Does the 'think' tool modify the environment or data?

No, it only appends the provided thought to the log without changing the environment or database.

What additional tools are available in advanced mode?

Advanced mode adds 'criticize', 'plan', and 'search' tools for enhanced agent capabilities.

How do I enable this MCP server in my agent configuration?

Add the server under 'mcpServers' with the command 'uvx' and args ['think-mcp'], enabling it as shown in the README.

Is an API key required to run the advanced mode?

Yes, advanced mode requires setting the TAVILY_API_KEY environment variable.

Think MCP

Provides a 'think' tool MCP server for AI agents to record explicit reasoning steps during complex workflows.

Quick Install

Automated & IDE Setup

Copy the AI prompt to install this server into Claude Code, Cursor, or another agent — or use 1-click editor setup below.

Add to Cursor Add to VS Code

Not yet automatically verified

We haven't yet run this listing's install command through our automated sandbox check. This isn't a red flag — we're steadily working through the catalog.

Manual Client & Custom JSON ConfigExpand JSON ▾

Client Config & Setup

Choose your client or environment

Target File:~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "rai220-think-mcp": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "think-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

💡 Paste the JSON block into your client's configuration file under mcpServers, then restart the application.

Overview

This MCP server implements the 'think' tool from Anthropic's research, enabling AI agents to pause and log explicit thoughts during multi-step reasoning or tool use. It helps agents process information, backtrack, and comply with detailed policies without altering the environment or database. The server supports integration with agentic LLMs like Claude and offers an advanced mode with additional reasoning tools.

Use cases

Record intermediate reasoning steps in multi-tool workflows

Analyze outputs from previous tool calls

Enforce compliance in policy-heavy environments

Support sequential decision making with explicit thought logs

Key features

Implements Anthropic's 'think' tool for structured reasoning

Minimal, standards-based MCP server using mcp[cli]

Appends thoughts to logs without changing environment state

Advanced mode adds criticize, plan, and search tools

Capabilities & Tool Schemas (1)Self-reported

Inspect callable tools, capabilities, and parameters exposed to AI agents by Think MCP.

thought

Callable MCP tool function

Documentation Overview

Think MCP Tool

Think MCP is an implementation of an MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that provides a "think" tool for structured reasoning in agentic AI workflows. This project is inspired by the Anthropic engineering article: The "think" tool: Enabling Claude to stop and think in complex tool use situations.

According to the referenced article, adding the think tool can lead to improved evaluation metrics by enabling reasoning capabilities even in models that do not natively possess advanced reasoning skills.

alt text

What is the "think" tool?

The "think" tool allows an AI agent to pause and record an explicit thought during complex reasoning or multi-step tool use. It does not change the environment or database, but appends the thought to the log, helping the agent process information, backtrack, or comply with detailed policies.

This approach is especially useful for:

Tool output analysis (processing results of previous tool calls)
Policy-heavy environments (verifying compliance with guidelines)
Sequential decision making (where each step builds on previous ones)

Features

Implements the "think" tool as described in Anthropic's research
Minimal, standards-based MCP server using mcp[cli]
Ready for integration with Claude or other agentic LLMs

Usage

MCP server configuration

Add this MCP server to your facorite agent.

Code

"mcpServers": {
    "think-mcp": {
        "command": "uvx",
        "args": ["think-mcp"],
        "enabled": true
    }
}

Tool definition

The "think" tool is defined as:

Input: thought (string) — A thought to think about.
Behavior: Appends the thought to the log for structured reasoning.

Advanced mode

Adds aditional tools for your agent:

criticize
plan
search

Code

"mcpServers": {
    "think-mcp": {
        "command": "uvx",
        "args": ["think-mcp", "--advanced"],
        "enabled": true,
        "env": {
            "TAVILY_API_KEY": ... YOUR TAVILY API KEY HERE ...
        }
    }
}

Reference

Based on: Anthropic Engineering Blog — The "think" tool

License

MIT License — see LICENSE

Read the full README →View source on GitHub →

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View all in Other Tools and Integrations View all alternatives

Adoption & maintenance

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GitHub stars

106

Stargazers on the source repository.

npm downloads

Package downloads in the last 30 days.

Last commit

6mo ago

Most recent push to the default branch.

Tools exposed

Callable tools this server registers over MCP.

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Frequently Asked Questions about Think MCP

It accepts a single string input called 'thought' which is appended to the agent's reasoning log.

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Scanned 27d ago via OSV.dev · think-mcp (PyPI)

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Overview

Use cases

Record intermediate reasoning steps in multi-tool workflows

Analyze outputs from previous tool calls

Enforce compliance in policy-heavy environments

Support sequential decision making with explicit thought logs

Key features

Implements Anthropic's 'think' tool for structured reasoning

Minimal, standards-based MCP server using mcp[cli]

Appends thoughts to logs without changing environment state

Advanced mode adds criticize, plan, and search tools

Documentation Overview

Think MCP Tool

alt text

What is the "think" tool?

This approach is especially useful for:

Tool output analysis (processing results of previous tool calls)
Policy-heavy environments (verifying compliance with guidelines)
Sequential decision making (where each step builds on previous ones)

Features

Implements the "think" tool as described in Anthropic's research
Minimal, standards-based MCP server using mcp[cli]
Ready for integration with Claude or other agentic LLMs

Usage

MCP server configuration

Add this MCP server to your facorite agent.

Code

"mcpServers": {
    "think-mcp": {
        "command": "uvx",
        "args": ["think-mcp"],
        "enabled": true
    }
}

Tool definition

The "think" tool is defined as:

Input: thought (string) — A thought to think about.
Behavior: Appends the thought to the log for structured reasoning.

Advanced mode

Adds aditional tools for your agent:

criticize
plan
search

Code

"mcpServers": {
    "think-mcp": {
        "command": "uvx",
        "args": ["think-mcp", "--advanced"],
        "enabled": true,
        "env": {
            "TAVILY_API_KEY": ... YOUR TAVILY API KEY HERE ...
        }
    }
}

Reference

Based on: Anthropic Engineering Blog — The "think" tool

License

MIT License — see LICENSE

Frequently Asked Questions about Think MCP

It accepts a single string input called 'thought' which is appended to the agent's reasoning log.