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This guide is intended for LMS administrators. If you encounter any issues during the integration process, please contact support@nectir.io.

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Canvas LTI Setup

This guide walks you through installing and configuring the Nectir AI LTI app in Canvas. Once complete, courses across your Canvas instance can launch Nectir AI directly from course navigation.

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Before You Begin

You’ll need three browser tabs open:
  • Canvas with admin access at the account level where you want to install Nectir AI
  • Nectir AI with the Workspace you want to integrate
  • This support article to follow along with the steps below

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Install the App in Canvas

  1. In Canvas, navigate to the Admin panel
  2. Go to Apps
  3. Select the Manage tab
Canvas Apps page showing the Discover, Manage, and Monitor tabs
  1. Select Install a New App
  2. In the Install Method dropdown, select JSON
Canvas Install App dialog showing the Install Method dropdown with JSON selected
  1. Copy the JSON configuration below and paste it into the configuration field.
{
  "title": "Nectir AI",
  "description": "Nectir provides educational institutions with managed AI infrastructure that seamlessly integrates with their Learning Management Systems (LMS). Configure custom AI Assistants grounded in specific courses, policies, and institutional knowledge, and get real-time support while ensuring data privacy and FERPA compliance. Nectir AI provides students with 24/7 guidance, instant feedback, and concept clarification, while reducing instructor workloads and surfacing learning gaps.",
  "target_link_uri": "https://ai.nectir.io/api/lti13/validate",
  "oidc_initiation_url": "https://ai.nectir.io/api/lti13/login",
  "oidc_initiation_urls": {},
  "public_jwk_url": "https://ai.nectir.io/api/lti13/keys",
  "public_jwk": {},
  "custom_fields": {
    "workspaceId": "YOUR_WORKSPACE_ID",
    "masqueradingUserId": "$Canvas.masqueradingUser.id"
  },
  "scopes": [
    "https://purl.imsglobal.org/spec/lti-nrps/scope/contextmembership.readonly",
    "https://purl.imsglobal.org/spec/lti-ags/scope/lineitem",
    "https://purl.imsglobal.org/spec/lti-ags/scope/lineitem.readonly",
    "https://purl.imsglobal.org/spec/lti-ags/scope/result.readonly",
    "https://purl.imsglobal.org/spec/lti-ags/scope/score",
    "https://purl.imsglobal.org/spec/lti-reg/scope/registration",
    "https://purl.imsglobal.org/spec/lti-reg/scope/registration.readonly",
    "https://canvas.instructure.com/lti/public_jwk/scope/update",
    "https://canvas.instructure.com/lti/account_lookup/scope/show"
  ],
  "extensions": [
    {
      "domain": "ai.nectir.io",
      "tool_id": "",
      "privacy_level": "public",
      "platform": "canvas.instructure.com",
      "settings": {
        "default": "disabled",
        "icon_url": "https://ai.nectir.io/icon.png",
        "platform": "canvas.instructure.com",
        "custom_fields": {
          "workspaceId": "YOUR_WORKSPACE_ID",
          "masqueradingUserId": "$Canvas.masqueradingUser.id"
        },
        "message_settings": [],
        "placements": [
          {
            "text": "",
            "placement": "account_navigation",
            "display_type": "full_width_in_context",
            "message_type": "LtiResourceLinkRequest",
            "target_link_uri": "https://ai.nectir.io/api/lti13/validate"
          },
          {
            "text": "",
            "default": "disabled",
            "placement": "course_navigation",
            "display_type": "full_width_in_context",
            "message_type": "LtiResourceLinkRequest",
            "target_link_uri": "https://ai.nectir.io/api/lti13/validate"
          }
        ]
      }
    }
  ]
}
  1. Select Next
  2. In the Custom Fields section, replace YOUR_WORKSPACE_ID with your actual Workspace ID from Nectir AI
  3. Select Next through the remaining sections (these are automatically configured from the JSON).
If you’re installing multiple Nectir AI apps for different schools, you can add a Nickname in the Nickname section to distinguish between them (for example, Nectir AI - Your Institution)
  1. Select Install App
Canvas app integration page showing Nectir AI configuration options after installation

