diff --git a/clab/clab.go b/clab/clab.go
index a5be8a06f..88c94ba30 100644
--- a/clab/clab.go
+++ b/clab/clab.go
@@ -1170,11 +1170,6 @@ func (c *CLab) Version(ctx context.Context) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
-// Inspect the given topology
-func (c *CLab) Inspect(ctx context.Context) error {
-	return nil
-}
-
 // Save configuration of the given topology nodes
 func (c *CLab) Save(ctx context.Context) error {
 	return nil
@@ -1186,8 +1181,53 @@ func (c *CLab) Graph(ctx context.Context) error {
 }
 
 // Exec execute commands on running topology nodes
-func (c *CLab) Exec(ctx context.Context) error {
-	return nil
+func (c *CLab) Exec(ctx context.Context, cmds []string, options *ExecOptions) (*exec.ExecCollection, error) {
+
+	err := links.SetMgmtNetUnderlayingBridge(c.Config.Mgmt.Bridge)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	cnts, err := c.ListContainers(ctx, options.filters)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	// make sure filter returned containers
+	if len(cnts) == 0 {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("filter did not match any containers")
+	}
+
+	// prepare the exec collection and the exec command
+	resultCollection := exec.NewExecCollection()
+
+	// build execs from the string input
+	var execCmds []*exec.ExecCmd
+	for _, execCmdStr := range cmds {
+		execCmd, err := exec.NewExecCmdFromString(execCmdStr)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+		execCmds = append(execCmds, execCmd)
+	}
+
+	// run the exec commands on all the containers matching the filter
+	for _, cnt := range cnts {
+		// iterate over the commands
+		for _, execCmd := range execCmds {
+			// execute the commands
+			execResult, err := cnt.RunExec(ctx, execCmd)
+			if err != nil {
+				// skip nodes that do not support exec
+				if err == exec.ErrRunExecNotSupported {
+					continue
+				}
+			}
+			resultCollection.Add(cnt.Names[0], execResult)
+		}
+	}
+
+	return resultCollection, nil
 }
 
 // Configure topology nodes
diff --git a/clab/exec_options.go b/clab/exec_options.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e6c099469
--- /dev/null
+++ b/clab/exec_options.go
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+package clab
+
+import "github.com/srl-labs/containerlab/types"
+
+type ExecOptions struct {
+	filters []*types.GenericFilter
+}
+
+func NewExecOptions(filters []*types.GenericFilter) *ExecOptions {
+	return &ExecOptions{
+		filters: []*types.GenericFilter{},
+	}
+}
+
+func (e *ExecOptions) AddFilters(f ...*types.GenericFilter) {
+	e.filters = append(e.filters, f...)
+}
diff --git a/cmd/exec.go b/cmd/exec.go
index 046dbe5aa..c35112550 100644
--- a/cmd/exec.go
+++ b/cmd/exec.go
@@ -13,7 +13,6 @@ import (
 	"github.com/srl-labs/containerlab/clab"
 	"github.com/srl-labs/containerlab/clab/exec"
 	"github.com/srl-labs/containerlab/labels"
-	"github.com/srl-labs/containerlab/links"
 	"github.com/srl-labs/containerlab/runtime"
 	"github.com/srl-labs/containerlab/types"
 )
@@ -33,6 +32,10 @@ var execCmd = &cobra.Command{
 }
 
 func execFn(_ *cobra.Command, _ []string) error {
+
+	ctx, cancel := context.WithCancel(context.Background())
+	defer cancel()
+
 	if len(execCommands) == 0 {
 		return errors.New("provide command to execute")
 	}
@@ -63,23 +66,15 @@ func execFn(_ *cobra.Command, _ []string) error {
 		clab.WithDebug(debug),
 	)
 
-	c, err := clab.NewContainerLab(opts...)
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
+	if name != "" {
+		opts = append(opts, clab.WithLabName(name))
 	}
 
-	err = links.SetMgmtNetUnderlayingBridge(c.Config.Mgmt.Bridge)
+	c, err := clab.NewContainerLab(opts...)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 
-	ctx, cancel := context.WithCancel(context.Background())
-	defer cancel()
-
-	if name == "" {
-		name = c.Config.Name
-	}
-
 	var filters []*types.GenericFilter
 
 	if len(labelsFilter) != 0 {
@@ -91,45 +86,7 @@ func execFn(_ *cobra.Command, _ []string) error {
 		filters = append(filters, types.FilterFromLabelStrings(labFilter)...)
 	}
 
-	// list all containers using global runtime using provided filters
-	cnts, err := c.GlobalRuntime().ListContainers(ctx, filters)
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-
-	// make sure filter returned containers
-	if len(cnts) == 0 {
-		return fmt.Errorf("filter did not match any containers")
-	}
-
-	// prepare the exec collection and the exec command
-	resultCollection := exec.NewExecCollection()
-
-	// build execs from the string input
-	var execCmds []*exec.ExecCmd
-	for _, execCmdStr := range execCommands {
-		execCmd, err := exec.NewExecCmdFromString(execCmdStr)
-		if err != nil {
-			return err
-		}
-		execCmds = append(execCmds, execCmd)
-	}
-
-	// run the exec commands on all the containers matching the filter
-	for _, cnt := range cnts {
-		// iterate over the commands
-		for _, execCmd := range execCmds {
-			// execute the commands
-			execResult, err := cnt.RunExec(ctx, execCmd)
-			if err != nil {
-				// skip nodes that do not support exec
-				if err == exec.ErrRunExecNotSupported {
-					continue
-				}
-			}
-			resultCollection.Add(cnt.Names[0], execResult)
-		}
-	}
+	resultCollection, err := c.Exec(ctx, execCommands, clab.NewExecOptions(filters))
 
 	switch outputFormat {
 	case exec.ExecFormatPlain:
diff --git a/cmd/inspect.go b/cmd/inspect.go
index cc84df094..37607a6c5 100644
--- a/cmd/inspect.go
+++ b/cmd/inspect.go
@@ -50,6 +50,10 @@ func inspectFn(_ *cobra.Command, _ []string) error {
 		fmt.Println("provide either a lab name (--name) or a topology file path (--topo) or the --all flag")
 		return nil
 	}
+
+	ctx, cancel := context.WithCancel(context.Background())
+	defer cancel()
+
 	opts := []clab.ClabOption{
 		clab.WithTimeout(timeout),
 		clab.WithRuntime(rt,
@@ -69,23 +73,20 @@ func inspectFn(_ *cobra.Command, _ []string) error {
 		)
 	}
 
+	if name != "" {
+		opts = append(opts, clab.WithLabName(name))
+	}
+
 	c, err := clab.NewContainerLab(opts...)
 	if err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("could not parse the topology file: %v", err)
 	}
 
-	if name == "" {
-		name = c.Config.Name
-	}
-
-	ctx, cancel := context.WithCancel(context.Background())
-	defer cancel()
-
 	var containers []runtime.GenericContainer
 
 	// if the topo file is available, use it
 	if topo != "" {
-		containers, err = c.listNodesContainers(ctx)
+		containers, err = c.ListContainers(ctx, nil)
 		if err != nil {
 			return fmt.Errorf("failed to list containers: %s", err)
 		}