Cudaq Guide
NVIDIAOfficialCreated by CUDA-Q TeamDistributed by NVIDIA
- Skill
- Tool integration
- Software development
- Apache-2.0
- Medium risk
AutoGineer summary
Written by AutoGineer from the skill’s own files, not by the author
The CUDA-Q Guide provides comprehensive support for developers working with NVIDIA's CUDA-Q programming model. It covers the full lifecycle of quantum development, including environment setup for Python and C++, selection of simulation targets (GPU-accelerated or CPU-only), and integration with real QPU hardware. The skill also offers deep-dive assistance for authoring @cudaq.kernel code, including execution API selection, kernel-language constraints, and debugging common compilation or runtime issues.
What it does
- Walks users through CUDA-Q installation and validation on various platforms.
- Assists in selecting appropriate simulation backends, including multi-GPU and tensor-network targets.
- Provides best practices for authoring and debugging Python @cudaq.kernel code.
- Guides users through connecting to and executing jobs on real QPU hardware providers.
- Explains how to parallelize quantum workloads across GPUs or QPUs.
- Offers troubleshooting steps for common import, compilation, and execution errors.
When to use it
- When setting up a new CUDA-Q development environment on Linux, macOS, or WSL.
- When you need to write or debug a quantum kernel using the @cudaq.kernel decorator.
- When choosing between simulation backends like qpp-cpu or NVIDIA GPU-accelerated targets.
- When preparing to submit quantum circuits to external QPU hardware providers.
- When optimizing quantum workloads for multi-GPU or distributed execution.
Advantages
- Provides version-aware guidance for CUDA-Q 0.14 and 0.15 APIs.
- Centralizes documentation for both onboarding and advanced kernel authoring.
- Helps avoid common pitfalls like incorrect execution API selection or kernel-language violations.
- Streamlines the process of configuring provider-specific QPU access.
Usage examples
- “/cudaq-guide install”
- The agent provides step-by-step installation instructions for Python or C++, followed by a validation test using a Bell-state kernel.
- “/cudaq-guide author”
- The agent explains how to structure a kernel, select the correct execution API (e.g., sample vs. observe), and debug common compiler issues.
- “/cudaq-guide qpu”
- The agent initiates a dialogue to identify the target QPU technology and guides the user through secure credential configuration.
- “/cudaq-guide gpu-sim”
- The agent helps the user select the optimal simulation backend based on their hardware availability and performance requirements.
Install
Download the skill as a ZIP:
https://autogineer.com/agent-skills/nvidia/cudaq-guide/downloadUnzip it into the cross-client skills folder of your project:
mkdir -p .agents/skills && unzip cudaq-guide.zip -d .agents/skills
Documentation by CUDA-Q Team
CUDA-Q Guide
Purpose
Guide users through CUDA-Q installation, basic kernels, GPU simulation targets,
QPU access, built-in applications, multi-GPU execution, and Python
@cudaq.kernel authoring. For Qiskit-to-CUDA-Q ports, route to the
cudaq-importing skill instead.
Prerequisites
Python 3.10+ for Python CUDA-Q workflows.
CUDA Toolkit and an NVIDIA GPU for GPU-accelerated targets on Linux.
CPU-only simulation is available through
qpp-cpu; macOS is CPU-only.C++ workflows require Linux or WSL and C++20.
QPU workflows require provider-specific credentials and accounts.
Instructions
Invoke with
/cudaq-guide [argument].If no argument is given, display the onboarding menu and ask which topic the user wants.
Use the routing table below to choose the relevant reference file.
Read local CUDA-Q documentation files when the answer depends on a specific CUDA-Q version or backend behavior.
Do not answer Qiskit porting questions from this skill; use
cudaq-importing.
Routing by Argument
| Argument | Action | Reference |
|---|---|---|
install | Walk through Python or C++ installation and validation. | references/onboarding.md |
test-program | Build and run a Bell-state kernel. | references/onboarding.md |
gpu-sim | Select GPU, multi-GPU, tensor-network, or CPU targets. | references/onboarding.md |
qpu | Guide provider selection and credential-safe QPU setup. | references/onboarding.md |
applications | Summarize CUDA-Q application areas and notebooks. | references/onboarding.md |
parallelize | Choose mgpu, mqpu, async dispatch, or distributed observe. | references/onboarding.md |
author | Author CUDA-Q Python kernels, select execution APIs, and debug compiler issues. | references/authoring.md |
| (none) | Print the menu below and ask which topic to explore. | This file |
Menu
CUDA-Q Getting Started
CUDA-Q is NVIDIA's unified quantum-classical programming model for CPUs, GPUs, and QPUs.
