This server implements Claude Shannon's systematic problem-solving methodology, providing a structured approach to breaking down complex problems through defined stages: problem definition, constraints identification, modeling, validation, and implementation. The tool guides users through this methodical process to tackle challenging problems effectively.
You can easily add the Shannon thinking server to your MCP configuration:
{
"mcpServers": {
"shannon-thinking": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"server-shannon-thinking@latest"
]
}
}
}
The server provides a single tool called shannonthinking that structures your problem-solving process according to Shannon's methodology.
Each thought you submit to the tool must include:
Here's a basic example of using the tool:
const thought = {
thought: "The core problem can be defined as an information flow optimization",
thoughtType: "problem_definition",
thoughtNumber: 1,
totalThoughts: 5,
uncertainty: 0.2,
dependencies: [],
assumptions: ["System has finite capacity", "Information flow is continuous"],
nextThoughtNeeded: true
};
// Use with MCP client
const result = await client.callTool("shannonthinking", thought);
The tool supports additional optional fields for more complex problem-solving:
You can revise earlier thoughts as your understanding evolves:
const revisionThought = {
thought: "The problem is better defined as a multi-channel capacity optimization",
thoughtType: "problem_definition",
thoughtNumber: 4,
totalThoughts: 6,
uncertainty: 0.1,
dependencies: [1, 2, 3],
assumptions: ["Multiple independent channels exist"],
nextThoughtNeeded: true,
isRevision: true,
revisesThought: 1
};
Mark steps that need re-examination with new information:
const recheckThought = {
thought: "We need to reconsider our constraints based on new information",
thoughtType: "constraints",
thoughtNumber: 5,
totalThoughts: 7,
uncertainty: 0.3,
dependencies: [2, 3, 4],
assumptions: ["New capacity data is accurate"],
nextThoughtNeeded: true,
recheckStep: {
stepToRecheck: "constraints",
reason: "New capacity limitations discovered",
newInformation: "System shows non-linear scaling"
}
};
You can include proof elements or experimental validation:
const proofThought = {
thought: "The model shows optimality under the given constraints",
thoughtType: "proof",
thoughtNumber: 6,
totalThoughts: 8,
uncertainty: 0.15,
dependencies: [3, 4, 5],
assumptions: ["Convexity of the solution space"],
nextThoughtNeeded: true,
proofElements: {
hypothesis: "The algorithm converges in O(log n) time",
validation: "By induction on the number of iterations..."
},
experimentalElements: {
testDescription: "Ran simulations with varying input sizes",
results: "Confirmed logarithmic scaling up to n=10^6",
confidence: 0.9,
limitations: ["Not tested with adversarial inputs"]
}
};
Add practical constraints and solutions for implementation:
const implementationThought = {
thought: "The solution can be implemented using a distributed approach",
thoughtType: "implementation",
thoughtNumber: 7,
totalThoughts: 8,
uncertainty: 0.2,
dependencies: [4, 5, 6],
assumptions: ["Network latency is bounded"],
nextThoughtNeeded: false,
implementationNotes: {
practicalConstraints: ["Limited memory on edge devices", "Unreliable connections"],
proposedSolution: "Use a hierarchical processing model with local caching"
}
};
This Shannon thinking tool is particularly valuable for:
To add this MCP server to Claude Code, run this command in your terminal:
claude mcp add-json "shannon-thinking" '{"command":"npx","args":["-y","server-shannon-thinking@latest"]}'See the official Claude Code MCP documentation for more details.
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.
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": {
"shannon-thinking": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"server-shannon-thinking@latest"
]
}
}
}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.
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.
To add this MCP server to Claude Desktop:
1. Find your configuration file:
~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json2. Add this to your configuration file:
{
"mcpServers": {
"shannon-thinking": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"server-shannon-thinking@latest"
]
}
}
}3. Restart Claude Desktop for the changes to take effect