Qiskit IBM Transpiler MCP Server — Claude Code MCP server
An MCP server that hands your coding agent the Qiskit IBM transpiler: routing and AI synthesis passes for IBM Quantum backends. Useful when circuits must run on actual hardware.
claude mcp add qiskit-ibm-transpiler-mcp-server -e QISKIT_IBM_TOKEN=<QISKIT_IBM_TOKEN> -- uvx qiskit-ibm-transpiler-mcp-serverWhat Qiskit IBM Transpiler MCP Server does
The server exposes transpiler tools to an agent. Routing inserts SWAP operations so two-qubit gates fit the coupling map of the chosen backend. After that come the synthesis passes: AI Clifford, AI Linear Function, AI Permutation and AI Pauli Network. Everything speaks QASM 3.0.
Input can be a QASM 3.0 string or base64-encoded QPY. Output is QPY, which keeps chained passes precise. Account setup is a separate tool: pass the IBM Quantum token as a parameter, set it in QISKIT_IBM_TOKEN, or rely on credentials saved in ~/.qiskit/qiskit-ibm.json. Saved credentials mean you can skip that step.
Python 3.10 through 3.14 is required, along with qiskit-ibm-transpiler 0.15.0 and fastmcp 2.12.4 or newer. No IBM Quantum token, no synthesis: both routing and synthesis run on IBM's service, not on your machine.
What it helps with
- fit two-qubit gates to a backend's coupling map
- run a Clifford circuit through AI synthesis in QASM 3.0
- chain transpiler passes without losing precision via QPY
- set up IBM Quantum access from inside the agent chat
- check synthesis output against a backend such as
ibm_fez
Example prompts for the agent
- Synthesize this Clifford circuit for
ibm_fez:OPENQASM 3.0; include "stdgates.inc"; qubit[3] q; h q[0]; cx q[0], q[1]; s q[2]; - Route this circuit for the backend first, then run AI Clifford synthesis on the QPY output
- Set up my IBM Quantum account with the token in
QISKIT_IBM_TOKENand confirm access works
How to install Qiskit IBM Transpiler MCP Server
Platform CLI
claude mcp add qiskit-ibm-transpiler-mcp-server -e QISKIT_IBM_TOKEN=<QISKIT_IBM_TOKEN> -- uvx qiskit-ibm-transpiler-mcp-serverReplace <…> with your own values. uvx runs the command named after the package; if the README names another one, use uvx --from qiskit-ibm-transpiler-mcp-server <command>
Platform CLI
codex mcp add qiskit-ibm-transpiler-mcp-server --env QISKIT_IBM_TOKEN=<QISKIT_IBM_TOKEN> -- uvx qiskit-ibm-transpiler-mcp-serverReplace <…> with your own values. uvx runs the command named after the package; if the README names another one, use uvx --from qiskit-ibm-transpiler-mcp-server <command>
Config file
{
"mcpServers": {
"qiskit-ibm-transpiler-mcp-server": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": [
"qiskit-ibm-transpiler-mcp-server"
],
"env": {
"QISKIT_IBM_TOKEN": "<QISKIT_IBM_TOKEN>"
}
}
}
}Replace <…> with your own values. uvx runs the command named after the package; if the README names another one, use uvx --from qiskit-ibm-transpiler-mcp-server <command>
Config file
{
"servers": {
"qiskit-ibm-transpiler-mcp-server": {
"type": "stdio",
"command": "uvx",
"args": [
"qiskit-ibm-transpiler-mcp-server"
],
"env": {
"QISKIT_IBM_TOKEN": "<QISKIT_IBM_TOKEN>"
}
}
}
}Replace <…> with your own values. uvx runs the command named after the package; if the README names another one, use uvx --from qiskit-ibm-transpiler-mcp-server <command>
Platform CLI
gemini mcp add -e QISKIT_IBM_TOKEN=<QISKIT_IBM_TOKEN> qiskit-ibm-transpiler-mcp-server uvx qiskit-ibm-transpiler-mcp-serverReplace <…> with your own values. uvx runs the command named after the package; if the README names another one, use uvx --from qiskit-ibm-transpiler-mcp-server <command>
Step by step, with commands for each platform: How to add an MCP server to Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, VS Code, Gemini CLI and more
Questions about Qiskit IBM Transpiler MCP Server
How do I install Qiskit IBM Transpiler MCP Server in Claude Code?
Run claude mcp add qiskit-ibm-transpiler-mcp-server -e QISKIT_IBM_TOKEN=<QISKIT_IBM_TOKEN> -- uvx qiskit-ibm-transpiler-mcp-server with your IBM Quantum token in place of the placeholder.
What does Qiskit IBM Transpiler MCP Server do?
It gives an agent Qiskit IBM transpiler tools: circuit routing against a backend's coupling map, plus AI synthesis for Clifford, Linear Function, Permutation and Pauli Network passes. Circuits go in and out as QASM 3.0 or QPY.
What do I need before it works?
Python 3.10 to 3.14, the qiskit-ibm-transpiler==0.15.0 and fastmcp>=2.12.4 packages, and an IBM Quantum token in QISKIT_IBM_TOKEN or in stored credentials.
