Sequential Thinking MCP Server

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English | 中文

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📖 Overview

A powerful MCP server implementing sequential thinking protocol that provides a structured approach to problem-solving. This server helps break down complex problems into manageable steps while maintaining flexibility for revisions and alternative reasoning paths.

✨ Features

• 🔍 Structured Analysis - Break down complex problems into manageable steps
• 🔄 Iterative Refinement - Revise and refine thoughts as understanding deepens
• 🌲 Alternative Pathways - Branch into alternative paths of reasoning
• 📊 Dynamic Adjustment - Adjust the total number of thoughts as needed
• ✅ Solution Validation - Generate and verify solution hypotheses

🛠️ Tool Interface

sequential_thinking

Facilitates a detailed, step-by-step thinking process for problem-solving and analysis.

Input Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
thought	string	Yes	The current thinking step
nextThoughtNeeded	boolean	Yes	Whether another thought step is needed
thoughtNumber	integer	Yes	Current thought number
totalThoughts	integer	Yes	Estimated total thoughts needed
isRevision	boolean	No	Whether this revises previous thinking
revisesThought	integer	No	Which thought is being reconsidered
branchFromThought	integer	No	Branching point thought number
branchId	string	No	Branch identifier
needsMoreThoughts	boolean	No	If more thoughts are needed

🎯 Use Cases

The Sequential Thinking tool is ideal for:

• 📝 Complex problems requiring step-by-step breakdown
• 🎨 Planning and design projects needing iterative refinement
• 🔄 Analysis workflows that may require course correction
• 🌐 Situations where the full scope isn't initially clear
• 📚 Tasks that need to maintain context over multiple steps
• 🔍 Filtering out irrelevant information from complex scenarios

⚙️ Integration Methods

Using with Claude Desktop

<details> <summary><b>📦 NPX Configuration</b></summary>

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

</details>

<details> <summary><b>🐳 Docker Configuration</b></summary>

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "sequential-thinking": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "--rm",
        "-i",
        "zengwenliang0416/mcp-server-sequential-thinking"
      ]
    }
  }
}

</details>

Using with Cursor IDE

<details> <summary><b>📦 NPX Method (Recommended)</b></summary>

1. Install the package:

# Install globally
npm install -g @zengwenliang/mcp-server-sequential-thinking

# Or use NPX directly
npx -y @zengwenliang/mcp-server-sequential-thinking

2. Configure in Cursor settings (JSON):

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

</details>

<details> <summary><b>💻 Local Build Method</b></summary>

1. Build locally:

cd /path/to/sequential-thinking
npm install
npm run build

2. Configure in Cursor settings (JSON):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "sequential-thinking": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": [
        "/absolute/path/to/sequential-thinking/dist/index.js"
      ]
    }
  }
}

</details>

<details> <summary><b>🐳 Docker Method</b></summary>

1. Build Docker image:

# Build Docker image
docker build -t zengwenliang0416/mcp-server-sequential-thinking .

2. Configure in Cursor settings (JSON):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "sequential-thinking": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "--rm",
        "-i",
        "zengwenliang0416/mcp-server-sequential-thinking"
      ]
    }
  }
}

</details>

<details> <summary><b>🔧 Environment Variables Method</b></summary>

1. Create a startup script:

#!/bin/sh
export CURSOR_MCP_CONFIG=/path/to/your/mcp_config.json
open -a Cursor

2. Add to mcp_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "sequential-thinking": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": [
        "/absolute/path/to/sequential-thinking/dist/index.js"
      ]
    }
  }
}

3. Make executable:

chmod +x start_cursor_with_mcp.sh

Note: MCP integration is primarily supported in the Composer feature of Cursor IDE. </details>

🚀 Building From Source

<details> <summary><b>Local Build</b></summary>

git clone https://github.com/zengwenliang416/mcp-server-sequential-thinking.git
cd mcp-server-sequential-thinking
npm install
npm run build

</details>

<details> <summary><b>Docker Build</b></summary>

git clone https://github.com/zengwenliang416/mcp-server-sequential-thinking.git
cd mcp-server-sequential-thinking
docker build -t zengwenliang0416/mcp-server-sequential-thinking .

