Sequential Thinking MCP server

This MCP server implementation provides a tool for dynamic problem-solving through a structured thinking process, allowing you to break down complex problems into manageable steps while maintaining flexibility to revise your approach as understanding deepens.

Installation

You can use the Sequential Thinking MCP server via npx or Docker.

Using npx

Add this configuration to your claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "sequential-thinking": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@modelcontextprotocol/server-sequential-thinking"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Using Docker

Alternatively, you can use Docker by adding this to your claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "sequentialthinking": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "--rm",
        "-i",
        "mcp/sequentialthinking"
      ]
    }
  }
}

If you're using Docker, you'll need to build the image first:

docker build -t mcp/sequentialthinking -f src/sequentialthinking/Dockerfile .

Using the Sequential Thinking Tool

The sequential_thinking tool helps facilitate a detailed, step-by-step thinking process for problem-solving and analysis.

Input Parameters

The tool accepts the following inputs:

• thought (string): The current thinking step
• nextThoughtNeeded (boolean): Whether another thought step is needed
• thoughtNumber (integer): Current thought number
• totalThoughts (integer): Estimated total thoughts needed
• isRevision (boolean, optional): Whether this revises previous thinking
• revisesThought (integer, optional): Which thought is being reconsidered
• branchFromThought (integer, optional): Branching point thought number
• branchId (string, optional): Branch identifier
• needsMoreThoughts (boolean, optional): If more thoughts are needed

Best Use Cases

The Sequential Thinking tool is particularly effective for:

• Breaking down complex problems into manageable steps
• Planning and design processes that may require revision
• Analysis that might need course correction
• Problems where the full scope isn't clear initially
• Tasks that need to maintain context over multiple steps
• Situations where irrelevant information needs to be filtered out

Core Features

• Step-by-step problem decomposition: Break down complex issues into manageable parts
• Thought revision: Refine previous thoughts as understanding evolves
• Alternative reasoning paths: Branch into different approaches to explore solutions
• Dynamic adjustment: Change the total number of thoughts as needed
• Solution verification: Generate and verify hypotheses systematically

How to add this MCP server to 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 > MCP and click "Add new global MCP server".

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

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "cursor-rules-mcp": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "-y",
                "cursor-rules-mcp"
            ]
        }
    }
}

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 explictly ask the agent to use the tool by mentioning the tool name and describing what the function does.