Use Canvas content with MCP
Use Glean's MCP tools to bring existing Canvas content into another AI app and save changes back to the same item in Glean. Each successful edit creates a new version while keeping the Library URL unchanged.
Work with Canvas content through the MCP tools, using search and read_document to find and read it. Canvas content isn't exposed as an MCP resource through resources/list. The tool names use artifact for content saved from Canvas to Library.
Prerequisites
- Connect your host to a Glean MCP server.
- Confirm that the server exposes
searchandread_document(the default Glean MCP server includes both tools). - For edit or sharing access, ask your admin to add the Artifacts toolset to the server, which includes
upload_artifact,update_artifact, andshare_artifact. The available tools can vary based on your organization's sharing settings. - Confirm that you own the Canvas content if you plan to edit or share it. People with view access can read the content but can't change it through MCP.
Admins and MCP Server Moderators can add the toolset when they create or edit an MCP server.
Read Canvas content
Use the Library URL when you know which Canvas item you need:
- Open the content in Canvas or Library and click Share → Copy link. Most links end with
/library/{artifact-id}. Meeting notes links end with/library/notes/{meeting-notes-id}. - Give the URL to your MCP host and ask it to use Glean to read the content.
- Continue your task in the host. The host uses
read_documentto retrieve the latest version as context.
For example:
Use Glean to read this Canvas content and use it as context for my next request:
https://app.glean.com/library/{artifact-id}
If you don't have the URL, ask the host to use search to find the item by title, creator, or topic, then use read_document on the result. Content shared by link without search visibility won't appear in search, so provide its Library URL directly.
Edit Canvas content
Have the host read the latest version immediately before it makes a change. For links that end with /library/{artifact-id}, the artifact ID required by update_artifact is the final segment.
Meeting notes links are different. The final segment in /library/notes/{meeting-notes-id} isn't an artifact ID. After the host uses read_document on the link, use the returned artifact ID for the notes or summary you want to update.
For example:
Use Glean to read https://app.glean.com/library/{artifact-id}.
Update the executive summary to include the launch date, keep all other sections unchanged,
and save the update to the same Canvas content.
The host calls read_document, makes the requested change, and passes the artifact ID and updated content to update_artifact. The edit creates a new version at the same Library URL.
update_artifact supports documents, email drafts, messages, interactive artifacts (HTML), meeting notes, images, spreadsheets, and slides.
For documents and other text-based content, update_artifact replaces the full body. Ask the host to read the current version immediately before editing and preserve everything outside the requested change.
update_artifact rejects an update if someone saves another change after the tool reads the current version and before the tool saves your update. It doesn't compare the update with the version from an earlier read_document call, so it doesn't automatically detect a change saved between those calls.
Permissions and sharing
Your MCP connection uses your Glean identity and permissions:
searchandread_documentreturn only content that you can viewupdate_artifactrequires you to own the Canvas contentupload_artifactsaves new content to your Library, with you as the ownershare_artifactrequires you to own the Canvas content and grants view access when your organization enables sharing
An MCP host can't use these tools to bypass Canvas permissions. Your organization must also enable Chat Sharing to use share_artifact.