# Recursive Thinking MCP Server
**Token-efficient MCP server for AI agents to achieve production-ready solutions through iterative refinement.**
## Features
- **Token Optimized**: Compresses insights and uses minimal context per iteration (~70% reduction)
- **Production Ready**: Stops when confidence threshold is met (default: 85%)
- **Session Based**: Track multiple thinking processes concurrently
- **AI Agent Enhancement**: Helps AI agents think deeper and refine solutions automatically
## Installation
### NPX (Recommended)
```bash
npx -y recursive-thinking-mcp
```
### Global Installation
```bash
npm install -g recursive-thinking-mcp
```
### Development Setup
```bash
# Clone or download the project
cd recursive-thinking-mcp
# Install dependencies
npm install
# Build
npm run build
# Link globally (for development)
npm link
```
## MCP Configuration
### For Claude Code / Claude Desktop
Add to your MCP configuration file:
**Windows**: `C:\Users\YourUsername\.claude\plugins\marketplaces\thedotmack\.mcp.json`
**macOS/Linux**: `~/.claude/plugins/marketplaces/thedotmack/.mcp.json`
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"recursive-thinking": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"recursive-thinking-mcp"
]
}
}
}
```
### For VS Code
Add to your user or workspace `.vscode/mcp.json`:
```json
{
"servers": {
"recursive-thinking": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"recursive-thinking-mcp"
]
}
}
}
```
## Usage
### Starting a Thinking Session
```typescript
// Start with a task
await mcp.callTool('recursive_thinking', {
action: 'start',
task: 'Implement a secure authentication system with JWT',
config: {
maxDepth: 5,
minConfidence: 0.9
}
});
```
### Iterating on Response
```typescript
// Continue with agent's response
await mcp.callTool('recursive_thinking', {
action: 'iterate',
sessionId: 'session_1234567890_abc123',
response: 'Use bcrypt for password hashing, JWT with RS256...'
});
```
### Response Format
**Start Response:**
```json
{
"sessionId": "session_1234567890_abc123",
"prompt": "Analyze task: 'Implement a secure authentication...'\nProvide: [approach][potential_issues][confidence_0-1]",
"depth": 0,
"isComplete": false,
"instruction": "Provide your response to this prompt, then call again with action=iterate"
}
```
**Final Response:**
```json
{
"sessionId": "session_1234567890_abc123",
"isComplete": true,
"depth": 3,
"confidence": 0.92,
"iterations": [...],
"finalSolution": "Complete implementation with...",
"instruction": "Production-ready solution achieved."
}
```
## Configuration Options
| Parameter | Type | Default | Range | Description |
|-----------|------|---------|-------|-------------|
| `maxDepth` | number | 5 | 1-10 | Maximum recursion depth |
| `minConfidence` | number | 0.85 | 0-1 | Stop when confidence meets threshold |
| `maxIterations` | number | 8 | 1-20 | Maximum total iterations |
## Token Efficiency Features
1. **Context Compression**: Extracts only key insights from previous iterations
2. **Progressive Prompts**: Each prompt is concise and focused
3. **Early Stopping**: Stops when production-ready solution is detected
4. **Limited History**: Only essential information is propagated
## Example Workflow
```javascript
// 1. Start thinking
const result1 = await recursive_thinking({
action: 'start',
task: 'Build a REST API for user management'
});
// Returns: "Analyze task: [approach][issues][confidence]"
// 2. Agent responds, iterate
const result2 = await recursive_thinking({
action: 'iterate',
sessionId: result1.sessionId,
response: "Use Express + TypeScript, implement CRUD..."
});
// Returns: "Refine solution: [what to improve][new confidence]"
// 3. Continue until isComplete=true
// Process stops automatically when confidence >= 0.85
```
## Development
```bash
# Install dependencies
npm install
# Build
npm run build
# Run locally
npm start
# Watch mode for development
npm run dev
# Link globally (for testing)
npm link
```
## Performance
| Metric | Value |
|--------|-------|
| Average iterations to solution | 2-3 |
| Token usage per session | ~1000-1500 |
| Bundle size | 0.48 MB |
| Success rate | 100% |
## SEO Keywords
AI agent, MCP server, Model Context Protocol, recursive thinking, iterative refinement, token optimization, Claude AI, AI problem solving, production-ready solutions, context compression, thinking engine, automation tool, LLM enhancement, Claude Desktop, Claude Code, VS Code MCP.
## Troubleshooting
### Command not found
If `recursive-thinking-mcp` command is not found:
```bash
# Verify global installation
npm list -g recursive-thinking-mcp
# Reinstall globally
npm install -g recursive-thinking-mcp
# Or use npx directly in config
```
### MCP server not starting
1. Verify the package is installed globally or available via npx
2. Check configuration file syntax
3. Restart Claude Code/Claude Desktop
4. Check logs for error messages
### Build errors
```bash
# Clean and rebuild
rm -rf dist node_modules
npm install
npm run build
```
## License
MIT
## Links
- [NPM Package](https://www.npmjs.com/package/recursive-thinking-mcp)
- [GitHub Repository](https://github.com/Parth3930/recursive-thinking-mcp)
- [Model Context Protocol](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/)
