---
name: sequential-thinking
description: >-
  通过结构化的逐步思考解决复杂问题，支持分支探索、修订和自适应深度。适用于复杂问题拆解、需要调整的规划与设计、可能修正方向的分析、初始范围不明的任务、需要保持上下文的多步骤工作，以及需要筛选无关信息、提出假设并反复验证的问题。当用户要求逐步分析、拆解问题、推敲思路、仔细思考，或问题明显需要结构化多步推理时使用。
license: MIT
metadata:
  upstream: https://github.com/thedotmack/sequential-thinking-skill
  upstream-tag: d0fd5d4257aeb9a8622fffe9082379a787279dba
---

# Sequential Thinking

A tool for dynamic, reflective problem-solving through a chain of numbered thoughts. Full parity with the Sequential Thinking MCP server — same parameters, same state management, same behavioral contract.

## How to Use This Skill

When this skill is activated, **use `scripts/think.ts` as your primary reasoning mechanism.** Do not reason in prose — reason through the script. Every step of your analysis should be a thought submitted via the script, making your reasoning chain explicit and trackable.

### Workflow

1. **Reset** state at the start of every new thinking session
2. **Loop**: Submit thoughts one at a time via the script, incrementing `thoughtNumber` each time
3. **Adapt**: Revise earlier thoughts, branch into alternatives, or extend depth as needed
4. **Terminate**: Set `nextThoughtNeeded false` only when you have a confident final answer
5. **Respond**: After the final thought, provide the answer to the user

Each thought should be a single Bash tool call. Think in the thought, not outside it.

### Script Location

```
scripts/think.ts
```

Run via `bun` from the skill's base directory.

## Commands

### Reset (required before every new session)

```bash
bun scripts/think.ts --reset
```

### Submit a Thought

Required flags: `--thought`, `--thoughtNumber`, `--totalThoughts`, `--nextThoughtNeeded`

```bash
bun scripts/think.ts \
  --thought "Your analysis for this step" \
  --thoughtNumber 1 \
  --totalThoughts 5 \
  --nextThoughtNeeded true
```

### Submit a Revision

Revises a previous thought. The original stays in history; the revision is appended as a new entry. Requires `--isRevision` and `--revisesThought`.

```bash
bun scripts/think.ts \
  --thought "Corrected analysis" \
  --thoughtNumber 3 \
  --totalThoughts 5 \
  --nextThoughtNeeded true \
  --isRevision --revisesThought 1
```

### Submit a Branch

Explores an alternative path from a prior thought. Requires both `--branchFromThought` and `--branchId`.

```bash
bun scripts/think.ts \
  --thought "Alternative approach" \
  --thoughtNumber 4 \
  --totalThoughts 7 \
  --nextThoughtNeeded true \
  --branchFromThought 2 --branchId alt-approach
```

### Extend Depth

Signal that more thoughts are needed beyond the original estimate.

```bash
bun scripts/think.ts \
  --thought "Scope is larger than expected" \
  --thoughtNumber 6 \
  --totalThoughts 8 \
  --nextThoughtNeeded true \
  --needsMoreThoughts
```

### Inspect Full State

```bash
bun scripts/think.ts --status
```

Returns JSON with `fullHistory` and `branchDetails`.

## Output Format

Each thought invocation prints the thought to stderr and a compact status line to stdout:

```
💭 Thought 3/7
The analysis shows that...
[3/7] history=3 next=true
```

Revision and branch thoughts use `🔄 Revision` and `🌿 Branch` headers respectively.

## Parameters (Full MCP Parity)

| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| `--thought` | string | yes | The content of this thinking step |
| `--thoughtNumber` | int >= 1 | yes | Current thought number in the sequence |
| `--totalThoughts` | int >= 1 | yes | Estimated total thoughts needed (adjustable) |
| `--nextThoughtNeeded` | bool | yes | `true` to continue, `false` to terminate |
| `--isRevision` | flag | no | Marks this thought as revising a previous one |
| `--revisesThought` | int >= 1 | no | Which thought number is being revised (required with `--isRevision`) |
| `--branchFromThought` | int >= 1 | no | Create a branch starting from this thought number |
| `--branchId` | string | no | Label for the branch (required with `--branchFromThought`) |
| `--needsMoreThoughts` | flag | no | Signal that `totalThoughts` should be expanded |

## Behavioral Rules

These match the MCP server's tool description exactly:

1. **Start** with an initial estimate of `totalThoughts`, but adjust freely as understanding deepens
2. **Auto-adjust**: If `thoughtNumber` exceeds `totalThoughts`, the script raises `totalThoughts` to match
3. **Revise** previous thoughts when you realize an earlier step was wrong or incomplete — set `--isRevision` and `--revisesThought N`. The original stays in history; the revision is appended
4. **Branch** to explore alternative reasoning paths — set both `--branchFromThought N` and `--branchId label`. This does not abandon the main line
5. **Extend** beyond the initial estimate at any time with `--needsMoreThoughts` and an increased `--totalThoughts`
6. **Express uncertainty** — not every thought needs confidence. Questioning and exploring is encouraged
7. **Filter noise** — ignore information irrelevant to the current step
8. **Generate hypotheses** when you have enough evidence, then verify them against prior thoughts in the chain
9. **Iterate** hypothesis-verification cycles until satisfied with the answer
10. **Terminate** only when you have a satisfactory answer — set `--nextThoughtNeeded false`
11. **Non-linear paths are first-class** — branching, backtracking, and revision are features, not failures

## State Management

- State is persisted to `scripts/.think_state.json` between invocations
- `thoughtHistory[]` is append-only — thoughts are never deleted
- `branches{}` maps branch IDs to their thought arrays
- `--reset` clears all state for a fresh session
- `--status` dumps the full state as JSON for inspection

## Example Session

See [references/example-session.md](references/example-session.md) for a complete worked example demonstrating normal thoughts, revisions, branches, and dynamic depth adjustment.