Make a Micro-App to Manage Quantum Experiment Scheduling (No Backend Required)
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Make a Micro-App to Manage Quantum Experiment Scheduling (No Backend Required)

qqbitshare
2026-01-31 12:00:00
10 min read
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Build a single-file micro-app to coordinate quantum experiment slots with client-side storage and AI prompts—perfect for labs and hackathons.

Hook: Stop juggling Slack threads and spreadsheets — coordinate quantum runs in a single file

Small quantum teams and hackathons suffer the same friction: people double-book hardware, large experiment artifacts go missing, and submitting identical jobs becomes a game of telephone. What if you could spin up a single-file micro-app that lives in everyone’s browser, uses client-side storage, and leverages AI prompts to negotiate slots — all with no backend required?

By late 2025 and into 2026 we saw three developments that make this pattern especially powerful:

  • Large language models (LLMs) with very large context windows and cheaper on-device runtimes let teams use AI for coordination without heavy server costs.
  • Client-first tooling (IndexedDB, BroadcastChannel, WebCrypto, WebTransport experiments) makes resilient, offline-capable micro-apps easier to build.
  • CRDT libraries and lightweight P2P providers matured—so eventual peer sync and conflict-free merges are possible for collaborative state, even in ephemeral hackathon environments.

That combination means a hackathon team can ship a one-file scheduler, coordinate experiments across Qiskit/Cirq/Pennylane workflows, and preserve reproducibility metadata — without provisioning a backend or exposing keys.

What you'll build (overview)

This guide walks you through a single-file micro-app (index.html) that:

  • Stores schedule data in the browser (localStorage or IndexedDB).
  • Provides share options: URL snapshot, file export/import, and optional WebRTC pairing for real-time P2P sync.
  • Integrates AI-driven prompts to generate polite booking messages, resolve conflicts, and create job-submission snippets for Qiskit, Cirq, and PennyLane.
  • Produces reproducible experiment manifests (JSON) that include links to datasets and submission templates.

Architecture and design decisions

Keep it small and trustworthy. The single HTML file contains:

  1. Minimal UX (calendar/time slots list, add/reserve/export buttons).
  2. State layer: simple model (slots[]), versioning via timestamps and user IDs.
  3. Persistence: IndexedDB for large artifacts, localStorage for quick state, and JSON export/import for sharing or archiving.
  4. AI interaction layer: prompt templates you can copy into any LLM (or call from the browser if you run an on-device model).

Key trade-offs:

  • We avoid embedding API keys in the client. If you need automated LLM calls, run a small ephemeral proxy within your network or use on-device models.
  • True real-time P2P requires signaling; this guide covers an optional manual WebRTC pairing method and a safe URL snapshot workflow that requires no signaling.

Step 1 — Single-file scaffold (index.html)

Start with a compact HTML scaffold. Below is a concise example showing the structure; paste into index.html and open in any modern browser.

<!-- index.html (abridged) -->
<!doctype html>
<meta charset="utf-8">
<title>Quantum Slot Micro-App</title>
<style>/* minimal styles */
body{font-family:system-ui,Segoe UI,Roboto,Arial;padding:16px}
button{margin:4px}
.slot{border:1px solid #ddd;padding:8px;margin:6px 0}
</style>
<div id="app">
  <h3>Experiment Slots</h3>
  <div id="list"></div>
  <button id="add">Add Slot</button>
  <button id="export">Export JSON</button>
  <button id="shareUrl">Copy Share URL</button>
</div>
<script>/* app code inserted below */</script>

Step 2 — Data model and persistence

Keep the model simple and versioned. Each slot contains an id, start/end, owner (optional), status, and a manifest for reproducibility.

