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Setup guide

Connect Canva

CreativeOAuthCanva developer docs ↗

Canva connects through OAuth 2.0. You authorize Modiva from Canva's own consent screen — Modiva then browses and creates designs, starts and tracks export jobs, and browses your folders through one unified API and MCP server. Canva access tokens are short-lived; Modiva stores a refresh token and renews access automatically so your connection stays healthy without you reconnecting.

Before you start

  • A Canva account.
  • Access to the Canva account whose designs you want to manage.

Step-by-step setup

  1. 1

    Sign in to Modiva

    Log in at modiva.ai and open the Dashboard. You need a Modiva account before you can connect any platform — creating one takes a minute and no credit card is required for the free tier.

  2. 2

    Open Connections → New connection

    In the left sidebar choose Connections, then click New connection. You'll see the full catalogue of platforms grouped by category (Social, Ads, CRM, E-commerce, Marketing, Creative, Productivity and Payments).

  3. 3

    Select Canva and authorize

    Click the Canva card. Modiva redirects you to Canva's official consent screen — sign in and approve the requested permissions. Your password is entered on Canva, never on Modiva.

  4. 4

    You're connected

    Canva sends you back to Modiva and the connection appears with a green Connected status. From here it's available to every MCP key and API call in your workspace. Modiva refreshes the short-lived token automatically in the background.

What Modiva can access

Canva shows the requested permissions on its consent screen before you approve. Modiva reads and creates designs, exports them to files and browses your folders. You can revoke access any time from Canva’s connected-apps settings or by disconnecting in Modiva.

  • Read your Canva profile identity
  • Read design metadata and content
  • Create designs and export them to files
  • Browse your folders

Troubleshooting & FAQ

Does Canva connect with OAuth or an API key?

With OAuth 2.0 (using PKCE), via the Canva Connect APIs. You authorize Modiva on Canva's own consent screen; Modiva only receives a scoped token, which is encrypted at rest with AES-256-GCM. Your password is never entered on Modiva.

How do design exports work?

Exports are asynchronous. Modiva starts an export job for a design (PNG, JPG, PDF, GIF, MP4 or PPTX) and then polls until it finishes, returning the download URLs. Large or multi-page designs simply take a little longer to complete.

Can Modiva create new Canva designs?

Yes — the Canva tools create designs from a preset type or from exact custom dimensions, and can list and read existing designs and browse folders.

My Canva token keeps refreshing — is that a problem?

No. Canva access tokens last about four hours by design. Modiva stores a refresh token and renews access automatically in the background, so you won't be asked to reconnect unless you revoke access in Canva.

How do I disconnect?

Open Connections, click the Canva row and choose Disconnect — Modiva deletes the stored token immediately. You can also revoke Modiva from your Canva account's connected-apps settings.

Need help with Canva?

Reach the team any time from our support page, or ask Fin, our AI support agent.