Overview
The video provides a detailed walkthrough of setting up and using the Sequential Thinking mCP server, highlighting its advanced features and integration capabilities, and compares its performance to Perplexity and ChatGPT with search for practical use cases.
Sequential Thinking mCP Server Features
- Sequential Thinking brings enhanced chain-of-thought reasoning and planning to Claude, including structured metadata and dynamic thought adjustments.
- It breaks down complex problems, refines reasoning, branches into alternative solutions, and adjusts strategies as needed.
- The server can integrate with tools like Brave Search and Puppeteer for research and verification tasks.
Setting Up Sequential Thinking
- Setup involves editing the
config.js file to include Sequential Thinking alongside other mCP servers.
- The server can be installed via VS Code, added to the configuration with other existing tools such as Brave and the memory mCP server.
- Community-maintained and third-party mCP servers are available, but users should exercise caution with unverified servers.
Tool Integration and Custom Workflow
- Custom instructions in Claude can mandate the use of sequential thinking as the initial step for any query.
- A typical workflow is: begin with sequential thinking, conduct a primary web search via Brave, verify with Puppeteer, process data, and synthesize the response.
- Each tool has tailored guidelines, and conversations automatically start with sequential thinking to determine the optimal workflow.
Comparison with Other AI Tools
- Tested the prompt “group of 10, ages 5 to 75, in TCK New Jersey, indoor activities for rainy weather” with ChatGPT (with search), Perplexity Pro, and Claude with sequential thinking.
- ChatGPT provided standard suggestions but fewer details and no links.
- Perplexity broke down the query into sub-questions and proposed multiple venues and activities.
- Claude with sequential thinking and integrated tools generated detailed, tailored recommendations with distances and specific appeal per age group, but lacked clickable links in outputs.
Use Cases and Flexibility
- Sequential Thinking can be easily integrated with various mCP servers for research, project planning, coding, and prompt optimization.
- Its modular design allows it to augment other mCP projects and workflows.
Decisions
- Add Sequential Thinking mCP server to config alongside other tools.
- Use Sequential Thinking as the starting point for all complex tasks in custom Claude setups.
- Test and compare outputs from ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude for AI-driven research scenarios.
Action Items
- TBD – User: Investigate how to include clickable links in custom instructions for Claude outputs.
- TBD – User: Explore additional use cases for Sequential Thinking with other mCP servers.
- TBD – User: Vet new community mCP servers before granting extensive access.
Questions / Follow-Ups
- How can Sequential Thinking results be configured to include links or URLs in presented answers?
- Which new use cases or integrations should be tested for further leveraging Sequential Thinking?