CertPepper

Adaptive CLI study tool for IT certification exams — FSRS spaced repetition meets AI-powered explanations.

Quick Start · Why CertPepper? · Features · MCP Integration · Content Format · Contributing

Security+ in 10 Days →

Quick Start

# Clone and install
git clone https://github.com/cert-pepper/cert-pepper.git && cd cert-pepper
cp .env.example .env          # add ANTHROPIC_API_KEY for AI explanations
uv sync

# Set up a database and start studying
uv run cert-pepper db init
uv run cert-pepper ingest     # loads the bundled Security+ content
uv run cert-pepper study

Or open the repo in Claude Code and ask it to generate a question bank for any exam:

Set up a question bank for the CISSP exam

See MCP Integration to enable the servers.

Why CertPepper?

Most study tools — Anki, Quizlet, flashcard apps — treat every question the same. CertPepper adapts:

• FSRS-4.5 spaced repetition schedules reviews at optimal intervals based on your recall history — the same core algorithm behind Anki, tuned for exam prep.
• Bayesian Knowledge Tracing estimates mastery per domain and steers new questions toward your weakest areas, weighted by how much each domain counts on the real exam.
• AI explanations break down wrong answers with domain-specific context via Claude (MCP sampling in Claude Code, or the Anthropic API in CLI mode).
• Domain-weighted scoring predicts your exam score using actual exam weights, with a conservative prior for unseen material.
• MCP integration — study inside Claude Code with three servers for content, study sessions, and analytics.

Features

Command	What it does
cert-pepper study	Adaptive study session — picks questions based on your weak spots
cert-pepper study --domain 4 --count 15	Target a specific domain
cert-pepper study --new-questions	Focus on unseen material
cert-pepper exam	90-question timed mock exam with countdown
cert-pepper progress	Dashboard: domain accuracy, predicted score, pass probability, study streak
cert-pepper goal set --exam-date 2026-03-09	Set exam date, get a paced study calendar
cert-pepper pregenerate	Batch-generate AI explanations (requires API key)
cert-pepper db init	Create/reset the SQLite database
cert-pepper ingest	Parse markdown content into the DB
cert-pepper upgrade	Apply schema migrations and refresh content

No guarantees. Predicted scores and pass probabilities are estimates based on practice performance — not predictions of real exam outcomes.

MCP Integration

Three STDIO MCP servers are registered in .mcp.json:

Server	Purpose
cert-pepper-study	Start sessions, submit answers, get due cards
cert-pepper-content	Search questions, get explanations, look up acronyms
cert-pepper-analytics	Predict score, find weak areas, study recommendations

Enable them in Claude Code by adding enableAllProjectMcpServers: true to .claude/settings.local.json.

In Claude Code, explanations use MCP sampling — no ANTHROPIC_API_KEY needed.

Adding Your Own Exam

1. Create a content directory in CertPepper's markdown format.
2. Set CONTENT_ROOT=/path/to/your/content in .env.
3. Run cert-pepper db init and cert-pepper ingest.

The examples/security-plus/ directory is a complete reference implementation with 228 questions, 135 flashcards, and 262 acronyms.

Configuration

Variable	Default	Description
DB_PATH	./cert_pepper.db	SQLite database path
CONTENT_ROOT	./examples/security-plus	Root of your exam content
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY	—	Required for CLI AI explanations (study, pregenerate). Not needed in Claude Code.
HAIKU_MODEL	claude-haiku-4-5-20251001	Model for AI explanations
SONNET_MODEL	claude-sonnet-4-6	Model for MCP sampling
DEFAULT_SESSION_SIZE	10	Questions per study session
MASTERY_THRESHOLD	0.85	BKT mastery cutoff

Repository Layout

cert-pepper/
├── cert_pepper/          — Python source (CLI, MCP servers, algorithms)
│   ├── cli/              — Typer commands
│   ├── mcp/              — Three FastMCP STDIO servers
│   ├── engine/           — FSRS, BKT, selector, scorer (pure Python)
│   ├── ingestion/        — Markdown parsers
│   ├── ai/               — Anthropic client + explainer
│   └── db/               — SQLAlchemy async engine + schema
├── tests/                — pytest suite
├── examples/
│   └── security-plus/    — Security+ SY0-701 exam content
└── docs/
    ├── security-plus-in-10-days.md — 10-day Security+ study guide
    └── content-format.md — Format spec for your own exam content

Worked Example

The examples/security-plus/ directory contains a complete Security+ SY0-701 exam prep set:

• 5 domains of notes
• 135 flashcards
• 228 practice questions across all 5 domains
• 262 acronyms

See Security+ in 10 Days for a step-by-step guide.

Contributing

See CONTRIBUTING.md for setup instructions, workflow, and PR guidelines.

License

MIT