Integrated MCP Server

The Qualcomm VS Code Extension ships with an embedded MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that starts automatically when the extension loads. AI coding assistants such as Claude, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, etc. can connect to it over localhost and invoke a structured tool call — no manual configuration required.

MCP Server running indicator in the extension sidebar

The MCP server runs entirely on your local machine. No data leaves your device through the MCP channel; all tool calls go to 127.0.0.1 only.

How It Works

When enabled, the extension starts an HTTP server on localhost.

http://127.0.0.1:3100/mcp

MCP Server: Running status shown in the extension sidebar navigation

Configuration

The sidebar shows MCP Server: Running (port 3100) when active. Click this label to open the MCP & C++ RAG settings directly. Alternatively, Open VS Code Settings and search for @id:qvsce.mcpServer.enabled @id:qvsce.mcpServer.port @id:qvsce.cppRag.samplesDir to see all three MCP-related settings in one view.

Setting	Default	Description
`qvsce.mcpServer.enabled`	`true`	Enable or disable the embedded MCP server. Changes take effect immediately — no window reload needed.
`qvsce.mcpServer.port`	`3100`	Port the HTTP server listens on (1–65535). Change this if port 3100 conflicts with another process.
`qvsce.cppRag.samplesDir`	(empty)	Absolute path to a directory of C/C++ source files (`.cpp`, `.cc`, `.cxx`, `.h`, `.hpp`, `.hxx`) representing your preferred coding style, SDK-specific patterns, or domain-specific application code — for example, internal SDK wrapper libraries, team utility code, or reference applications. All matching files in subdirectories are discovered recursively. After setting this path, call `build_cpp_rag_index` to populate the index. Leave empty to rely on the built-in default index only.

After changing the port, any MCP client configuration pointing to the old port (e.g., a claude_desktop_config.json entry) must be updated to match.

Connecting an AI Client

Any MCP-compatible AI assistant can connect to the server. The general pattern is the same across clients: point it at http://127.0.0.1:3100/mcp using the Streamable HTTP transport.

Confirm the server is running

Check the extension sidebar for MCP Server: Running (port 3100). If it shows Stopped, enable it in Settings (qvsce.mcpServer.enabled).

Configure your AI client

Add the server endpoint to your client’s MCP configuration. See the examples below for Claude and Codex — other clients follow the same pattern.

Claude Desktop / Claude Code
Codex CLI
Other clients

Add to claude_desktop_config.json (Claude Desktop) or .claude/mcp.json (Claude Code in a project):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "qualcomm-ide": {
      "url": "http://127.0.0.1:3100/mcp"
    }
  }
}

In Claude Code you can also add it from the terminal:

claude mcp add qualcomm-ide --transport http http://127.0.0.1:3100/mcp

Add to ~/.codex/config.toml or pass inline:

[[mcp_servers]]
name = "qualcomm-ide"
url  = "http://127.0.0.1:3100/mcp"

Or pass it as a flag when running Codex:

codex --mcp-server "qualcomm-ide=http://127.0.0.1:3100/mcp"

Any client that supports the MCP Streamable HTTP transport can connect. Use:

URL: http://127.0.0.1:3100/mcp
Transport: Streamable HTTP (session-based)
Auth: None — local-only, no credentials required

Consult your client’s documentation for where to add MCP server entries.

Verify the connection

Ask your assistant: “List my connected Qualcomm devices.” A response with device information confirms the server is reachable and tools are available.

Available Tools

The server exposes tools across nine functional categories. The tool set continues to evolve — to see the latest available tools, ask your AI assistant: “What MCP tools are available from the Qualcomm IDE?” Click a category below to jump to its tool reference. Tools marked Linux-only are unavailable on Windows-native VS Code (WSL remote connections are supported).

Device Management

“What devices are connected right now?”“Connect to my device over SSH at 192.168.1.42 as root.”“Flash the latest Qualcomm Linux image onto my active device.”“Scan for Wi-Fi networks on my device and connect it to my network.”

Projects

“Build my project and deploy it to the connected device.”“Create a new C++ application project using the installed SDK.”“Import the GStreamer sample project from my SDK.”“Register my existing project at ~/myapp with the installed SDK.”

