Chain of Thought Task Manager MCP server

MCP Chain of Thought is an intelligent task management system based on Model Context Protocol (MCP) that provides an efficient programming workflow framework for AI Agents. It helps break down complex development tasks into manageable pieces, tracks progress, and verifies results through systematic reasoning.

Installation

Via Smithery

The simplest way to install MCP Chain of Thought is using Smithery:

npx -y @smithery/cli install @liorfranko/mcp-chain-of-thought --client claude

Manual Installation

Alternatively, you can install it manually:

npm install
npm run build

Configuration

Setting Up in Cursor IDE

Add to your Cursor configuration file (~/.cursor/mcp.json or project-specific .cursor/mcp.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "chain-of-thought": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "mcp-chain-of-thought"],
      "env": {
        "DATA_DIR": "/path/to/project/data",
        "ENABLE_THOUGHT_CHAIN": "true",
        "TEMPLATES_USE": "en",
        "ENABLE_GUI": "true",
        "ENABLE_DETAILED_MODE": "true"
      }
    }
  }
}

Environment Variables

Configure the server behavior with these environment variables:

• DATA_DIR: Directory for storing task data (absolute path required)
• ENABLE_THOUGHT_CHAIN: Controls detailed thinking process (default: true)
• TEMPLATES_USE: Template language (default: en)
• ENABLE_GUI: Enables web interface (default: false)
• ENABLE_DETAILED_MODE: Shows conversation history (default: false)

Usage Guide

Quick Start

1. Initial Setup: Tell the Agent "init project rules" to establish project-specific guidelines
2. Plan Tasks: Use "plan task [description]" to create a development plan
3. Review & Feedback: Provide feedback during the planning process
4. Execute Tasks: Use "execute task [name/ID]" to implement a specific task
5. Continuous Mode: Say "continuous mode" to process all tasks sequentially

Task Management Commands

• Planning: plan task [description] - Start planning tasks
• Execution: execute task [name/ID] - Run specific tasks
• Listing: list tasks - Show all tasks
• Details: get task detail [name/ID] - Show task details
• Search: query task [search term] - Search tasks
• Removal: delete task [name/ID] - Remove tasks

Advanced Features

• Task Memory: Automatically saves execution history for reference
• Thought Chain: Enables systematic reasoning through the process_thought tool
• Project Rules: Maintains consistency across your codebase
• Web GUI: Optional web interface for easier interaction (when enabled)

Available Tools

Planning Tools

• plan_task: Start planning tasks
• analyze_task: Analyze requirements
• process_thought: Step-by-step reasoning
• reflect_task: Improve solution concepts
• init_project_rules: Set project standards

Management Tools

• split_tasks: Break into subtasks
• list_tasks: Show all tasks
• query_task: Search tasks
• get_task_detail: Show task details
• delete_task: Remove tasks

Execution Tools

• execute_task: Run specific tasks
• verify_task: Verify completion
• complete_task: Mark as completed

Recommended Models

For optimal performance, use one of these models:

• Claude 3.7: Offers strong understanding and generation capabilities
• Gemini 2.5: Google's latest model, performs excellently

How to install this MCP server

For Claude Code

To add this MCP server to Claude Code, run this command in your terminal:

claude mcp add-json "chain-of-thought" '{"command":"npx","args":["-y","mcp-chain-of-thought"],"env":{"DATA_DIR":"/path/to/project/data","ENABLE_THOUGHT_CHAIN":"true","TEMPLATES_USE":"en","ENABLE_GUI":"true","ENABLE_DETAILED_MODE":"true"}}'

See the official Claude Code MCP documentation for more details.

For Cursor

There are two ways to add an MCP server to Cursor. The most common way is to add the server globally in the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file so that it is available in all of your projects.

If you only need the server in a single project, you can add it to the project instead by creating or adding it to the .cursor/mcp.json file.

Adding an MCP server to Cursor globally

To add a global MCP server go to Cursor Settings > Tools & Integrations and click "New MCP Server".

When you click that button the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file will be opened and you can add your server like this:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "chain-of-thought": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "-y",
                "mcp-chain-of-thought"
            ],
            "env": {
                "DATA_DIR": "/path/to/project/data",
                "ENABLE_THOUGHT_CHAIN": "true",
                "TEMPLATES_USE": "en",
                "ENABLE_GUI": "true",
                "ENABLE_DETAILED_MODE": "true"
            }
        }
    }
}

Adding an MCP server to a project

To add an MCP server to a project you can create a new .cursor/mcp.json file or add it to the existing one. This will look exactly the same as the global MCP server example above.

How to use the MCP server

Once the server is installed, you might need to head back to Settings > MCP and click the refresh button.

The Cursor agent will then be able to see the available tools the added MCP server has available and will call them when it needs to.

You can also explicitly ask the agent to use the tool by mentioning the tool name and describing what the function does.

For Claude Desktop

To add this MCP server to Claude Desktop:

1. Find your configuration file:

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
• Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
• Linux: ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

2. Add this to your configuration file:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "chain-of-thought": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "-y",
                "mcp-chain-of-thought"
            ],
            "env": {
                "DATA_DIR": "/path/to/project/data",
                "ENABLE_THOUGHT_CHAIN": "true",
                "TEMPLATES_USE": "en",
                "ENABLE_GUI": "true",
                "ENABLE_DETAILED_MODE": "true"
            }
        }
    }
}

3. Restart Claude Desktop for the changes to take effect