Qiskit IBM Runtime MCP Server
Run and manage IBM Quantum workloads through Qiskit IBM Runtime from your agent without juggling tokens and instance CRNs in every script.
Overview
Qiskit IBM Runtime MCP Server is a MCP server for the Build phase that connects your agent to IBM Quantum services through Qiskit IBM Runtime with token-based auth.
What is this MCP server?
- MCP access to IBM Quantum computing services via Qiskit IBM Runtime (version 0.6.0)
- Requires QISKIT_IBM_TOKEN secret for authentication to IBM Quantum
- Optional QISKIT_IBM_RUNTIME_MCP_INSTANCE CRN to skip instance lookup at startup
- stdio transport with uvx and PyPI package qiskit-ibm-runtime-mcp-server
- Official Qiskit monorepo subfolder with documented environment variables
- Server version 0.6.0; 1 PyPI package with stdio transport
- 2 documented environment variables: 1 required secret (QISKIT_IBM_TOKEN) and 1 optional instance CRN
- runtimeHint uvx on registryType pypi
Community signal: 28 GitHub stars.
What problem does it solve?
Switching between agent chat and bespoke Qiskit IBM Runtime scripts makes it hard to submit and track quantum jobs consistently.
Who is it for?
Builders who already have an IBM Quantum account and want agent-native job submission and runtime operations during product integration.
Skip if: Pure local simulation-only workflows with no IBM account, or beginners who are not ready to manage quantum API tokens and instances.
What do I get? / Deliverables
Once configured with your IBM token, your agent can drive Runtime-backed quantum jobs and instance-aware workflows without re-implementing the client each time.
- Agent-driven IBM Quantum Runtime job submission and service calls
- Authenticated stdio MCP bridge without embedding tokens in repository code
- Operational quantum integration you can chain after local Qiskit or transpiler steps
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Journey fit
Submitting and monitoring quantum jobs on IBM cloud is build-phase integration work that connects your product or experiments to managed quantum infrastructure. Integrations is the right shelf because this server wires your agent to IBM Quantum Runtime APIs rather than replacing frontend or docs work.
How it compares
IBM Quantum cloud MCP connector, not a local circuit editor skill or RL synthesis gym.
Common Questions / FAQ
Who is qiskit-ibm-runtime-mcp-server for?
It is for developers and indie researchers who use IBM Quantum and want Claude Code, Cursor, or similar agents to call Qiskit IBM Runtime over MCP.
When should I use qiskit-ibm-runtime-mcp-server?
Use it when you are building integrations that must execute circuits on IBM Quantum hardware or managed runtime services, not only on your laptop simulator.
How do I add qiskit-ibm-runtime-mcp-server to my agent?
Add the stdio MCP entry with uvx package qiskit-ibm-runtime-mcp-server and set QISKIT_IBM_TOKEN; optionally set QISKIT_IBM_RUNTIME_MCP_INSTANCE to your instance CRN in your host MCP settings.