C++ Code Search

“Find C++ sample code for initializing a camera pipeline.”“Show me examples of camera sensor initialization from the SDK samples.”“How do I set up a GStreamer source element? Find relevant samples.”

Documentation

“How do I flash a device using the extension?”“What are the prerequisites for building a project?”“Explain how SSH key-based authentication is set up for a device.”

AI Models

“Download the Llama 3 model for my RB3 Gen 2 device.”“Profile the ResNet50 model on my connected device and show me the results.”“Compile the Whisper model for my device and push it once done.”“What AI models are available for the RB5 platform?”

SDKs & OS Images

“What SDKs are available for my devkit?”“Download the latest OS image and SDK for my RB3 Gen 2 in one go.”“Is my SDK download finished yet?”

Skills Hub

“What skills are available for my connected device?”“Install the best skill for working with GStreamer pipelines.”“Show me the documentation for the camera-capture skill.”

Overlay Configuration

“What overlay configurations are available on my device?”“Switch my device to the upstream overlay configuration.”

Delta Flash

“Show me which files would change if I did an incremental deploy now.”“Sync only the changed build artifacts to my device over SSH.”“Do a dry run of the delta flash and then apply it if it looks right.”

Device Management

These tools give AI assistants full visibility and control over connected Qualcomm hardware. Most other tool categories depend on an active device being selected first.

list_devices — List all connected devices

Returns every device currently detected by the extension, including serial numbers, connection type (SSH or EDL), and device state.

get_active_device — Get the selected device

Returns details about the device currently set as active. Most other device and project tools operate on this device implicitly.

select_device — Set the active device

Sets a device as active by serial number. If the serial number is omitted or not found, an interactive VS Code picker is shown.

add_device_via_ssh — Add a device over SSH

Adds a new device to the known list using an SSH connection. Can generate a new SSH key pair; prompts securely for the device password when needed.

validate_ssh_connection — Check SSH reachability

Verifies that the SSH connection to a device is reachable without performing any other operations.

update_ssh_config — Edit SSH configuration

Updates the SSH connection parameters (host, port, user, key) for the active device.

list_wifi_networks / connect_wifi / disconnect_wifi / get_wifi_status — Wi-Fi management

Scans, connects, disconnects, and inspects Wi-Fi on connected devices over SSH.

reboot_device — Reboot a device

Reboots the active device normally or into EDL (Emergency Download) mode. EDL reboots require explicit destructive confirmation.

flash_device_software — Flash an OS image (Linux-only)

Flashes an OS image onto the active device. Streams real-time stage notifications: EDL wait, flashing progress, and CamX overlay pending status.

apply_camx_overlay — Apply CamX overlay (Linux-only)

Applies the CamX proprietary overlay after flash_device_software signals it is awaiting the overlay step. Requires Qualcomm Linux Proprietary v2.0+.

list_devkit_catalog — Browse supported devkits

Returns all supported Qualcomm devkits with IDs, chipsets, supported OS versions, and host architectures.

get_pre_flash_data — Pre-flash instructions

Retrieves the pre-flash instructions URL for a given devkit and target OS combination.

get_auto_activate_status / update_auto_activate — Auto-activation control

Reads and sets whether the extension automatically selects a device when one is connected.

reset_device_selection — Clear the active device

Clears the active device selection and resets the auto-activation state.

remove_device — Remove a known device

Removes a device from the known device list. Requires destructive confirmation.

provision_ufs / program_cdt — Low-level provisioning (Linux-only)

provision_ufs: Provisions Universal Flash Storage on the device in EDL mode. program_cdt: Programs the Configuration Data Table. Both require EDL mode and destructive confirmation.

Projects

Build, deploy, and run applications directly from an AI conversation. The full workflow — from project creation to on-device execution — is available as tool calls.

build_project — Build (Linux-only)

Runs the qvsce-build task. Supports a headless mode that accepts projectPath and sdkId directly — no open VS Code window required.

deploy_project — Build and deploy (Linux-only)

Builds the project and deploys the binary to the active device via SSH. Supports headless mode.

run_project — Run on-device (Linux-only)

Executes the deployed application on the active device. Supports headless mode.

import_sample_project — Import from SDK (Linux-only)

Imports a sample project from an installed SDK into the VS Code workspace, including source and build dependencies.

create_project — New project from template (Linux-only)

Creates a new C/C++ Application or GStreamer Plugin Application from an SDK template, then configures .vscode with tasks.json, launch.json, and c_cpp_properties.json.

register_project — Register an existing project

Associates an existing local project with an installed SDK and writes the .vscode configuration files needed to build and debug it.

update_preferred_sdk — Switch the active SDK

Sets or refreshes the SDK used by the workspace for compilation and deployment.