Supports Python and C++. Docs: https://nvidia.github.io/cuda-quantum/latest/
Choose a topic:
/cudaq-guide install Install CUDA-Q
/cudaq-guide test-program Write and run a Bell-state kernel
/cudaq-guide gpu-sim Accelerate simulation on NVIDIA GPUs
/cudaq-guide qpu Connect to real QPU hardware
/cudaq-guide applications Explore what you can build
/cudaq-guide parallelize Run across GPUs or QPUs
/cudaq-guide author Author @cudaq.kernel Python codeReference Files
references/onboarding.md: installation, test program, GPU targets, QPU providers, application areas, parallelization modes, examples, and platform troubleshooting.
references/authoring.md: execution APIs, kernel-language constraints, silent-failure pitfalls, recurring coding patterns, resource metrics, debugging, and validation.
Limitations
Guidance targets CUDA-Q Python/C++ workflows, with authoring details focused on decorator-mode Python APIs used in CUDA-Q 0.14 and 0.15.
GPU and multi-GPU support depends on local CUDA-Q, CUDA Toolkit, driver, MPI, and hardware availability.
QPU access and target options are provider-specific and may change; verify against local docs before giving operational steps.
Troubleshooting
Import error after
pip install cudaq: check Python 3.10+ and supported OS.No GPU detected: verify CUDA Toolkit and
nvidia-smi; fall back toqpp-cpu.Kernel compile error: read references/authoring.md and check the restricted kernel-language subset.
Version-specific behavior differs: compare
cudaq.__version__with the latest documentation, then review relevant documentation or source changes when debugging an installed version that is not the latest release.QPU submission fails: verify provider credentials are set as environment variables or through a secrets manager, never hardcoded.
Documentation lookup fails: retry transient MCP or repository lookup once, then fall back to local docs or official CUDA-Q documentation.
Files
- ATTRIBUTION.mdAdded by AutoGineer896 B
- BENCHMARK.md9.2 KiB
- LICENSELicence file added by AutoGineer11.2 KiB
- SKILL.md4.9 KiB
- evals/EVAL.md1.9 KiB
- evals/config.yml962 B
- evals/evals.json9.2 KiB
- references/authoring.md19.6 KiB
- references/onboarding.md8.0 KiB
- skill-card.md3.9 KiB
- skill.oms.sig5.4 KiB
BENCHMARK.md
Skill Benchmark: cudaq-guide
✅ Overall verdict: PASS — Recommended for publication
Publication Recommendation
Recommended for publication based on the completed evaluation evidence in this report.
Evaluation Metadata
Skill:
cudaq-guideEvaluation date: 2026-09-11
Evaluator version:
1.5.6Agents: Claude Code (
aws/anthropic/bedrock-claude-opus-4-8), Codex (openai/openai/gpt-5.5)Tasks: 13 evaluation tasks (10 positive, 3 negative)
Dataset digest:
sha256:7884d2878ed008a3969a7668a02fb2f9fda8e70495368a69ca8bf4ce1f6071dd(skill-evaluator-dataset-snapshot/1)Attempts per task: 3
Environment:
k8s-sandboxTier 2 evidence: required for publication
Tier 3 evidence: required for publication
Each task attempt ran in its own isolated sandbox pod.
What This Report Answers
The three-tier evaluation checks whether the skill:
is safe to use;
produces correct answers;
is discovered and activated when needed;
helps the agent complete the user's goal and expected workflow; and
avoids wasted skill and tool usage.
Results at a Glance
| Measure | Claude Code (Baseline → Skill Uplift) | Codex (Baseline → Skill Uplift) |
|---|---|---|
| Overall | 93.6% — baseline ran, but no comparable score was available; uplift unavailable | 89.2% — baseline ran, but no comparable score was available; uplift unavailable |
| Security | 100.0% → 100.0% (±0.0 points) | 85.7% → 92.3% (+6.6 points) |
| Correctness | 92.3% → 98.5% (+6.2 points) | 90.0% → 98.5% (+8.5 points) |
| Discoverability | 97.5% — baseline ran, but no comparable score was available; uplift unavailable | 92.0% — baseline ran, but no comparable score was available; uplift unavailable |
| Effectiveness | 69.2% → 79.9% (+10.7 points) | 66.0% → 86.1% (+20.1 points) |
| Efficiency | 91.9% — baseline ran, but no comparable score was available; uplift unavailable | 77.1% — baseline ran, but no comparable score was available; uplift unavailable |
How to read this table: baseline is the same task attempted without the target skill. Scores are rounded to one decimal; threshold-adjacent values use additional precision so their displayed band matches the verdict. Uplift is derived from those displayed scores and shown in percentage points.
