Open source · xarray · Qanary · QCoDeS · Quantify

Live plotting for quantum measurements

Browse, plot and annotate measurement data on disk, or while it is still being acquired.

Download Qimchi

v0.7.1Windows · macOS · Linux

All downloads →

Liveqimchi_logo.nc

Formats

Built on xarray: anything that opens as, or converts to, an xarray.Dataset can be plotted natively, and other formats need only a short custom loader. Files are read where they are on the disk.

Go live from your measurement loop

Measure with Qanary and each run will appear in Qimchi automatically. Code that returns an xarray.Dataset can be published with Qimchi-Connect, which has ready-made providers for QCoDeS and Quantify.

from qanary import measure
from qanary.sweep import Sweep

# The run appears in Qimchi's Live panel automatically.
measure.run(
    [
      Sweep(flux, -1e-3, 1e-3, num=201),
      Sweep(frequency, 7.25e9, 7.27e9, num=401),
    ],
    dependents=[s21],
    wafer_id="W12",
    device_type="resonator",
    sample_name="chip-Q3",
    experiment_name="resonator_flux",
    station=station,
)

from qimchi_connect import QCoDeSSnapshotProvider, live_measurement

with meas.run() as datasaver:
    live = QCoDeSSnapshotProvider(datasaver)
    with live_measurement(
        f"qcodes-{datasaver.dataset.captured_run_id}",
        live,
    ):
        for flux in fluxes:
            source.current(flux)
            live.add_result((source.current, flux), (vna.s21, vna.s21()))

from qimchi_connect import QuantifySnapshotProvider, live_measurement

live = QuantifySnapshotProvider(tuid)
with live_measurement(
    live.measurement_id,
    live,
    disk_path=live.disk_path,
):
    MC.run("resonator_flux")

from qimchi_connect import live_measurement

with live_measurement(
    measurement_id="resonator-flux-Q3",
    snapshot=lambda: dataset.copy(deep=True),
    disk_path="data/resonator_flux_Q3.nc",
):
    run_sweep()  # fills `dataset` as points arrive

1.Your measurement
Qanary, QCoDeS, Quantify, or any code that builds an xarray.Dataset.
2.Qimchi-Connect
Built into Qanary. Serves snapshots of the dataset while the sweep runs.
3.Qimchi
Lists the run under Live and redraws it as data arrives.

pip install qanary, or pip install qimchi-connect for other code; Python 3.13+
New runs go straight into the Basket and are plotted
Plots refresh every 0.1 to 1 s; filters stay applied

Qanary documentation Qimchi-Connect on GitLab

Features

Overview

Browse measurements in the Explorer, open datasets in the Basket and choose plot type and axes in the Composer. Plot, filter and export from the Viewer, all in one window.

Download

Free and open source (AGPL-3.0). Runs locally.

v0.7.1Released 17 October 2026

Windows 10 (1809 or later) or Windows 11, 64-bit. No administrator rights needed.

Download .exe for Windows

Installation

The installer is not code-signed yet, so Windows asks you to confirm before running it. You only need to do this once for each version.

1
If your browser says the file isn't commonly downloaded, keep it. In Edge, open the download's … menu, choose Keep, then Show more and Keep anyway.
2
Run the installer, qimchi-setup-….exe. Windows shows Windows protected your PC.
3
Click More info, then Run anyway.
4
Follow the installer, then start Qimchi from the Start menu. From now on, Qimchi checks for updates itself and asks before installing one.

v0.7.1Released 17 October 2026

macOS on Apple Silicon (M1 or later).

Download .dmg for macOS

Installation

Qimchi is not notarized by Apple yet, so macOS blocks it the first time you open it. You only need to do this once for each version.

1
Open the downloaded .dmg and drag Qimchi into Applications.
2
Open Qimchi from Applications. macOS shows “Qimchi” Not Opened: Apple could not verify “Qimchi” is free of malware. Click Done, not Move to Trash.
3
Open System Settings → Privacy & Security and scroll down to Security. Next to “Qimchi” was blocked to protect your Mac, click Open Anyway.
4
Click Open Anyway again and enter your password or use Touch ID. Qimchi opens, and from now on, it opens normally.

Or, instead of steps 2 to 4, run this in Terminal once Qimchi is in Applications:

xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Qimchi.app

v0.7.1Released 17 October 2026

x86_64, glibc 2.31 or later, WebKitGTK 4.0 or 4.1.