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Enable the App in Canvas

  1. After installation, you’ll see the Nectir AI app page in Canvas
  2. Go to the Availability and Exceptions tab
  3. Click the pencil icon to edit the root account
  4. Change from Not Available to Available
  5. Save
  6. Copy the Client ID from the app details

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Complete the Connection in Nectir AI

  1. In Nectir AI, navigate to Workspace settings > LMS integration > Add integration > Canvas > LTI integration
  2. Paste the Client ID
  3. Enter your Canvas URL (for example, https://yourinstitution.instructure.com)
  4. Select Save and continue
  5. Select Finish setup

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Test the Integration

Open a Canvas course where your user has an enrollment (ideally as a Teacher) and select Nectir AI from the course navigation. Nectir AI should open a page where you can link or create a Nectir Group for that course, as described in Choose Your Linking Option. If something isn’t working:
  • Getting an error or not seeing Nectir AI? Make sure you completed every step in Complete the Connection in Nectir AI, including Save and continue and Finish setup. Without this, the integration won’t work.
  • Landed on a generic Assistant instead of a course Group? This often happens when an admin tests from a course they aren’t enrolled in. Canvas sends course roles to Nectir AI, and without an enrollment, Nectir can’t match you to the right Group. Test from a course where your user has an actual role.
  • Something else? Contact support@nectir.io.

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Instructor Setup Guide

After completing the LTI integration setup, instructors can follow the Canvas Workspace Setup guide to:
  • Link their Canvas courses to Nectir Groups
  • Configure role mapping
  • Set up roster sync
  • Manage courses across terms

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District Sub-Account Setup

This section is for district Canvas administrators who manage a single Canvas instance with sub-accounts for multiple colleges.
Each college in your district needs its own Nectir Workspace and its own Canvas LTI app. This ensures students only access their college’s Workspace. If you have five colleges, you’ll need five Nectir Workspaces and five LTI apps.

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Choose Your Setup Approach

How should students access Nectir AI?

Per-College Setup (Recommended)

Each college gets its own Workspace and LTI app. Students only see their college’s Nectir Workspace. Use this for most districts.

District-Wide Setup

All colleges share a single Workspace and LTI app. Only use this for district-wide Canvas courses that enroll students from all colleges.

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Per-College Setup

Repeat the following steps for each college in your district.
1

Install and Connect the App

Complete the setup steps above using the Nectir Workspace ID for the college you are setting up. The process is identical to a standard installation.
Use the Nickname field during installation to label each app (for example, Nectir AI - West College). This makes it easy to tell them apart in the Canvas Apps page.
2

Scope the App to the College Sub-Account

After installing and connecting the app, restrict it so it only appears within the correct college’s sub-account:
  1. In Canvas, go to Admin > Apps > Manage
  2. Select the Nectir AI app you just installed
  3. Go to Availability and Exceptions
  4. Ensure the root account is set to Not Available. If it shows as Available, select the pencil icon to edit it and change the visibility to Not Available
Canvas app details showing Nectir installed with Not Available status
  1. Select Add Exception
  2. Choose the sub-account for this college and set it to Available
Canvas Add Availability and Exceptions modal showing a sub-account set to Available
  1. Select Save
3

Verify the Setup

Access a course within the college’s sub-account and confirm that Nectir AI appears and connects to the correct Workspace.
4

Repeat

Repeat steps 1–3 for each remaining college in your district.

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District-Wide Setup

If your district runs Canvas courses that enroll students from all colleges and you want a single shared Workspace, follow the setup steps in Canvas LTI Setup once at the district root level and enable the app for the root account. You don’t need sub-account scoping.
Use a dedicated district-level Nectir Workspace for this setup — do not reuse a Nectir Workspace that belongs to a specific college. Installing at the district root means students from all colleges will be added to that Workspace. If you need help creating or adjusting your Workspaces, contact support@nectir.io.

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Troubleshooting

If you’re experiencing issues with your Canvas integration: For Canvas-specific problems: go to Canvas Integration Issues for help with:
  • Assistant doesn’t appear in Canvas course
  • Login prompts when accessing through Canvas
  • Connection confirmation issues
  • Course linking problems
For general browser problems: go to Browser & Display Issues for help with:
  • Pages not loading correctly
  • Broken layouts or missing buttons
  • Cache and cookie issues
  • Browser compatibility problems
For other issues: contact support at support@nectir.io