MCP Sequential Thinking

• Name: MCP Sequential Thinking
• Package: @modelcontextprotocol/server-sequential-thinking
• Provider: Anthropic

Overview

MCP Sequential Thinking is a third-party MCP server from Anthropic. It exposes a single tool that lets agents work through problems step by step, revise earlier thoughts, and branch into alternative reasoning paths before settling on an answer.

Usage with ADK TypeScript

import { McpSequentialThinking } from "@iqai/adk";

const toolset = McpSequentialThinking();

const tools = await toolset.getTools();

import { McpToolset } from "@iqai/adk";

const toolset = new McpToolset({
  name: "Sequential Thinking MCP Client",
  description: "Client for structured step-by-step reasoning",
  transport: {
    mode: "stdio",
    command: "npx",
    args: ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-sequential-thinking"],
    env: {
      PATH: process.env.PATH || "",
    },
  },
});

const tools = await toolset.getTools();

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

Environment Variables

Configuration Options

All MCP servers support these configuration options:

Available Tools

Complete Example

import { McpSequentialThinking, LlmAgent } from "@iqai/adk";

async function main() {
  // Initialize sequential thinking toolset
  const thinkingToolset = McpSequentialThinking({
    debug: true,
  });

  try {
    const tools = await thinkingToolset.getTools();

    const agent = new LlmAgent({
      name: "reasoning_agent",
      model: "gemini-2.5-flash",
      description: "An agent that reasons through problems step by step",
      instruction: `For complex problems, use sequential thinking to work through
        each step before giving an answer. Revise your thinking if you find errors.`,
      tools,
    });

    const response = await agent.ask(
      "A farmer has 17 sheep. All but 9 die. How many sheep are left?",
    );
    console.log(response);
  } finally {
    await thinkingToolset.close();
  }
}

main();

Use Cases

• Math problems: Work through calculations with explicit intermediate steps
• Code debugging: Trace through logic step by step to find bugs
• Planning: Think through constraints and dependencies before committing to a plan
• Decision making: Weigh options and revise as new information comes in
• Logic problems: Catch and fix errors mid-reasoning before giving a final answer

Best Practices

• Pick the right tasks: Simple queries don't need sequential thinking; the extra round-trips add latency for no gain
• Pair with other tools: Sequential thinking works well alongside domain-specific MCP tools
• Cleanup: Always call toolset.close() when done

Troubleshooting

Related Resources

• Official Sequential Thinking MCP Server
• MCP Tools Documentation
• Creating Custom MCPs
• Integrating External MCPs