The Virtual Network Trifecta: NetClaw Now Supports GNS3, CML, and ContainerLab

Network engineers love choice. Some swear by Cisco Modeling Labs (CML) for its polished Cisco device support. Others prefer ContainerLab’s lightweight, container-based approach. And many have years of experience with GNS3’s flexible, open-source platform.

With the addition of GNS3 MCP server support, NetClaw now speaks all three languages — giving you the freedom to build virtual network labs in whichever framework fits your workflow.

Why Three Platforms?

Each network virtualization platform has its strengths:

Cisco Modeling Labs (CML)

Official Cisco images with full feature parity
Integrated with Cisco DevNet and CML-Personal licenses
Best for Cisco-centric environments

ContainerLab

Lightning-fast container-based nodes
Declarative YAML topology definitions
Ideal for CI/CD pipelines and rapid prototyping

GNS3

Open-source with massive community
Supports QEMU, Docker, VirtualBox, and VMware
Flexible compute server architecture (local or remote)

Now NetClaw can orchestrate labs across all three — using natural language.

What We Built: GNS3 MCP Server

The GNS3 MCP server provides 23 tools organized into 5 skills:

gns3-project-lifecycle

Create, open, close, delete, clone, and export/import GNS3 projects (labs).

gns3-node-operations

Add devices from templates, start/stop/suspend/reload nodes, access consoles, isolate nodes for testing.

gns3-link-management

Connect devices together, list links, delete links, build complete topologies.

gns3-packet-capture

Start and stop packet captures on any link, retrieve PCAP files for analysis.

gns3-snapshot-ops

Save and restore lab state — perfect for training scenarios or risky config changes.

Natural Language Lab Management

With GNS3 skills loaded, you can tell NetClaw:

"Create a new GNS3 lab called bgp-testing"
"Add two Cisco IOSv routers to the lab"
"Connect router1 eth0 to router2 eth0"
"Start all nodes"
"Capture traffic on the link between router1 and router2"
"Create a snapshot called baseline before I break everything"

NetClaw handles the REST API calls, UUID resolution, and error handling — you focus on the network design.

Setting Up GNS3 with NetClaw

Option 1: Fresh Install via install.sh

If you’re setting up NetClaw from scratch, the install script handles everything:

git clone https://github.com/automateyournetwork/netclaw.git
cd netclaw
./install.sh

During setup, provide your GNS3 server details when prompted, or set them in your .env file:

GNS3_URL=http://your-gns3-server:3080
GNS3_USER=admin
GNS3_PASSWORD=your-password

Option 2: Adding to Existing NetClaw

Already running NetClaw? Add GNS3 support in three steps:

Step 1: Add environment variables

Edit your .env file (or export directly):

# GNS3 Configuration
GNS3_URL=http://your-gns3-server:3080
GNS3_USER=admin
GNS3_PASSWORD=your-password

Step 2: Register the MCP server

Add to your config/openclaw.json under the "mcpServers" section:

"gns3": {
  "command": "python",
  "args": ["-m", "mcp_servers.gns3_mcp_server"],
  "env": {
    "GNS3_URL": "${GNS3_URL}",
    "GNS3_USER": "${GNS3_USER}",
    "GNS3_PASSWORD": "${GNS3_PASSWORD}"
  }
}

Step 3: Restart NetClaw

The GNS3 MCP server will connect on startup and verify connectivity.

GNS3 Server Requirements

GNS3 version 2.2.0 or later (REST API v3)
REST API enabled and accessible over the network
Node templates pre-configured (Cisco IOSv, Arista vEOS, etc.)
Compute resources available (local QEMU or remote Docker/VirtualBox/VMware)

Lab-Only Operations

Like CML and ContainerLab skills, GNS3 operations are designated lab-only — no ServiceNow Change Request gating required. This is intentional: virtual labs are isolated environments for testing, training, and proof-of-concept work.

All operations are still recorded in NetClaw’s GAIT audit trail for session traceability.

The Complete Picture

With GNS3 joining CML and ContainerLab, NetClaw now offers:

Capability	CML	ContainerLab	GNS3
Project/Lab Management	Yes	Yes	Yes
Node Operations	Yes	Yes	Yes
Link Management	Yes	Yes	Yes
Packet Capture	Yes	Yes	Yes
Snapshots	Yes	No	Yes
Topology Export	Yes	Yes	Yes

Mix and match based on your needs — or use all three in different scenarios.

What’s Next

The GNS3 MCP server is available now in the netclaw repository on the 012-gns3-mcp-server branch. Pull request incoming to main.

Future enhancements may include:

Cross-platform topology conversion (CML to GNS3 and back)
Unified lab inventory across all three platforms
Template synchronization between environments

This post documents the GNS3 MCP server milestone — completing NetClaw’s virtual network trifecta. Built collaboratively by John Capobianco and Claude.

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