Think Tool
Official implementation of Anthropic's 'think' tool that provides Claude with a dedicated space for structured reasoning, improving performance by up to 54% on complex tasks requiring multi-step problem solving.
What is Think Tool?
Think Tool is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that allows AI assistants like Claude, Cursor, and VS Code to official implementation of anthropic's 'think' tool that provides claude with a dedicated space for structured reasoning, improving performance by up to 54% on complex tasks requiring multi-step probl...
Official implementation of Anthropic's 'think' tool that provides Claude with a dedicated space for structured reasoning, improving performance by up to 54% on complex tasks requiring multi-step problem solving.
This server falls under the Coding Agents category on MCPgee, the world's largest MCP server directory with 33,000+ servers.
Features
- Official implementation of Anthropic's 'think' tool that pro
Use Cases
Maintainer
Works with
Installation
Manual Installation
npx think-tool-mcp-serverConfiguration
Configuration Details
claude_desktop_config.json
Performance
Response Metrics
Resource Usage
How to Set Up and Use Think Tool
The Think Tool MCP Server is an official implementation of Anthropic's 'think' tool concept, which gives Claude a dedicated scratchpad to perform structured reasoning mid-response rather than only at the start. Anthropic's research shows this technique improves performance by up to 54% on complex customer service tasks and significantly enhances adherence to detailed policies and multi-step workflows. It requires no external APIs — the tool simply provides a reasoning space that Claude can invoke between other tool calls, making it ideal for agentic workflows where careful analysis of intermediate results is critical.
Prerequisites
- Node.js 18+ and npm installed
- An MCP-compatible client such as Claude Desktop or Cursor
- No API keys required — the think tool has no external dependencies
- Optional: Smithery CLI for one-command installation
Install via Smithery CLI (recommended for Claude Desktop)
Smithery automatically writes the MCP server entry into your Claude Desktop config and handles all dependency installation in one command.
npx -y @smithery/cli@latest install @PhillipRt/think-mcp-server --client claude --config "{}"Install via Smithery CLI for Cursor
For Cursor users, use the --client cursor flag. Smithery will add the server to Cursor's MCP settings automatically.
npx -y @smithery/cli@latest install @PhillipRt/think-mcp-server --client cursor --config "{}"Add the optimized system prompt to Claude Desktop
Anthropic's research shows that pairing the think tool with an explicit system prompt delivers the strongest performance gains. In Claude Desktop go to Settings > Custom Instructions and paste the recommended prompt.
You have access to a "think" tool that provides a dedicated space for structured reasoning. Using this tool significantly improves your performance on complex tasks.
## When to use the think tool
Before taking any action or responding after receiving tool results, use the think tool as a scratchpad to:
- List the specific rules that apply to the current request
- Check if all required information is collected
- Verify that the planned action complies with all policies
- Iterate over tool results for correctness
- Plan multi-step approaches before executing themAdd the system prompt to Cursor
In Cursor open Settings > General > Rules for AI and add the recommended rule so Claude uses the think tool after every context change such as reading files or running commands.
After any context change (viewing new files, running commands, or receiving tool outputs), use the "mcp_think" tool to organize your reasoning before responding.Verify the tool is available
Start a conversation in your MCP client and ask Claude to use the think tool on a sample problem. The tool should appear in the available tools list and Claude should call it automatically on complex requests.
Think Tool Examples
Client configuration
Manual JSON config block for Claude Desktop or any MCP-compatible client.
{
"mcpServers": {
"think-tool-mcp-server": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "think-tool-mcp-server"],
"env": {}
}
}
}Prompts to try
These prompts benefit most from the think tool because they require multi-step reasoning or policy adherence.
- "Review this refund request and determine whether it meets our 30-day policy, then draft a response"
- "Analyze the output of the last three SQL queries and identify any data anomalies before proceeding"
- "Compare these five architectural options and explain which best fits our constraints before recommending one"
- "Debug this function step by step, checking your reasoning at each stage before making changes"
- "Given these search results from three different sources, synthesize the key facts and flag any contradictions"Troubleshooting Think Tool
The think tool does not appear in Claude's available tools list
Restart Claude Desktop after adding the MCP server config. Check that the JSON in claude_desktop_config.json is valid with no trailing commas. On macOS the config is at ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json.
Claude calls the think tool but performance does not improve noticeably
Add the recommended system prompt from the README to your Claude Desktop Custom Instructions or Cursor Rules for AI. The think tool delivers its full benefit only when Claude is instructed to use it proactively.
Smithery install command fails with permission errors
Run 'npx -y @smithery/cli@latest' first to ensure Smithery is cached, then retry the install command. On Windows run the command from an elevated terminal if node_modules writes are blocked.
Frequently Asked Questions about Think Tool
What is Think Tool?
Think Tool is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that official implementation of anthropic's 'think' tool that provides claude with a dedicated space for structured reasoning, improving performance by up to 54% on complex tasks requiring multi-step problem solving. It connects AI assistants to external tools and data sources through a standardized interface.
How do I install Think Tool?
Follow the installation instructions on the Think Tool GitHub repository. Clone the repo, install dependencies, and add the server config to your AI client.
Which AI clients work with Think Tool?
Think Tool works with all major MCP-compatible AI clients including Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code (GitHub Copilot), Windsurf, and Cline.
Is Think Tool free to use?
Yes, Think Tool 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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