/* Example slot schema */
{
  "id": "uuid-v4",
  "start": "2026-01-20T15:00:00Z",
  "end": "2026-01-20T16:30:00Z",
  "title": "Bell test sweep",
  "owner": "alice@example.com",
  "status": "reserved|available",
  "manifest": { "notebook": "bell_test.ipynb", "sdk": "qiskit", "jobSnippet": "..." },
  "updatedAt": 1670000000000
}

Use localStorage for quick prototyping and IndexedDB for larger payloads (notebooks, datasets). A tiny wrapper makes the app robust:

function loadState(){
  try{return JSON.parse(localStorage.getItem('q-slots')||'[]')}
  catch(e){return[]}
}
function saveState(slots){
  localStorage.setItem('q-slots', JSON.stringify(slots))
}

Step 3 — Share strategies (no backend needed)

Three practical, no-backend sharing methods:

1) URL snapshot (copyable)

Serialize and compress the state into the URL hash. Use LZ-string or base64. This is ideal for ephemeral sharing in hackathons.

function createShareUrl(slots){
  const json = encodeURIComponent(JSON.stringify(slots))
  return location.origin + location.pathname + '#data=' + json
}

Note: keep snapshots small (omit notebooks), or encode a manifest that references external storage.

2) Export/Import JSON

Every slot can be exported as a JSON manifest which collaborators can import. This is reproducible and auditable.

function exportJson(slots){
  const blob = new Blob([JSON.stringify(slots, null,2)], {type:'application/json'})
  const url = URL.createObjectURL(blob)
  const a = document.createElement('a')
  a.href = url; a.download='q-slots.json'; a.click()
}

3) Optional P2P (manual WebRTC signaling)

If you want live sync without a persistent backend, use WebRTC DataChannels but accept manual signaling via copy/paste of SDP offers. For hackathons this is acceptable and keeps everything off servers.

Pro tip: the BroadcastChannel API works well when all collaborators open the file from the same origin (e.g., a shared filesystem / demo setup) — great for demo setups.

Step 4 — Conflict handling and merge strategy

Without a server you must anticipate concurrent edits. Use a simple deterministic merge:

  1. Each change gets a monotonic updatedAt timestamp and an actorId.
  2. On import or sync, prefer the item with the latest updatedAt.
  3. If updatedAt ties, pick lexicographically by actorId and log the conflict to the client so a human can reconcile.

For higher assurance, adopt a CRDT (Automerge, Yjs) in the client and pair with manual signaling only for initial hackathon setups.

Step 5 — AI prompts to coordinate reservations

Rather than embedding an API key, provide curated prompt templates that team members paste into their LLM UI or run with an on-device model. Here are targeted prompts for common tasks:

Prompt: Propose a polite time negotiation message

System: You are an experiment scheduler assistant for a small quantum lab. Keep messages polite, short, and include slot times and experiment manifest.

User: Generate a message to request the 2026-01-20 15:00-16:30 slot for 'Bell test sweep'. Include what to do if there is a conflict.

Sample output (what the LLM will return):

Hi team — I’d like to reserve the 2026-01-20 15:00–16:30 slot for the Bell test sweep (notebook: bell_test.ipynb, SDK: Qiskit). If this conflicts with your experiment, please reply with available slots this week; otherwise I’ll proceed to submit the job and upload results to the shared manifest.

Prompt: Resolve a scheduling conflict automatically

System: You are a scheduler agent helping reconcile two slot reservations.
User: Slots: A: 15:00-16:00 (reserved by alice), B: 15:30-16:30 (reserved by bob). Suggest a minimal reschedule plan that minimizes disruption and includes a polite message for the user who moves.

Sample output: suggest shifting Bob to 16:30–17:30, provide message for Bob to send indicating why and offering assistance with re-submission.

Step 6 — Job submission snippets (Qiskit, Cirq, PennyLane)

Your micro-app should emit a job snippet template that the reserver copies into their notebook. These snippets include slot metadata and a reproducible manifest reference.

