I Connected Claude AI to My GNS3 Lab (Full Setup)
Documentation:
1. MCP server: https://github.com/mithun2k5/GNS3-MCP...
2. Packages and configuration: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1p...
In this video, I connect Claude Desktop to GNS3 using a custom MCP (Model Context Protocol) server, so I can query and control a live virtual network lab directly through natural language. You'll see the full architecture, from Claude Desktop running on a Mac, through a local Python MCP server, over HTTP to a GNS3 controller managing Cisco routers inside a virtual lab.
This tutorial walks through installing Python 3.12 in a virtual environment, installing the mcp, httpx and telnetlib3 packages, configuring the claude_desktop_config.json file to register the MCP server, and verifying the connection to the GNS3 API. I also demo real prompts, asking Claude Desktop to list the nodes in my lab, check their status, and describe how the routers are cabled together.
What you'll learn: what an MCP server is and how Claude Desktop uses it; how to build a local Python MCP server that talks to the GNS3 API; how to configure Claude Desktop to register a custom MCP server; how to verify connectivity between Claude Desktop, the MCP server and GNS3; and how to ask Claude Desktop natural-language questions about a live GNS3 topology.
Ideal for network engineers, CCNA/CCNP students, and AI enthusiasts combining Claude AI with GNS3 for hands-on labs and automation.
#GNS3 #ClaudeDesktop #MCPServer #ClaudeAI #NetworkAutomation #CCNA #CiscoRouters #modelcontextprotocol