# Verify the build
docker images | grep sequential-thinking

</details>

📄 Publishing Guide

<details> <summary><b>Publishing to npm</b></summary>

Prerequisites

• Node.js and npm installed
• npm account with access to the @zengwenliang scope
• Package built locally

Publishing Steps

1. Update version in package.json

   {
     "name": "@zengwenliang/mcp-server-sequential-thinking",
     "version": "0.6.4",
     "description": "MCP server for sequential thinking and problem solving"
   }
   

2. Use official npm registry

   npm config set registry https://registry.npmjs.org/
   

3. Login to npm

   npm login
   

   Follow the prompts to log in through your browser.

4. Check organization membership For scoped packages, ensure you're part of the scope:

   # Check if you're part of the organization
   npm org ls your-org-name
   
   # For personal scopes, this is automatically created with your username
   

5. Build and publish

   npm run build
   
   # For first-time publishing a scoped package
   npm publish --access public
   
   # For subsequent updates
   npm publish
   

6. Verify publication

   npm view @zengwenliang/mcp-server-sequential-thinking
   

7. Commit your changes

   git add .
   git commit -m "feat(publish): 🚀 发布npm包@zengwenliang/mcp-server-sequential-thinking"
   git push
   

Version Updates

Use semantic versioning:

# For patches (bug fixes)
npm version patch

# For minor updates (features)
npm version minor

# For major updates (breaking changes)
npm version major

After updating the version, build and publish again:

npm run build
npm publish

</details>

🔐 CI/CD Configuration

<details> <summary><b>Setting Up GitHub Actions</b></summary>

Required Secrets

Add these secrets to your repository settings:

1. NPM_TOKEN

   • Generate at npm: Account → Access Tokens → "Automation" token type
   • Step-by-step instructions:
     1. Log in to your npm account: https://www.npmjs.com/login
     2. Click on your profile picture, then select "Access Tokens"
     3. Click "Generate New Token" button
     4. Important: Select "Automation" token type (not "Publish") to bypass OTP requirements
     5. Enter a token description (e.g., "GitHub Actions")
     6. Click "Generate Token"
     7. Important: Copy the generated token immediately! It will only be displayed once

2. DOCKERHUB_USERNAME

   • Your Docker Hub username
   • This should be the same username you use to log in to Docker Hub

3. DOCKERHUB_TOKEN

   • Generate in Docker Hub: Account Settings → Security → New Access Token
   • Step-by-step instructions:
     1. Log in to your Docker Hub account
     2. Click on your username, then select "Account Settings"
     3. Select "Security" from the left navigation bar
     4. Click "New Access Token"
     5. Enter a description and select appropriate permissions (at least "Read & Write")
     6. Click "Generate"
     7. Copy the generated token immediately! It will only be displayed once

Adding Secrets to GitHub

1. Go to repository Settings → Secrets and variables → Actions
2. Click the "New repository secret" button
3. Add each secret individually:
   • NPM_TOKEN: Paste your npm access token value
   • DOCKERHUB_USERNAME: Enter your Docker Hub username
   • DOCKERHUB_TOKEN: Paste your Docker Hub access token
4. After adding all secrets, you should see all 3 listed in the "Actions secrets" list

Testing the Workflow

To test your automated publishing workflow:

1. In your GitHub repository, click the "Actions" tab
2. Find the "Publish Package" workflow in the left sidebar
3. Click the "Run workflow" button
4. Select the "main" branch from the branch dropdown
5. Click the green "Run workflow" button
6. Monitor the progress and results in the Actions tab

Note for 2FA Users: If you have Two-Factor Authentication enabled on your npm account, you must either:

• Use an "Automation" type token (recommended)
• Change 2FA settings to "Authorization only" (not recommended)
• Manually publish packages (not automated) </details>

❗ Troubleshooting

If you encounter integration issues:

1. 🔧 Use the local build method with absolute path to the JS file
2. 📝 Verify file permissions: chmod +x dist/index.js
3. 🐳 Try Docker as an alternative
4. 📚 Consult Cursor's documentation for latest MCP integration methods

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

🔗 Source Code

Based on modelcontextprotocol/servers and maintained at zengwenliang416/mcp-server-sequential-thinking.