Example: 47.0% → 92.0% (+45.0 points) means the skill-assisted run scored 92.0%, 45.0 percentage points above its 47.0% no-skill baseline.
A partial dimension was calculated from only the available configured signals; review the detailed report before relying on it.
Token Usage
Actual Tier 3 execution usage is reported for every observed agent/case pair and both conditions.
| Agent | Dataset case | With skill | Without skill | Delta | Change | Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| claude-code | All cases | 1,666,118 | 1,251,598 | +414,520 | +33.12% | skill 13/13; base 13/13 |
| claude-code | cudaq-guide-applications-001 | 96,575 | 30,095 | +66,480 | +220.90% | skill 1/1; base 1/1 |
| claude-code | cudaq-guide-author-adjoint-001 | 103,562 | 65,498 | +38,064 | +58.11% | skill 1/1; base 1/1 |
| claude-code | cudaq-guide-author-api-001 | 102,254 | 30,416 | +71,838 | +236.18% | skill 1/1; base 1/1 |
| claude-code | cudaq-guide-author-constraint-001 | 102,286 | 133,926 | -31,640 | -23.62% | skill 1/1; base 1/1 |
| claude-code | cudaq-guide-gpu-sim-001 | 96,542 | 31,244 | +65,298 | +208.99% | skill 1/1; base 1/1 |
| claude-code | cudaq-guide-install-001 | 96,783 | 31,099 | +65,684 | +211.21% | skill 1/1; base 1/1 |
| claude-code | cudaq-guide-neg-001 | 29,099 | 29,092 | +7 | +0.02% | skill 1/1; base 1/1 |
| claude-code | cudaq-guide-neg-002 | 29,417 | 29,600 | -183 | -0.62% | skill 1/1; base 1/1 |
| claude-code | cudaq-guide-neg-003 | 155,890 | 191,018 | -35,128 | -18.39% | skill 1/1; base 1/1 |
| claude-code | cudaq-guide-parallelize-001 | 96,696 | 31,451 | +65,245 | +207.45% | skill 1/1; base 1/1 |
| claude-code | cudaq-guide-qpu-001 | 171,868 | 162,627 | +9,241 | +5.68% | skill 1/1; base 1/1 |
| claude-code | cudaq-guide-route-qiskit-001 | 137,822 | 124,365 | +13,457 | +10.82% | skill 1/1; base 1/1 |
| claude-code | cudaq-guide-test-program-001 | 447,324 | 361,167 | +86,157 | +23.86% | skill 1/1; base 1/1 |
| codex | All cases | 1,861,622 | 1,290,210 | N/A | N/A | skill 13/13; base 14/14 |
| codex | cudaq-guide-applications-001 | 59,610 | 32,305 | +27,305 | +84.52% | skill 1/1; base 1/1 |
| codex | cudaq-guide-author-adjoint-001 | 64,364 | 94,709 | N/A | N/A | skill 1/1; base 2/2 |
| codex | cudaq-guide-author-api-001 | 45,999 | 24,417 | +21,582 | +88.39% | skill 1/1; base 1/1 |
| codex | cudaq-guide-author-constraint-001 | 46,233 | 44,952 | +1,281 | +2.85% | skill 1/1; base 1/1 |
| codex | cudaq-guide-gpu-sim-001 | 78,984 | 17,935 | +61,049 | +340.39% | skill 1/1; base 1/1 |
| codex | cudaq-guide-install-001 | 75,783 | 37,171 | +38,612 | +103.88% | skill 1/1; base 1/1 |
| codex | cudaq-guide-neg-001 | 13,272 | 13,234 | +38 | +0.29% | skill 1/1; base 1/1 |
| codex | cudaq-guide-neg-002 | 13,380 | 13,308 | +72 | +0.54% | skill 1/1; base 1/1 |
| codex | cudaq-guide-neg-003 | 532,599 | 598,297 | -65,698 | -10.98% | skill 1/1; base 1/1 |
| codex | cudaq-guide-parallelize-001 | 50,307 | 25,488 | +24,819 | +97.38% | skill 1/1; base 1/1 |
| codex | cudaq-guide-qpu-001 | 87,178 | 46,231 | +40,947 | +88.57% | skill 1/1; base 1/1 |
| codex | cudaq-guide-route-qiskit-001 | 46,712 | 44,623 | +2,089 | +4.68% | skill 1/1; base 1/1 |
| codex | cudaq-guide-test-program-001 | 747,201 | 297,540 | +449,661 | +151.13% | skill 1/1; base 1/1 |
| ALL AGENTS | Dataset aggregate | 3,527,740 | 2,541,808 | N/A | N/A | skill 26/26; base 27/27 |
Prompt tokens include cached reads, so total tokens are prompt + completion (cached is not added twice). The Efficiency score uses (prompt - cached) + completion. N/A means the relevant trajectory counters were not available; coverage is never estimated.
