Never Miss a Canvas Discussion Topic Launch
A new discussion topic just opened in Canvas but you won't see it unless you check. Notis posts a Slack reminder when topics launch so you can jump in while momentum is high—without obsessively monitoring Canvas.
Trigger
New Canvas Discussion Topic
Polls a Canvas course for new discussion topics.
Action
Create a reminder
Creates a slack reminder with specified text and time; time accepts unix timestamps, seconds from now, or natural language (e.g., 'in 15 minutes', 'every thursday at 2pm').
Why this helps
By the time you notice a new discussion topic in Canvas, half your classmates have already weighed in and the conversation feels closed. You miss the chance to contribute meaningfully or benefit from real-time peer exchange.
- Participate early while discussions are active
- Build community by engaging in real-time
- Never feel like you're joining a conversation too late
- Reminder ensures you actually check and respond
Setup
Build it in a few focused steps.
- 1Connect Canvas and Slack.
- 2Create Automation: Name ('Discussion Topics'), Prompt ('Remind me in Slack when new discussion topics open so I can participate early'), Channel (your personal channel), Trigger ('New Canvas Discussion Topic').
- 3You'll get a reminder in Slack the moment a topic is posted, with time to respond while discussion is fresh.
Questions about this workflow
Can I set different reminder times for different courses?
Yes—create separate automations for each course with different reminder timings.
What if I'm not ready to participate yet?
The reminder is just a heads-up. You can snooze it in Slack and revisit when ready.
Can I see the topic description in Slack?
Notis posts the topic and link; you can click directly to Canvas to see full details.
When this happens · Trigger
Do this · Action
Supported Triggers and Actions
Notis builds workflows that link Canvas to Slack. A trigger fires from one place; an action lands in another.
Canvas triggers
Slack actions
Canvas Assignment Graded
Polls Canvas for newly graded submissions for a specific assignment.
Set snooze duration
Deprecated: turns on do not disturb mode for the current user, or changes its duration. use `set dnd duration` instead.
New Canvas Assignment Submission
Polls Canvas for new submissions to a specific assignment.
Add a custom emoji to a Slack team
Deprecated: adds a custom emoji to a slack workspace given a unique name and an image url. use `add emoji` instead.
New Canvas Discussion Message
Polls Canvas discussion topics for new messages.
Add an emoji alias
Adds an alias for an existing custom emoji in a slack enterprise grid organization.
New Canvas Discussion Topic
Polls a Canvas course for new discussion topics.
Add a remote file
Adds a reference to an external file (e.g., google drive, dropbox) to slack for discovery and sharing, requiring a unique `external id` and an `external url` accessible by slack.
New Course Created for User
Polls Canvas for newly created courses for a specific user.
Add a star to an item
Stars a channel, file, file comment, or a specific message in slack.
New Canvas File Upload
Polls a Canvas course for new file uploads.
Add call participants
Registers new participants added to a slack call.
Add emoji
Adds a custom emoji to a slack workspace given a unique name and an image url; subject to workspace emoji limits.
Add reaction to message
Adds a specified emoji reaction to an existing message in a slack channel, identified by its timestamp; does not remove or retrieve reactions.
Connect any two apps with Notis in the middle.
Not just Canvas and Slack. Any combination from 985+ integrations.
When this happens · Trigger
Do this · Action
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