Canva

Canva Skill

Create, export, and manage Canva designs via the Connect API.

When to Use

• -"Create an Instagram post about [topic]"
• -"Export my Canva design as PNG"
• -"List my recent designs"
• -"Create a carousel from these points"
• -"Upload this image to Canva"

Prerequisites

1. Create a Canva Integration:

- Go to https://www.canva.com/developers/

- Create a new integration

- Get your Client ID and Client Secret

2. Set Environment Variables:

   export CANVA_CLIENT_ID="your_client_id"

   export CANVA_CLIENT_SECRET="your_client_secret"
   

3. Authenticate (first time):

Run the auth flow to get access tokens (stored in ~/.canva/tokens.json)

API Base URL

https://api.canva.com/rest/v1

Authentication

Canva uses OAuth 2.0. The skill handles token refresh automatically.

Get access token (stored in ~/.canva/tokens.json)
ACCESS_TOKEN=$(cat ~/.canva/tokens.json | jq -r '.access_token')

Core Operations

List Designs

curl -s "https://api.canva.com/rest/v1/designs" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $ACCESS_TOKEN" | jq .

Get Design Details

curl -s "https://api.canva.com/rest/v1/designs/{designId}" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $ACCESS_TOKEN" | jq .

Create Design from Template

curl -X POST "https://api.canva.com/rest/v1/autofills" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $ACCESS_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "brand_template_id": "TEMPLATE_ID",
    "data": {
      "title": {"type": "text", "text": "Your Title"},
      "body": {"type": "text", "text": "Your body text"}
    }
  }'

Export Design

Start export job
curl -X POST "https://api.canva.com/rest/v1/exports" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $ACCESS_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "design_id": "DESIGN_ID",
    "format": {"type": "png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080}
  }'

Check export status
curl -s "https://api.canva.com/rest/v1/exports/{jobId}" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $ACCESS_TOKEN" | jq .

Upload Asset

curl -X POST "https://api.canva.com/rest/v1/asset-uploads" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $ACCESS_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/octet-stream" \
  -H 'Asset-Upload-Metadata: {"name": "my-image.png"}' \
  --data-binary @image.png

List Brand Templates

curl -s "https://api.canva.com/rest/v1/brand-templates" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $ACCESS_TOKEN" | jq .

Export Formats

| Format | Options |

|--------|---------|

| PNG | width, height, lossless |

| JPG | width, height, quality (1-100) |

| PDF | standard, print |

| MP4 | (for video designs) |

| GIF | (for animated designs) |

Common Workflows

Create Instagram Post

1. List brand templates: GET /brand-templates

2. Find Instagram post template

3. Autofill with content: POST /autofills

4. Export as PNG 1080x1080: POST /exports

5. Download the exported file

Create Carousel

1. Create multiple designs using autofill

2. Export each as PNG

3. Combine for posting

Batch Export

1. List designs: GET /designs

2. Loop through and export each

3. Download all files

Rate Limits

• -Most endpoints: 100 requests/minute
• -Upload/Export: 30 requests/minute

Error Handling

Common errors:

• -401 - Token expired, refresh needed
• -403 - Missing required scope
• -429 - Rate limit exceeded
• -404 - Design/template not found

Scopes Required

• -design:content:read - Read designs
• -design:content:write - Create/modify designs
• -asset:read - Read assets
• -asset:write - Upload assets
• -brandtemplate:content:read - Read brand templates

Tips

1. Use Brand Templates - Pre-designed templates are faster than creating from scratch

2. Batch Operations - Group exports to avoid rate limits

3. Cache Template IDs - Store commonly used template IDs locally

4. Check Job Status - Exports are async; poll until complete

Resources

• -[Canva Connect API Docs](https://www.canva.dev/docs/connect/)
• -[OpenAPI Spec](https://www.canva.dev/sources/connect/api/latest/api.yml)
• -[Starter Kit](https://github.com/canva-sdks/canva-connect-api-starter-kit)

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