MCP Think Tool Server
Implements Anthropic's 'think' tool for Claude, providing a dedicated space for structured reasoning during complex problem-solving tasks that improves performance in reasoning chains and policy adherence.
What is MCP Think Tool Server?
MCP Think Tool Server is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that allows AI assistants like Claude, Cursor, and VS Code to implements anthropic's 'think' tool for claude, providing a dedicated space for structured reasoning during complex problem-solving tasks that improves performance in reasoning chains and policy adher...
Implements Anthropic's 'think' tool for Claude, providing a dedicated space for structured reasoning during complex problem-solving tasks that improves performance in reasoning chains and policy adherence.
This server falls under the Coding Agents category on MCPgee, the world's largest MCP server directory with 33,000+ servers.
Features
- Implements Anthropic's 'think' tool for Claude, providing a
Use Cases
Maintainer
Works with
Installation
NPM
npx -y @cgize/mcp-think-toolManual Installation
npx -y @cgize/mcp-think-toolConfiguration
Configuration Details
claude_desktop_config.json
Performance
Response Metrics
Resource Usage
How to Set Up and Use MCP Think Tool Server
MCP Think Tool Server implements Anthropic's 'think' tool for Claude, giving the model a dedicated scratchpad for structured reasoning before responding or taking action. Based on Anthropic's published research showing that explicit thinking steps significantly improve performance in complex tasks, policy adherence, and long reasoning chains, this server adds four tools that let Claude record, retrieve, review, and clear its intermediate thoughts. It is especially effective when Claude must navigate multi-step tool chains, evaluate multiple approaches, or adhere to detailed policies before acting.
Prerequisites
- Node.js 18 or higher (for running via npx)
- An MCP-compatible client: Claude Desktop, Cursor, VS Code with Cline, or another MCP host
- npx available on your PATH
Add the server to your MCP configuration
The server runs via npx with no prior installation needed. Edit your Claude Desktop config at ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (macOS) or %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json (Windows).
{
"mcpServers": {
"think-tool": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@cgize/mcp-think-tool"],
"type": "stdio",
"pollingInterval": 30000,
"startupTimeout": 30000,
"restartOnFailure": true
}
}
}Alternatively, install globally via npm
For faster startup, install the package globally and reference the binary directly in your config.
npm install -g @cgize/mcp-think-toolConfigure for global install
If installed globally, update your config to use the binary name instead of npx.
{
"mcpServers": {
"think-tool": {
"command": "claude-mcp-think-tool",
"args": [],
"type": "stdio"
}
}
}Restart Claude Desktop
Quit and reopen Claude Desktop for the new MCP server to be registered. You should see 'think-tool' appear in the available tools list.
Add custom instructions to Claude
Paste the following system prompt or custom instructions into Claude to guide when and how it uses the think tool for maximum benefit on complex tasks.
You have access to a "think" tool that provides a dedicated space for structured reasoning. Use it before taking any action or responding after receiving tool results. Use it to: list applicable rules, verify required information is collected, check policy compliance, iterate over tool results, and plan multi-step approaches.MCP Think Tool Server Examples
Client configuration (Claude Desktop)
Complete Claude Desktop configuration for the MCP Think Tool server using npx.
{
"mcpServers": {
"think-tool": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@cgize/mcp-think-tool"],
"type": "stdio",
"pollingInterval": 30000,
"startupTimeout": 30000,
"restartOnFailure": true
}
}
}Prompts to try
These prompts encourage Claude to use the think tool's structured reasoning before responding.
- "Using the think tool, analyze this multi-step deployment problem and tell me which steps could cause a production outage."
- "Think through the tradeoffs carefully before recommending whether to use SQL or NoSQL for this use case."
- "Use structured reasoning to check whether this API request complies with our rate-limiting policy before executing it."
- "Think step by step: debug why this recursive function returns incorrect results for inputs greater than 100."
- "Before answering, use the think tool to enumerate all the edge cases in this user authorization flow."Troubleshooting MCP Think Tool Server
Claude does not use the think tool automatically on complex tasks
Add explicit custom instructions to Claude (as shown in step 5) telling it when to invoke the think tool. Without these instructions, Claude may not know to use it proactively. You can also explicitly ask Claude to 'use the think tool' in your prompt.
The server fails to start with a 'command not found: npx' error
Ensure Node.js is installed and npx is on your system PATH. Claude Desktop may not inherit the same PATH as your terminal — try specifying the full path to npx (e.g., /usr/local/bin/npx) in the command field of the config.
Frequently Asked Questions about MCP Think Tool Server
What is MCP Think Tool Server?
MCP Think Tool Server is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that implements anthropic's 'think' tool for claude, providing a dedicated space for structured reasoning during complex problem-solving tasks that improves performance in reasoning chains and policy adherence. It connects AI assistants to external tools and data sources through a standardized interface.
How do I install MCP Think Tool Server?
Install via npm with the command: npx -y @cgize/mcp-think-tool. Then add the server configuration to your AI client's JSON config file (e.g., claude_desktop_config.json or .cursor/mcp.json).
Which AI clients work with MCP Think Tool Server?
MCP Think Tool Server works with all major MCP-compatible AI clients including Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code (GitHub Copilot), Windsurf, and Cline.
Is MCP Think Tool Server free to use?
Yes, MCP Think Tool Server is open source and available under the MIT License license. You can use it freely in both personal and commercial projects.
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