Download .AppImage for Linux

Installation

Make the AppImage executable and run it:

chmod +x qimchi-*.AppImage && ./qimchi-*.AppImage

If WebKitGTK is missing, install it:

Ubuntu / Debian

sudo apt install libwebkit2gtk-4.0-37

Fedora

sudo dnf install webkit2gtk4.0

Arch

sudo pacman -S webkit2gtk

For a shared lab server. Open http://<host>:8001 in any browser.

docker run -d -p 8001:8001   -v /path/to/data:/data   -v qimchi-home:/root/.qimchi   registry.gitlab.com/squad-lab/qimchi:latest

Changelog GitLab Releases

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Qimchi open source?

Yes, under the AGPL-3.0-or-later. The source is on GitLab.

Does my data leave my computer?

No. Qimchi reads your files where they are and runs entirely on your machine. There is no telemetry or automatic data collection. The only request it makes on its own is checking GitLab for a new release, which you can turn off in Settings.

Why does Windows or macOS warn me when I install it?

Because the installers are not code-signed (Windows) or notarized by Apple (macOS) yet. It is safe to continue, and you only need to do it once for each version. On Windows, when SmartScreen says Windows protected your PC, click More info, then Run anyway. On macOS, when it says “Qimchi” Not Opened, click Done (not Move to Trash), then go to System Settings → Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway next to Qimchi. The Download section has every step.

Does it work offline?

Yes. Browsing, plotting, filters and notes need no network. The first PNG/SVG export downloads a copy of Chrome if none is installed; after that, export works offline too.

My data is in another format. Can Qimchi read it?

Anything that opens as, or converts to, an xarray Dataset can be plotted. For other formats, a custom loader of a few lines is enough.

How do I plot a measurement while it is running?

If you measure with Qanary, each run appears in Qimchi automatically. Otherwise, publish it from your measurement loop with Qimchi-Connect. It works with QCoDeS, Quantify, or any code that builds an xarray Dataset. Qimchi adds the run to the Basket and redraws as data arrives.

Can the whole lab share one installation?

Partly. You can run the Docker image on a server next to the data and open it in a browser from any computer. Qimchi has no user accounts yet, though, so everyone using it shares the same settings, tags, hearts and notes. That suits a small group working together, or one person at a time. For your own computer, the desktop app is simpler.

How do I report a bug?

Open an issue on GitLab. Visit Settings → Developer → Save logs to collect the logs to attach.

How do I request new features?

Open an issue on GitLab describing what you would like Qimchi to do and why. A screenshot or a small example dataset helps. If someone has already asked for it, give their issue a thumbs-up instead.

Cite Qimchi

If Qimchi helped with your work, please cite it.

@misc{qimchi,
  author       = {Shivottam, Jyotirmaya and Anupam, Spandan},
  title        = {Qimchi: Live plotting for quantum measurements},
  year         = {2026},
  note         = {Version 0.7.1, software},
  howpublished = {GitLab},
  url          = {https://gitlab.com/squad-lab/qimchi}
}

@software{qimchi,
  author  = {Shivottam, Jyotirmaya and Anupam, Spandan},
  title   = {Qimchi: Live plotting for quantum measurements},
  year    = {2026},
  version = {0.7.1},
  url     = {https://gitlab.com/squad-lab/qimchi}
}

Installing Qimchi on your computer

Your download is starting. If it doesn't, download it again.

Qimchi is not notarized by Apple yet, so macOS blocks it the first time you open it. You only need to do this once for each version.

1
Open the downloaded .dmg and drag Qimchi into Applications.
2
Open Qimchi from Applications. macOS shows “Qimchi” Not Opened: Apple could not verify “Qimchi” is free of malware. Click Done, not Move to Trash.
3
Open System Settings → Privacy & Security and scroll down to Security. Next to “Qimchi” was blocked to protect your Mac, click Open Anyway.
4
Click Open Anyway again and enter your password or use Touch ID. Qimchi opens, and from now on, it opens normally.

Or, instead of steps 2 to 4, run this in Terminal once Qimchi is in Applications:

xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Qimchi.app

Make the AppImage executable and run it:

chmod +x qimchi-*.AppImage && ./qimchi-*.AppImage

If WebKitGTK is missing, install it:

Ubuntu / Debian

sudo apt install libwebkit2gtk-4.0-37

Fedora

sudo dnf install webkit2gtk4.0

Arch

sudo pacman -S webkit2gtk

Live plotting for quantum measurements

Formats

Go live from your measurement loop

Features

Overview

Explorer

Metadata

QCoDeS databases

Basket

Measured axes

Complex data

Slicing data

Step through runs

Filters and linecuts

Filter presets

Paint

Live data

Auto-follow data

Notes

Export

Appearance

Auto-updates

Download

Installation

Installation

Installation

Try the preview

Frequently Asked Questions

Cite Qimchi

Installing Qimchi on your computer