CCNP Study Bot + CML Lab
In ProgressA self-hosted study engine that drills me on the CCNP Automation blueprint, paired with a Cisco Modeling Labs environment where the labs actually run. Built to turn a cert path into daily reps.
In progress. The cert is CCNP Automation (AUTOCOR + ENAUTO), and the blueprint reads like my homelab: CML, automation, APIs, and agents.
I didn’t want another watch-the-videos-and-forget-them cert grind, so I built the study around how I actually learn: reps, feedback, and labbing the real thing.
The study bot
A small Flask app I self-host that runs my study sessions. It pulls from the full CCNP Automation blueprint, weights what comes next by how weak I am on a topic and how long since I last saw it, and tracks mastery over time. Recall drills are graded in code so the feedback is instant, and it only calls the AI on the answers I actually miss. It runs on claude -p against a subscription I already have, so a study session costs me nothing extra.
The CML lab
The other half is Cisco Modeling Labs, where the topologies and automation run instead of living on a slide. The plan maps each blueprint domain to a lab I have to build and break: device APIs, model-driven programmability, CI/CD against network config, and agent-driven operations. The study bot forces a lab drill every week so I don’t drift into pure theory.
I’m working on a small RAM upgrade soon so I can run ISE, Catalyst, and SD-WAN in parallel, which opens up bigger automation and demo or proof-of-concept setups. The lab also runs a full monitoring stack, Grafana, Loki, Alloy and more, matching my home lab, and I’m building further into Splunk and ThousandEyes to keep deepening my grip on the Cisco portfolio.
Why it matters
The point is that the cert and the day job feed each other. The automation and API work on the blueprint is exactly where Cisco’s portfolio is heading, and building the study system taught me as much as the studying will.
Inside the build
