Quantum OpenQASM Assistant — VS Code Extension
VS Code / Cursor extension for IBM Quantum — run OpenQASM 2.0 .qasm circuits on real quantum hardware via the Model Context Protocol (MCP). Quantum Lab panel, job polling, histogram results, Diagnostics UI, and one-click MCP registration for Cursor, VS Code, Bob & Antigravity.
Publisher: markusvankempen · Extension ID: quantum-openqasm-assistant · NPM MCP: @markusvankempen/quantum-openqasm-mcp
Search terms: vscode quantum extension · openqasm vscode · ibm quantum vscode · quantum lab · submit qasm · mcp quantum · cursor quantum · bell state hardware
Features
| Feature |
Description |
| Quantum Lab |
Interactive panel with built-in example circuits |
| Load / Save circuits |
Open and save OpenQASM 2.0 .qasm files from Quantum Lab |
| Submit .qasm files |
One-click submit from the editor title bar |
| Live job polling |
Auto-polls job status every 15s with elapsed time |
| Histogram results |
Measurement counts visualized as a bar chart with Bell-state fidelity |
| Ask AI prompts |
Circuit-writing and MCP tool prompts sent to IDE AI chat |
| MCP local/remote |
Connects to a local spawned server or a remote SSE URL |
| Multi-IDE MCP setup |
One-click register quantum-openqasm-mcp in Cursor, VS Code, Bob & Antigravity |
| Diagnostics panel |
Test auth, backends, and save all settings from the UI |
Quick Start
1. Install
code --install-extension quantum-openqasm-assistant-1.7.0.vsix
Or install from the Extensions Marketplace by searching Quantum OpenQASM Assistant (publisher: markusvankempen).
Open Settings (Cmd+,) and search quantumAssistant, or use Quantum: Open Diagnostics Panel from the sidebar.
| Setting |
Description |
ibmApiKey |
IBM Cloud API Key — cloud.ibm.com/iam/apikeys |
ibmServiceCrn |
Service CRN from your IBM Quantum instance |
ibmEndpoint |
Default: https://us-east.quantum-computing.cloud.ibm.com |
defaultBackend |
ibm_fez / ibm_marrakesh / ibm_kingston |
mcpMode |
local (spawn server.js) or remote (SSE URL) |
remoteMcpUrl |
Remote MCP endpoint (when mcpMode = remote) |
3. Use
- Click the ⚛ atom icon in the Activity Bar → Open Quantum Lab
- Select an example circuit (Bell State, GHZ, etc.) or paste your own
- Click ▶ Run on Hardware
- Results appear as a histogram once the job completes
Commands
| Command |
Description |
Quantum: Open Quantum Lab |
Open the main Quantum Lab panel |
Quantum: Submit Current OpenQASM File |
Submit the active .qasm editor file |
Quantum: Check Job Status |
Fetch results for a known job ID |
Quantum: Open Diagnostics Panel |
Configure credentials and test connection |
Quantum: Setup MCP (Cursor / VS Code / Bob / Antigravity) |
Register npm MCP in all supported AI IDEs (VS Code inputs prompts) |
Quantum: Update MCP npm Package |
Install latest @markusvankempen/quantum-openqasm-mcp from npm |
Quantum: Load OpenQASM 2.0 Circuit |
Open a .qasm file into the editor and Quantum Lab |
Quantum: Save OpenQASM 2.0 Circuit |
Save the active .qasm file or circuit from Quantum Lab |
MCP Server
By default the extension uses @markusvankempen/quantum-openqasm-mcp from npm (global install or npx) for Quantum Lab and submit. Set quantumAssistant.useNpmMcp = false to use bundled out/server.js instead. For remote deployments, set mcpMode = remote and provide a remoteMcpUrl.
Standalone npm package (stdio MCP, no UI):
npx @markusvankempen/quantum-openqasm-mcp
Docs: npm package README · GitHub
AI IDE MCP integration (Cursor, VS Code, Bob, Antigravity)
Use Quantum: Setup MCP (sidebar or Diagnostics panel) to register quantum-openqasm-mcp in all supported IDEs.
Development
cd extension
npm install
node esbuild.js # dev bundle → out/
node esbuild.js --production # minified, no sourcemaps (for publish)
npm run package # → quantum-openqasm-assistant-<version>.vsix
Publish (Marketplace & Open VSX)
From the extension/ directory after a production build:
# 1. Bump version in package.json, then:
npm run bundle:production
# 2. Package VSIX
npm run package
# 3a. VS Code Marketplace (publisher: markusvankempen)
npx @vscode/vsce login markusvankempen
npm run publish:vsce
# 3b. Open VSX (Cursor / VSCodium)
npx ovsx login
npm run publish:ovsx
# or: npx ovsx publish quantum-openqasm-assistant-<version>.vsix --no-dependencies
VSIX must include: out/extension.js, out/server.js, scripts/run-mcp-server.mjs, media/, docs/, resources/, LICENSE, README.md.
Repository: github.com/markusvankempen/quantum-openqasm-assistant
Topics & keywords
vscode-extension · quantum-computing · openqasm · qasm · ibm-quantum · quantum-lab · quantum-circuit · mcp · model-context-protocol · cursor · ibm-bob · antigravity · job-polling · histogram · bell-state · qiskit · quantum-hardware · ai-assistant
Author: Markus van Kempen
Email: markus.van.kempen@gmail.com · mvk@ca.ibm.com
Website: markusvankempen.github.io
No bug too small, no syntax too weird.
