Canva Automation

# Canva Automation via Rube MCP

Automate Canva design operations through Composio's Canva toolkit via Rube MCP.

Prerequisites

- Rube MCP must be connected (RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS available)

- Active Canva connection via `RUBE_MANAGE_CONNECTIONS` with toolkit `canva`

- Always call `RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS` first to get current tool schemas

Setup

**Get Rube MCP**: Add `https://rube.app/mcp` as an MCP server in your client configuration. No API keys needed — just add the endpoint and it works.

1. Verify Rube MCP is available by confirming `RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS` responds

2. Call `RUBE_MANAGE_CONNECTIONS` with toolkit `canva`

3. If connection is not ACTIVE, follow the returned auth link to complete Canva OAuth

4. Confirm connection status shows ACTIVE before running any workflows

Core Workflows

1. List and Browse Designs

**When to use**: User wants to find existing designs or browse their Canva library

**Tool sequence**:

1. `CANVA_LIST_USER_DESIGNS` - List all designs with optional filters [Required]

**Key parameters**:

- `query`: Search term to filter designs by name

- `continuation`: Pagination token from previous response

- `ownership`: Filter by 'owned', 'shared', or 'any'

- `sort_by`: Sort field (e.g., 'modified_at', 'title')

**Pitfalls**:

- Results are paginated; follow `continuation` token until absent

- Deleted designs may still appear briefly; check design status

- Search is substring-based, not fuzzy matching

2. Create and Design

**When to use**: User wants to create a new Canva design from scratch or from a template

**Tool sequence**:

1. `CANVA_ACCESS_USER_SPECIFIC_BRAND_TEMPLATES_LIST` - Browse available brand templates [Optional]

2. `CANVA_CREATE_CANVA_DESIGN_WITH_OPTIONAL_ASSET` - Create a new design [Required]

**Key parameters**:

- `design_type`: Type of design (e.g., 'Presentation', 'Poster', 'SocialMedia')

- `title`: Name for the new design

- `asset_id`: Optional asset to include in the design

- `width` / `height`: Custom dimensions in pixels

**Pitfalls**:

- Design type must match Canva's predefined types exactly

- Custom dimensions have minimum and maximum limits

- Asset must be uploaded first via CANVA_CREATE_ASSET_UPLOAD_JOB before referencing

3. Upload Assets

**When to use**: User wants to upload images or files to Canva for use in designs

**Tool sequence**:

1. `CANVA_CREATE_ASSET_UPLOAD_JOB` - Initiate the asset upload [Required]

2. `CANVA_FETCH_ASSET_UPLOAD_JOB_STATUS` - Poll until upload completes [Required]

**Key parameters**:

- `name`: Display name for the asset

- `url`: Public URL of the file to upload (for URL-based uploads)

- `job_id`: Upload job ID returned from step 1 (for status polling)

**Pitfalls**:

- Upload is asynchronous; you MUST poll the job status until it completes

- Supported formats include PNG, JPG, SVG, MP4, GIF

- File size limits apply; large files may take longer to process

- The `job_id` from CREATE returns the ID needed for status polling

- Status values: 'in_progress', 'success', 'failed'

4. Export Designs

**When to use**: User wants to download or export a Canva design as PDF, PNG, or other format

**Tool sequence**:

1. `CANVA_LIST_USER_DESIGNS` - Find the design to export [Prerequisite]

2. `CANVA_CREATE_CANVA_DESIGN_EXPORT_JOB` - Start the export process [Required]

3. `CANVA_GET_DESIGN_EXPORT_JOB_RESULT` - Poll until export completes and get download URL [Required]

**Key parameters**:

- `design_id`: ID of the design to export

- `format`: Export format ('pdf', 'png', 'jpg', 'svg', 'mp4', 'gif', 'pptx')

- `pages`: Specific page numbers to export (array)

- `quality`: Export quality ('regular', 'high')

- `job_id`: Export job ID for polling status

**Pitfalls**:

- Export is asynchronous; you MUST poll the job result until it completes

- Download URLs from completed exports expire after a limited time

- Large designs with many pages take longer to export

- Not all formats support all design types (e.g., MP4 only for animations)

- Poll interval: wait