C++ Code Search (RAG)

The extension maintains a local TF-IDF index of C++ code samples that AI assistants query automatically when writing or explaining code.

search_cpp_samples — Search for C++ code

Searches the index using TF-IDF similarity against a natural-language or code query. Returns up to 10 function-level code chunks with relevance scores.

build_cpp_rag_index — Build the search index

Builds or rebuilds the C++ code search index from the directory set in qvsce.cppRag.samplesDir. A built-in default index is always present; user samples are merged on top. Returns the total chunk and vocabulary counts on completion.

get_cpp_rag_stats — Index statistics

Returns the total chunk count, vocabulary size, default chunk count, and user chunk count for the current index.

The index is built and stored entirely on your local machine — no source code or index data is transmitted externally. If multiple developers on a team need the same coding conventions reflected in their agent’s suggestions, each developer must configure qvsce.cppRag.samplesDir and run build_cpp_rag_index individually. Teams can share the same source directory (for example, via a shared repository) to achieve consistent results, but the index build must be performed locally by each developer.

Documentation Search

The assistant calls these tools automatically — on tool failures, before complex operations, and whenever you ask about IDE features.

search_documentation — Search IDE docs

Searches the Qualcomm DragonWing IDE documentation via the external docs server. Called automatically on tool failures, before complex multi-step operations, and whenever you ask about IDE features.

get_documentation — Retrieve a specific page

Fetches a documentation page or resource by URI from the DragonWing docs server.

AI Models

Full integration with Qualcomm AI Hub for cloud profiling and compilation, plus local on-device benchmarking.

list_ai_model_catalog — Browse the AI Hub catalog

Lists AI models available for download, with optional filters for device name and model type (LLM, vision, audio, etc.).

download_ai_model — Download a model

Downloads an AI model from the catalog. Fetches available precision/runtime variants first; an interactive picker appears if a variant is not specified.

get_ai_model_status — Model status overview

Returns the current download, compile, and flash status of all models in the local cache.

push_ai_model_to_device — Flash a model to hardware

Pushes a downloaded model to the active device as a background operation.

profile_ai_model — Cloud profiling via AI Hub

Submits a profiling job to Qualcomm AI Hub for a specified device. Returns a job reference for polling.

local_profile_ai_model — On-device profiling

Runs a profiling job directly on the active device — measures real inference time and memory usage on hardware.

get_ai_model_profile_result / get_ai_model_local_profile_result — Retrieve results

Polls profiling job results keyed by model UID — cloud or on-device.

compile_ai_model — Compile and customize a model

Compiles a model via AI Hub for a specific device target, with optional precision and optimization settings.

get_ai_model_benchmark — Benchmarking data

Returns inference time, memory usage, layer counts, and tool versions for a model. Filterable by device, precision, and runtime.

import_ai_model — Import a local model file

Imports a model file already on disk into the extension’s model cache.

remove_ai_model — Remove a model

Removes a previously downloaded model from the local cache. Requires destructive confirmation.

list_ai_model_device_types — Supported device types

Returns all device types that support AI Hub profiling and compilation jobs.

SDKs and OS Images

Typically used once during environment setup — browse catalogs, download, and install the SDK and OS image for your devkit.

download_devkit_software — Bundle download

Downloads both an OS image and an SDK in a single tool call. Either component can be omitted.

list_sdk_catalog — Browse available SDKs

Lists SDKs for a given devkit and OS version: names, IDs, host architectures, versions, and download URLs.

download_sdk / get_sdk_status / install_sdk — SDK lifecycle

download_sdk: Starts a background SDK download. get_sdk_status: Polls progress and install path. install_sdk: Installs a downloaded SDK (Linux-only).

list_os_image_catalog — Browse OS images

Lists OS images for a devkit: names, IDs, versions, and download metadata.

download_os_image / get_os_image_status — OS image download

download_os_image: Starts a background OS image download. get_os_image_status: Polls progress and flags CamX overlay requirements.

