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Overview

Setting up your Nectir AI Workspace through Canvas LTI integration allows you to seamlessly connect your Canvas courses with AI Assistants. This guide walks you through the complete setup process, from LTI configuration to linking courses with Nectir Groups.

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Step 1: Configure Canvas LTI Integration

Before you can use Nectir AI in Canvas, your institution’s Canvas administrator must configure the LTI integration. This establishes the connection between Canvas and Nectir AI. For detailed instructions on setting up the Canvas LTI integration, see the Canvas Manual Integration guide.
Access Control: During setup, your Canvas administrator chooses which Canvas accounts can access Nectir AI. If the integration was configured at the school-wide level, anyone can add it to their course. If not, you may need to request access from your Canvas administrator to add Nectir AI to your courses.If you’re unsure whether the LTI integration is already configured, contact your Canvas administrator or support@nectir.io.

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Step 2: Configure LMS Role Mapping

Once you set up the LTI integration, configure how Canvas roles map to Nectir roles in your Workspace. This determines what permissions users receive when they access Nectir AI through Canvas. For detailed instructions on configuring role mapping, see the LMS Role Mapping section in Workspace Management. The final step is connecting your Canvas courses to Groups in Nectir AI. You must initiate this linkage from within Canvas. This allows anyone in the Canvas course to access the Nectir AI Assistant within that Group.

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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

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Choose Your Linking Option

When accessing Nectir AI from Canvas for the first time, you’ll see linking options:
Canvas course 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.

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Roster Sync

After 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.

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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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Next Steps

Once you link your Canvas courses to Nectir Groups, you’re ready to start building your AI Assistants:

Create an Assistant

Build your first AI Assistant for your Canvas course

Import from Canvas

Import course materials directly from Canvas into your Assistant’s knowledge base

Roster Sync

Learn how to import user names and send invitation emails

Group Settings

Manage your Group settings, members, and LMS integration

Workspace Management

Configure Workspace-level settings including role mapping

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Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues during setup:
Contact your Canvas administrator to ensure the LTI integration is configured and that Nectir AI has been enabled for your account or institution.
Remember that role mapping only applies to new users who join after the mapping is configured. Existing users retain their current roles and must be updated manually if needed.
Verify that Assistants are created within a Group, not at the Workspace level. Only Assistants placed in the linked Group will be visible to students.
For additional help, visit the Canvas troubleshooting guide or contact support@nectir.io.