thinkstep

thinkstep

Think in steps, out loud, with a server keeping the thread.

Some problems do not yield to a single pass. You form a first idea, poke at it, realise the second step contradicts the first, double back, try a different route from an earlier point, and only then see the shape of the answer. thinkstep is the notebook for that process: an MCP server with one tool, sequentialthinking, that records a chain of thoughts one step at a time and keeps the whole history — revisions and side branches included — straight for you.

Each call adds one thought. You say where you are (thoughtNumber), roughly how far you think you have to go (totalThoughts), and whether you need another step. If the chain outgrows your estimate, the server raises the total for you instead of complaining. When a step rethinks an earlier one, flag it as a revision and point at the thought it reconsiders. When you want to explore a different route without losing the main line, fork a named branch from an earlier thought; every response lists the branch ids created so far, so you always know which threads are open.

State lives in the server process for the length of the session. Nothing is written to disk, nothing leaves the machine, and closing the session closes the notebook.

Usage

MCP server

npx @reneturcios/thinkstep mcp

MCP client config:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "thinkstep": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@reneturcios/thinkstep", "mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Docker

docker run -i ghcr.io/cloudcorprecords/thinkstep          # stdio MCP server (default command is "mcp")
docker run --rm ghcr.io/cloudcorprecords/thinkstep --version

The tool

sequentialthinking

Record one thinking step and get back a summary of the chain.

parameter	type	required	meaning
thought	string	yes	Your current thinking step
nextThoughtNeeded	boolean	yes	Whether another thought step is needed
thoughtNumber	integer	yes	Current thought number (numeric value, e.g., 1, 2, 3)
totalThoughts	integer	yes	Estimated total thoughts needed (numeric value, e.g., 5, 10)
isRevision	boolean	no	Whether this revises a previous thought
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

A branch is tracked when a thought carries both branchFromThought and branchId. A revision is recorded with isRevision: true and revisesThought set to the number of the thought it rethinks; the original stays in the history.

Every accepted thought returns a JSON summary:

{
  "thoughtNumber": 2,
  "totalThoughts": 5,
  "nextThoughtNeeded": true,
  "branches": ["cheaper-route"],
  "thoughtHistoryLength": 4
}

• thoughtNumber / totalThoughts — where the chain stands. If thoughtNumber exceeds the estimated totalThoughts, the total is raised to thoughtNumber.
• nextThoughtNeeded — whether the chain continues. Sending needsMoreThoughts: true also reports this as true.
• branches — the id of every branch created so far, in creation order.
• thoughtHistoryLength — how many thoughts the server has recorded, including this one.

Missing or mistyped fields are refused with an error result (isError) naming the offending field; nothing is recorded for a rejected call.

Development

npm install
npm run build   # tsc -> dist/
npm test        # tsx --test test/*.test.ts
npm run dev     # run the CLI from source

License

MIT — see LICENSE.