Qiskit (IBM Quantum) submission snippet

from qiskit import transpile
from qiskit_ibm_runtime import IBMRuntime

# manifest fields inserted by micro-app
EXPERIMENT_ID = 'slot-uuid'
NOTEBOOK = 'bell_test.ipynb'

with IBMRuntime(auth='YOUR_API_KEY') as session:
    backend = session.backend("ibm_perth")
    job = backend.run(circuits, job_name=f"{EXPERIMENT_ID}")
    print(job.job_id)

Warning: never paste API keys into a public shared URL—store them in your environment or secret manager.

Cirq (Google) submission snippet

import cirq
from google.cloud import storage  # for artifact upload if needed

EXPERIMENT_ID = 'slot-uuid'
# Build and submit circuit to your provider's API

PennyLane (plugin-agnostic) snippet

import pennylane as qml
EXPERIMENT_ID = 'slot-uuid'
# set device and execute
dev = qml.device('default.qubit', wires=2)

Include a manifest JSON with experiment metadata (SDK, commit hash, dataset references) so results are reproducible.

Example: Full workflow at a hackathon

Scenario: Five-person team, one remote quantum back-end account, two hardware slots available during the demo day.

  • Host the one-file micro-app on a shared drive or gist; everyone opens locally.
  • Team uses URL snapshot to propose slots; Alice pastes a prompt into her LLM to generate a polite reservation request and posts to the team chat.
  • Once the slot is agreed, Alice reserves it in the micro-app and exports a manifest.json that includes the notebook and job-snippet placeholders.
  • After the run, the team attaches results to the slot manifest and exports the final archive for reproducibility.

Security and privacy considerations

  • Never store API keys or secrets in client-side state or URL snapshots.
  • Auditing: keep an append-only history with timestamps in the exported manifest for traceability.
  • When using local LLM runtimes, ensure model binaries comply with your institution’s data policies.

Advanced strategies & future-proofing (2026+)

Here are ways to evolve the micro-app as your needs grow:

  • Adopt CRDT libraries (Yjs/Automerge) if you require robust multi-editor sync. Use manual signaling for WebRTC to keep the system serverless.
  • Leverage on-device LLM runtimes for automated conflict resolution and message crafting without exposing keys — 2026 has small, efficient models well-suited for this role.
  • Standardize an experiment manifest schema across teams (SDK, seed, commit, dataset references). This reduces ambiguity when sharing jobs between Qiskit, Cirq, and PennyLane workflows.
  • Integrate with institutional archival systems by exporting ZIP bundles containing the manifest, notebooks, and result files. The micro-app can package this entirely client-side — see a portable preservation lab approach for ideas on archive packaging.

Checklist: Ship your micro-app in one afternoon

  1. Create index.html scaffold with UI and persistence wrappers.
  2. Implement add/reserve/export/import and createShareUrl functions.
  3. Add versioned slot schema and simple conflict merge by updatedAt.
  4. Provide job snippet templates for Qiskit/Cirq/PennyLane and a field for manifest links.
  5. Prepare AI prompt templates and documentation so non-developers can use LLM UIs safely — consider reading up on developer onboarding patterns for fast ramp.
  6. Test the flow in a small team and iterate on UX for your lab/hackathon constraints.

Real-world example: Small lab that moved from spreadsheets to a single file

At a university lab in 2025, a team replaced a shared spreadsheet and Slack negotiation with a single-file micro-app. They reduced double-booking by 80% during a 2-week experiment campaign and achieved consistent manifest exports that helped reproduce two runs later that month. Their success came from keeping the app tiny, making export simple, and training the group to use the LLM prompt templates for polite coordination.

Actionable takeaways

  • Start small: implement the basic add/reserve/export flow and a manifest. Iterate instead of overengineering P2P right away.
  • Keep secrets out: don’t put API keys in client state or shared URLs.
  • Use LLMs thoughtfully: prompt templates are enough for most coordination tasks — run models on-device if you need automation without servers.
  • Make reproducible manifests: include SDK, commit, notebook, dataset link, and job snippet in every slot.

Further reading and tools to explore

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qbitshare

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Senior editor and content strategist. Writing about technology, design, and the future of digital media. Follow along for deep dives into the industry's moving parts.

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