Canny MCP Server

A production-ready Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for Canny feedback management. Integrate Canny with any MCP-compatible AI client to manage customer feedback, prioritize features, and streamline your product development workflow using natural language.

Features

• 25 Comprehensive Tools - Full Canny API coverage for posts, comments, votes, users, categories, and Jira integration
• Token-Optimized - 70-90% reduction in response size vs raw API
• Jira Integration - Link posts to Jira issues seamlessly
• PM-Focused Prompts - Built-in workflows for weekly triage, sprint planning, and executive reporting
• Smart Pagination - Automatic cursor/skip handling
• Batch Operations - Efficient bulk updates for status changes and tagging
• Configurable - Flexible toolset selection and custom prompts
• Image Support: Add images to posts and comments
• ETA Management: Set and update ETAs with public/private visibility
• Owner Assignment: Assign post owners for accountability
• Company Tracking: Full company association with MRR/monthly spend
• Multi-Lookup: Find users by ID, email, or custom userID
• Company Filtering: Filter comments by company
• Status Changes: Required changerID for audit trails

Prerequisites

• Node.js v18.18+, v20.9+, or v22+ (LTS versions recommended)
  • ⚠️ Note: Avoid Node v23 (non-LTS, unsupported by testing tools)
  • Use nvm for easy version management: nvm use
• npm v9 or higher (comes with Node.js)
• MCP Client - Any Model Context Protocol compatible client (e.g., Claude Code, Continue.dev, or custom implementations)
• Canny API Key - Get yours at canny.io/admin/settings/api

Installation

Step 1: Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/opensourceops/canny-mcp-server.git
cd canny-mcp-server

Step 2: Install Dependencies

npm install

Step 3: Build the Project

npm run build

Step 4: Get Your Canny Credentials

1. API Key: Visit canny.io/admin/settings/api
2. Board ID: Visit your Canny board and copy the ID from the URL
   • Example: https://ideas.harness.io/admin/board/feature-request
   • Board ID is in the URL path or use canny_list_boards after setup

Step 5: Configure Your MCP Client

Add the server to your MCP client's configuration. The exact method depends on your client:

Option A: Claude Code (via CLI)

claude mcp add --transport stdio canny \
  --env CANNY_API_KEY=your_api_key_here \
  --env CANNY_DEFAULT_BOARD=your_board_id_here \
  --env CANNY_CONFIG_PATH=$(pwd)/config/default.json \
  -- $(which node) $(pwd)/dist/index.js

Option B: Manual Configuration

Add to your MCP client's config file:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "canny": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/canny-mcp-server/dist/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "CANNY_API_KEY": "your_api_key_here",
        "CANNY_DEFAULT_BOARD": "your_board_id_here",
        "CANNY_CONFIG_PATH": "/absolute/path/to/canny-mcp-server/config/default.json"
      }
    }
  }
}

Replace:

• your_api_key_here with your Canny API key
• your_board_id_here with your board ID
• /absolute/path/to/canny-mcp-server with the actual path

Step 6: Restart Your MCP Client

Completely quit and restart your MCP client for changes to take effect.

Step 7: Verify Installation

In your MCP client, ask:

Can you list the available Canny tools?

You should see a list of 25 tools including canny_list_posts, canny_create_post, canny_update_post, canny_add_vote, etc.

Quick Test

Try these commands in your MCP client:

Show me the latest feature requests from Canny

Get details for Canny post ID: <your-post-id>

Available Tools

Discovery (4 tools)

• canny_list_boards - List all boards
• canny_list_categories - List categories
• canny_list_tags - List available tags
• canny_list_companies - List companies

Posts (7 tools)

• canny_list_posts - List posts with filters
• canny_get_post - Get detailed post info
• canny_create_post - Create new post with images, ETA, owner
• canny_update_post - Update post details, title, description, ETA, images
• canny_update_post_status - Change post status with notifications
• canny_change_category - Move post to different category
• canny_create_category - Create new board category

Engagement (6 tools)

