Flows custom apps is a pro-code product. Builder certification expects proficiency with an agentic coding tool (Cursor or Claude Code strongly preferred) and working familiarity with Cognite Data Fusion (CDF). Confirm your tooling and access before starting.
Certification scope and validity
- Who it covers: Individual builders (internal, partner, or customer) who complete the Flows custom apps training path.
- What it covers: Authorization to build Flows custom apps in customer environments. Production deployments additionally require Application certification per app.
- Validity: Six months from the date you complete the certification path.
How to get certified
To get certified, follow the certification path: Attend the Cognite Academy course → attend the hands-on enablement session → get certified.1
Confirm prerequisites
Before you start, make sure you have:
- An enterprise license to Cursor, Claude Code, or another agentic coding tool.
- Access to a CDF project where you can build (a dev or test project is fine).
- Familiarity with the Cognite SDK and CDF data modeling concepts.
Customer builders reach certification through the Flows Enablement Session. Contact your Cognite representative to schedule.
2
Complete the pre-work
Before the enablement session, finish:
- The Flows Foundations Academy course.
- The persona-matched upskilling material your Cognite representative sends you (depends on whether you’re a solution architect, app developer, dashboard creator, platform owner, or operational subject matter expert (SME)).
3
Attend the hands-on enablement session
Join the on-site Flows enablement session. The session facilitator re-covers the theory at the start, then you spend the rest of the time building on real use cases using the certification skills (
/flows-app-brief, /flows-code-review, /flows-design-review) end-to-end.4
Complete the learning path
The session facilitator completes the learning path at the end of the session. You receive a badge and certificate valid for six months.
Once the session facilitator completes your learning path, you’re a certified Flows custom apps builder for six months. You can build Flows custom apps across customer projects. Every production deployment still requires a separate Application certification per app, even when you’re an active certified builder.
Projects with Dev status don’t need Cognite’s app certification signature, but you must still add a developer signature before you publish. Builder certification doesn’t remove that step. See Signatures required to publish.
Recertification
To maintain active status, recertify before your six-month certification expires. Recertification is self-serve: re-take the latest Academy course and refresh your hands-on work against the current Flows custom apps template and skills.Troubleshooting common issues
Do I get certified just by attending a session?
Do I get certified just by attending a session?
No, attendance alone isn’t enough. Certification is granted when the session facilitator completes your learning path at the end of the enablement session, after you’ve finished the Academy pre-work and the hands-on building.
Is there a self-serve path to Builder certification today?
Is there a self-serve path to Builder certification today?
For initial certification, no. Customer builders go through the Flows Enablement Session as the single supported path. Recertification is self-serve once your initial certification is in place.
Can I use demo or mock data during the session?
Can I use demo or mock data during the session?
No. The app you build during the enablement session must operate against live CDF data so the certification skills produce meaningful reports and the session facilitator can assess your work properly.
Is Builder certification enough to publish to production?
Is Builder certification enough to publish to production?
No. Builder certification authorizes you to build Flows custom apps in production environments. Each app you publish to a production project still needs application certification so Cognite can issue the app certification signature (
.cert.sig). Projects with Dev status skip this signature, but you must still add a developer signature before you publish. See Signatures required to publish.What if I miss the certification deadline?
What if I miss the certification deadline?
Recertify by re-taking the latest Academy course and refreshing your hands-on work. Contact your Cognite representative if you’ve been out of practice for an extended period and want a refresher session.
Further reading
- Application certification — Required for every Flows custom app published to a production project.
- Dev status — Skip application certification on non-production projects.
- Code signing — Sign bundles with a developer signature.
- Flows custom apps quality guidelines — The 10 design quality questions the design review skill scores against.
- Builder skills — How the certification skills are delivered and refreshed.
- Building Flows custom applications — Template capabilities and tooling overview.