Skills Hub

Browse and install agent skills that extend what AI assistants can do with the extension.

search_skills — Find relevant skills

Searches skills by name, description, and tags using weighted matching. Automatically filters by the connected device’s environment.

download_skill — Install a skill

Installs a skill into the selected agent’s user skills directory (Claude, Cursor, or Codex).

get_skill_documentation — Read a skill's SKILL.md

Returns the full documentation for a single catalog skill, defaulting to the version best matched for the connected environment.

list_skills — Full catalog

Lists every skill from all configured repositories, including all published versions and per-version compatibility metadata.

delete_skill — Uninstall a skill

Removes a previously installed skill from the agent’s skills directory.

refresh_skills_catalog — Force catalog refresh

Bypasses the catalog TTL and re-fetches all configured skill repositories immediately.

Overlay Configuration

Advanced configuration for Qualcomm Linux devices — inspect and switch device overlays over SSH.

get_overlay_configuration — Read overlay options

Returns available overlay categories, the currently active overlay, and upstream/downstream options for the active device. Qualcomm Linux only.

apply_overlay_configuration — Apply overlay selections

Applies a chosen set of overlay selections to the active device via SSH. Qualcomm Linux only.

Delta Flash (Incremental Deploy)

Incrementally sync build artifacts to a device over SSH — faster than a full reflash when only a few files changed.

preview_delta_flash — Dry-run rsync

Runs rsync --dry-run to report exactly which files would be transferred. No changes are made to the device. Linux and macOS only.

apply_delta_flash — Apply incremental deploy

Executes the real rsync over SSH. Requires destructive confirmation. Optionally runs a post-command (e.g., depmod) and reboots the device. Linux and macOS only.

Troubleshooting

MCP Server shows 'Stopped' in the sidebar

Open VS Code Settings and confirm qvsce.mcpServer.enabled is checked.
Check that nothing else is using port 3100 (lsof -i :3100 on Linux/macOS). If there is a conflict, change qvsce.mcpServer.port to a free port.
Reload the VS Code window (Ctrl+Shift+P → Developer: Reload Window).

AI assistant cannot find any tools

Confirm the MCP client is configured to connect to http://127.0.0.1:<port>/mcp (not /sse or the root path). The server uses the Streamable HTTP transport, not the legacy SSE-only transport.

search_cpp_samples returns no results

The qvsce.cppRag.samplesDir setting may be empty or pointing to a directory with no .cpp/.h files. Set it to a valid path and call build_cpp_rag_index to populate the index.

Linux-only tools fail on WSL

Make sure you have opened VS Code connected to WSL (the status bar should show WSL: Ubuntu or similar) rather than using a Windows-native VS Code window with the extension installed on the Windows side.

Qualcomm Software Center

Development Tools

Qualcomm® Launcher

Qualcomm Device Cloud

QVSCE

How It Works

Configuration

Connecting an AI Client

Available Tools

Device Management

Projects

C++ Code Search

Documentation

AI Models

SDKs & OS Images

Skills Hub

Overlay Configuration

Delta Flash

Device Management

Projects

C++ Code Search (RAG)

Documentation Search

AI Models

SDKs and OS Images

Skills Hub

Overlay Configuration

Delta Flash (Incremental Deploy)

Troubleshooting

​How It Works

​Configuration

​Connecting an AI Client

​Available Tools

Device Management

Projects

C++ Code Search

Documentation

AI Models

SDKs & OS Images

Skills Hub

Overlay Configuration

Delta Flash

​Device Management

​Projects

​C++ Code Search (RAG)

​Documentation Search

​AI Models

​SDKs and OS Images

​Skills Hub

​Overlay Configuration

​Delta Flash (Incremental Deploy)

​Troubleshooting

How It Works

Configuration

Connecting an AI Client

Available Tools

Device Management

Projects

C++ Code Search (RAG)

Documentation Search

AI Models

SDKs and OS Images

Skills Hub

Overlay Configuration

Delta Flash (Incremental Deploy)

Troubleshooting