• canny_list_comments - List post comments with company filtering
• canny_create_comment - Add comment with image support
• canny_delete_comment - Remove comment
• canny_list_votes - List votes
• canny_add_vote - Add vote
• canny_remove_vote - Remove vote

Users (3 tools)

• canny_find_or_create_user - Get or create user with company associations
• canny_get_user_details - Get user info by ID, email, or userID
• canny_link_company - Link user to company with MRR tracking

Jira (2 tools)

• canny_link_jira_issue - Link Jira issue to post
• canny_unlink_jira_issue - Unlink Jira issue

Batch Operations (3 tools)

• canny_batch_update_status - Update multiple post statuses
• canny_batch_tag - Tag multiple posts
• canny_batch_merge - Merge duplicate posts

Configuration

Tool Modes

By default, the server runs in readonly mode. To enable write operations:

Edit config/default.json:

{
  "server": {
    "toolMode": "all"  // Enable all tools including write operations
  }
}

Rebuild after changes:

npm run build

Available modes:

• "readonly" - Only read operations (default, safe)
• "all" - All tools including write operations
• "posts,engagement" - Specific toolsets (comma-separated)

Custom Prompts

Add custom PM workflows by editing config/default.json:

{
  "prompts": [
    {
      "name": "my_workflow",
      "description": "My custom workflow",
      "template": "Analyze feedback and..."
    }
  ]
}

See docs/PROMPT_CONFIGURATION.md for details.

Documentation

• Quick Start Guide - Get started quickly
• Prompt Configuration - Configure custom prompts
• Toolset Guide - Understand toolsets and modes
• Custom Prompts - Advanced prompt examples

Troubleshooting

API Key Issues

Test your API key:

curl https://canny.io/api/v1/boards/list --data apiKey=YOUR_API_KEY

Should return your boards list.

Tools Not Working

1. Rebuild after config changes:

   npm run build

2. Restart your MCP client completely (quit and reopen)

3. Check toolMode in config/default.json

4. Verify paths are absolute in your MCP client configuration

npm Install Warnings

EBADENGINE Warnings (Node v23)

Symptoms:

npm warn EBADENGINE Unsupported engine {
  package: 'expect@30.2.0',
  required: { node: '^18.14.0 || ^20.0.0 || ^22.0.0 || >=24.0.0' }
}

Solution:

• Use Node.js LTS versions (18.18+, 20.9+, or 22+)
• Node v23 is non-LTS and unsupported by Jest
• Switch versions: nvm use 20 or nvm use 22
• Warnings are safe to ignore if you're on v23 (tests still pass)

Deprecated Package Warnings

Symptoms:

npm warn deprecated eslint@8.57.1: This version is no longer supported
npm warn deprecated glob@7.2.3: Glob versions prior to v9 are no longer supported

Impact:

• These are devDependencies (testing/linting only)
• Production runtime unaffected
• Will be resolved in upcoming dependency updates

What to do:

• ✅ Safe to ignore for now
• ✅ All tests pass (104/104)
• ✅ Build succeeds
• 📋 Planned update to ESLint v9 and modern tooling

Security

• Never commit .env files or API keys to Git
• Use readonly mode for general use
• Enable write mode only when needed
• Keep your CANNY_API_KEY secret

Project Structure

canny-mcp/
├── src/                 # TypeScript source code
│   ├── index.ts        # Main entry point
│   ├── server.ts       # MCP server implementation
│   ├── api/            # Canny API client
│   ├── tools/          # MCP tools
│   ├── prompts/        # Built-in prompts
│   └── types/          # TypeScript definitions
├── config/
│   └── default.json    # Server configuration
├── docs/               # Documentation
├── dist/               # Compiled JavaScript (generated)
├── package.json
└── tsconfig.json

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please:

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Make your changes
4. Add tests if applicable
5. Submit a pull request

License

Apache 2.0 License - See LICENSE file for details

Support

• Issues: Report bugs and feature requests via GitHub Issues
• Documentation: See docs/ folder for detailed guides
• API Reference: Canny API Documentation

---

Built with ❤️ for Product Managers