Qiskit IBM Runtime MCP Server

A comprehensive Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides AI assistants with access to IBM Quantum computing services through Qiskit IBM Runtime. This server enables quantum circuit creation, execution, and management directly from AI conversations.

People connecting this server to Claude, Cursor, VS Code, or another MCP client. The project is written in Python.

One of 5 MCP servers published from qiskit/mcp-servers. Stars and repository activity are shared across all of them. See all 5 →

VERIFIED ACTIVE

LAST COMMIT 2026-07-13 · VERIFIED 2026-08-25

Apache-2.0 · Python servers · how we verify → /methodology

01 · Install Qiskit IBM Runtime MCP Server

before you install - you'll need

Set QISKIT_IBM_TOKEN, QISKIT_IBM_RUNTIME_MCP_INSTANCE before connecting.

Claude Code

claude mcp add qiskit-mcp-servers-qiskit-ibm-runtime-mc -- uvx qiskit-ibm-runtime-mcp-server

Claude Desktop / Cursor / VS Code - add to config

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "qiskit-mcp-servers-qiskit-ibm-runtime-mc": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "qiskit-ibm-runtime-mcp-server"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Same JSON for Cursor. For VS Code, rename the top-level key from `mcpServers` to `servers`.

Using another client? Same JSON, different key

Claude Desktop · mcpServers

Cursor · mcpServers

VS Code · servers

Windsurf · mcpServers

Zed · context_servers

Cline · mcpServers

Roo Code · mcpServers

Continue · mcpServers

LibreChat · mcpServers

Gemini CLI · mcpServers

Codex CLI · mcp_servers

Full setup guides: every client.

02 · Evidence

Security posture

What to check before giving this server access to your agent - from the registry, GitHub, and our own probes. We don't score safety; we show what's verifiable.

runs as local process (stdio) - runs on your machine with your user's permissions

license Apache-2.0 - declared in the repository

pypi package qiskit-ibm-runtime-mcp-server - check the name against the project README before installing (PyPI has no namespace ownership)

registry namespace io.github.Qiskit is GitHub-verified and matches the repo owner

03 · What Qiskit IBM Runtime MCP Server can do

Prose above is summarized from the project's README and registry record - no invented capabilities.

Latest releases

meta-v0.12.0 · 2026-07-13

Add top_k and snippets options for search_docs_tool · upgrade fastmcp to >=3.2.0 to resolve CVE-2026-32871 (CVSS 10.0) · Add backward compatibility for search_docs_tool tool · New Contributors · @eltonjohnfanboy made…

docs-v0.3.0 · 2026-07-13

Add top_k and snippets options for search_docs_tool · upgrade fastmcp to >=3.2.0 to resolve CVE-2026-32871 (CVSS 10.0) · Add backward compatibility for search_docs_tool tool · New Contributors · @eltonjohnfanboy made…

gym-v0.4.1 · 2026-07-13

upgrade fastmcp to >=3.2.0 to resolve CVE-2026-32871 (CVSS 10.0)

04 · Who maintains Qiskit IBM Runtime MCP Server

Qiskit IBM Runtime MCP Server is maintained by qiskit. We track 6 MCP servers from qiskit - 6 actively maintained, 39 combined GitHub stars, oldest repo from Sep 2025. Full record: all servers from qiskit.

  1. Qiskit MCP Server MCP server for Qiskit quantum computing with circuit serialization utilities ★ 39
  2. Qiskit Gym MCP Server MCP server for qiskit-gym reinforcement learning quantum circuit synthesis ★ 39
  3. Qiskit IBM Transpiler MCP Server MCP server for AI Transpiler IBM Quantum services ★ 39
  4. Qiskit Documentation MCP Server MCP server for querying and retrieving Qiskit documentation, guides, and API references ★ 39

05 · Facts

repository
github.com/qiskit/mcp-servers
website
https://github.com/Qiskit/mcp-servers/tree/main/qiskit-ibm-runtime-mcp-server
category
other - actively maintained as of 2026-08-25.
registry
io.github.Qiskit/qiskit-ibm-runtime-mcp-server (active, first published 2026-02-04 · 5 versions)
packages
pypi:qiskit-ibm-runtime-mcp-server

06 · Qiskit IBM Runtime MCP Server FAQ

What is Qiskit IBM Runtime MCP Server?

A comprehensive Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides AI assistants with access to IBM Quantum computing services through Qiskit IBM Runtime. This server enables quantum circuit creation, execution, and management directly from AI conversations.

Is Qiskit IBM Runtime MCP Server still maintained?

Yes - as of 2026-08-25, its last commit was 2026-07-13. We re-verify nightly.

How do I install Qiskit IBM Runtime MCP Server?

Run `uvx qiskit-ibm-runtime-mcp-server`. The README documents 2 environment variables (QISKIT_IBM_TOKEN, QISKIT_IBM_RUNTIME_MCP_INSTANCE) to set first. Set QISKIT_IBM_TOKEN, QISKIT_IBM_RUNTIME_MCP_INSTANCE before connecting. You can also paste the ready-made client config above.

Does Qiskit IBM Runtime MCP Server run locally?

Yes - it's a stdio server: it runs on your machine (via uvx) with your user's permissions. Your data stays local unless the server itself calls external APIs.

07 · Alternatives to Qiskit IBM Runtime MCP Server

Alternatives to Qiskit IBM Runtime MCP Server

Maintained other servers if Qiskit IBM Runtime MCP Server isn't the fit.

  1. Heyputer MCP Server Puter MCP enables AI tools to interact with Puter: manage files, websites, workers, and more ★ 43,204 · 2026-08-24
  2. Server Commands An MCP server to run arbitrary commands ★ 38,704 · 2026-08-05
  3. Zotero MCP (54yyyu) Search, read, annotate, and add to your Zotero research library, local or web. ★ 4,780 · 2026-08-25
  4. Firebase MCP Gives AI development tools Firebase-specific capabilities and expertise. ★ 4,460 · 2026-08-25
  5. Microsoft Fabric MCP Server MCP tools for interacting with Microsoft Fabric ★ 3,598 · 2026-08-21
  6. Ship Swift 40+ production-ready SwiftUI recipes for building full-stack iOS apps via MCP. ★ 2,968 · 2026-08-09

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