setting up the same course for a new term, you have two approaches:Link to Existing Group (Iterate and Improve):
  • Connect your new course to the same Group you used previously
  • Keep using and improving the same Assistants term over term
  • Build on previous refinements and knowledge base updates
  • Best for: Instructors who want to continuously improve their Assistants based on student interactions
Duplicate Group (Preserve Past Versions):
  • Create a copy of your previous Group with all Assistants
  • Maintain separate versions for each term
  • Preserve historical Assistant configurations
  • Best for: Instructors who want to keep distinct versions per term or experiment with different approaches
Most instructors who teach the same course repeatedly prefer to link back to existing Groups, allowing them to refine and improve their Assistants over time rather than starting fresh each term.

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Troubleshooting

The Apps button (plug icon) in the Rich Content Editor toolbar, with Nectir AI in the dropdown

The Apps button (plug icon) appears in the editor toolbar for pages and assignments.If the Apps button is there but Nectir AI isn’t in the dropdown, your Canvas admin needs to enable the Editor Button deep linking placement. Share the Deep Linking Placements update with them.
Your Canvas admin needs to enable the Link Selection deep linking placement. Share the Deep Linking Placements update with them.
The list shows:
  • Any Shared with everyone Assistant. These are institutional resources, always available to everyone in the Workspace, including standalone Assistants that don’t belong to a Group.
  • Private or Shared Assistants in Groups where you are an owner.
The list does not show:
  • Private or Shared Assistants in Groups where you are only a member (you can chat with them, but you’re not an owner).
  • Assistants in Groups you don’t belong to.
If the Assistant you’re looking for isn’t listed, it’s most likely a Private or Shared Assistant in a Group you don’t own. Ask the Group owner to embed it, or to make you an owner of the Group. Also confirm you’re in the right Workspace, then contact support@nectir.io.
Check that:
  • The page, assignment, or module item is published (not in draft state).
  • The student is enrolled in the Canvas course and has access to the Canvas resource (page, assignment, or module item) where the embed lives.
  • Third-party cookies are allowed in the student’s browser. See Browser & Display Issues.
For other issues, see the Canvas troubleshooting guide or contact support@nectir.io.

Canvas Workspace Setup

Admin checklist for the institution-level Canvas LTI setup

Create an Assistant

Build the Assistant you want to embed in your course

Group Settings

Manage the Group your Assistants live in

Canvas LTI Guided Setup

For Canvas admins: install and configure the Nectir AI LTI app