Tier Status
| Tier | Purpose | Status | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | Static validation | PASSED WITH OBSERVATIONS | 11 validator(s); 4 finding(s) |
| Tier 2 | Semantic deduplication | PASSED | 2 validator(s); 0 finding(s) |
| Tier 3 | Live agent evaluation | PASS | 2 agent(s); 13 task(s) |
Findings and Observations
<details> <summary>Show detailed findings and successful checks</summary>
MEDIUM SCHEMA/frontmatter_field_placement: Root field 'author' is ignored; use 'metadata.author' (
skills/cudaq-guide/SKILL.md)MEDIUM SCHEMA/frontmatter_field_placement: Root field 'tags' is ignored; use 'metadata.tags' (
skills/cudaq-guide/SKILL.md)MEDIUM SCHEMA/frontmatter_field_placement: Root field 'version' is ignored; use 'metadata.version' (
skills/cudaq-guide/SKILL.md)MEDIUM SCHEMA/body_recommended_section: Missing recommended section: '## Examples' (
skills/cudaq-guide/SKILL.md)
</details>
Scoring Methodology
<details> <summary>Show dimension definitions, source signals, and thresholds</summary>
| Dimension | Question | Scored signals |
|---|---|---|
| Security | Is it safe to use? | security (100%) |
| Correctness | Is the answer correct? | accuracy (100%) |
| Discoverability | Was the right skill loaded when needed? | skill_execution (100%) |
| Effectiveness | Did the skill help complete the task? | goal_accuracy (50%) + behavior_check (50%) |
| Efficiency | Did it avoid wasted tool calls and token usage? | skill_efficiency (50%) + token_efficiency (50%) |
Dimension bands: PASS at 50% or above; NEUTRAL from 40% to below 50%; FAIL below 40%.
Overall Tier 3 lift: PASS at +5 points or more; FAIL at -10 points or less; values between those bands are NEUTRAL.
Overall verdict: PASS only when every configured dimension passes for at least one supported agent. Lift is reported as diagnostic evidence and does not override this gate.
The 50% attempt pass threshold is a separate per-task gate; it is not the dimension pass threshold.
Effectiveness is the equal-weight mean of goal completion (
goal_accuracy) and expected workflow adherence (behavior_check).Efficiency is 50% tool-call productivity (the backward-compatible
skill_efficiencywire id) and 50%token_efficiency. Positive-case skill routing is scored under Discoverability, not Efficiency; a negative case without a routing target is N/A. N/A sources are omitted, remaining weights are renormalized, and the dimension is marked partial.
Signals present in this run:
security(Security): unsafe operations, secret leakage, and unauthorized access.skill_execution(Skill Execution): whether the expected skill was selected, decoys were avoided, and the workflow executed.skill_efficiency(Tool Productivity): tool-call productivity (legacy wire id; routing is scored under Discoverability).accuracy(Accuracy): final-answer correctness against the reference answer.goal_accuracy(Goal Accuracy): whether the user's goal was achieved.behavior_check(Behavior Check): whether the expected workflow behavior was followed.token_efficiency(Token Efficiency): actual uncached prompt plus completion usage (50% of Efficiency).
</details>
Freshness
Regenerate this benchmark when the skill, evaluation dataset, target agent/model, evaluator version, environment, or scoring policy changes.
Requirements and compatibility
Works with: Claude Code, Claude apps, OpenAI Codex, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Kiro, OpenCode, Goose, Amp, Roo Code, JetBrains Junie, Factory Droid, Devin (ex-Windsurf), Mistral Vibe, OpenHands, Letta
“Works with” means the tool reads the open Agent Skills format; a skill written for one tool may use features others lack.
Needs: Needs Python
The author says: Python 3.10+, C++ 20
Security
What our scanner noticed· Medium risk
- Large base64-encoded blobs
- Instructions that use the network
A static scan is not a guarantee. Skills are third-party content: review a skill before you let an agent use it.
Attribution and licence
- Created by
- CUDA-Q Team
- Publisher
- NVIDIA (Official)
- Distributed by
- NVIDIA
- Source
- NVIDIA/skills · skills/cudaq-guide · commit fce3cca
- Licence
- Apache License 2.0 (redistribution allowed)
- LICENSE (added by AutoGineer from LICENSE-APACHE)
- ATTRIBUTION.md (written by AutoGineer)
- Synced
AutoGineer is not affiliated with or endorsed by CUDA-Q Team or NVIDIA.
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Download ZIP
The ZIP holds the skill’s files, its licence files and an ATTRIBUTION.md. Download cudaq-guide.zip