Cursor & Claude Think MCP
This MCP (Model Context Protocol) tool enables Claude's explicit thinking mode in Cursor, allowing you to see Claude's step-by-step reasoning process.
Prerequisites
- Node.js (v14.0.0 or higher)
- Cursor (v0.9.0 or higher)
- Basic knowledge of terminal commands
How It Works
When you type "think [your question]" in Cursor's chat, Claude will:
- Enter an explicit reasoning mode
- Show its step-by-step thinking process
- Provide a final answer after the reasoning section
Installation
Project-Level Installation (Current Project Only)
The tool is already installed for this project. The configuration is in .cursor/mcp.json.
Global Installation (All Projects)
To make this tool available in all your Cursor projects:
Create the directory for global MCP configuration:
mkdir -p ~/.cursor
Copy the tool and configuration:
Create the destination directory
mkdir -p ~/claude-think-tool
# Copy the tool
cp src/think-tool.js ~/claude-think-tool/
# Make it executable
chmod +x ~/claude-think-tool/think-tool.js
# Create the global MCP configuration with absolute path (more reliable)
echo "{\"mcpServers\":{\"claude-think-tool\":{\"command\":\"node\",\"args\":[\"$HOME/claude-think-tool/think-tool.js\"]}}}" > ~/.cursor/mcp.json
- Restart Cursor to apply the changes (required)
Windows Installation
For Windows users:
Create the Cursor configuration directory:
mkdir -p $env:USERPROFILE.cursor
Copy the tool:
mkdir -p $env:USERPROFILE\claude-think-tool
copy src\think-tool.js $env:USERPROFILE\claude-think-tool\
Create the global MCP configuration:
echo "{"mcpServers":{"claude-think-tool":{"command":"node","args":["$env:USERPROFILE\claude-think-tool\think-tool.js"]}}}" > $env:USERPROFILE.cursor\mcp.json
Restart Cursor to apply the changes (required)
Usage
In any Cursor chat, simply type:
think What is the computational complexity of quicksort?
Important Usage Notes:
- The word "think" must be at the beginning of your message followed by a space
- Everything after "think " will be processed by Claude in its special thinking mode
- The tool will not activate if "think" appears elsewhere in your message
- No formatting or special characters are needed - just start with "think "
Examples
See the examples directory for sample use cases:
- Complex problem solving
- Mathematical proofs
- Decision making processes
- Code algorithm analysis
Troubleshooting
If the tool doesn't appear to be working:
- Make sure Cursor has been restarted after installation
- Check that Node.js is installed by running
node --version in your terminal
- Verify that the path in the MCP configuration is correct and points to the script
- Ensure the script is executable (
chmod +x on Unix systems)
- Look for any errors in the Cursor Developer Console
For Windows users, ensure PowerShell or CMD is running with appropriate permissions.
How It Works Technically
This tool uses the Model Context Protocol to:
- Intercept when you type "think" in the chat
- Format your question with special
<thinking> tags
- Return the formatted prompt to Claude
- Claude recognizes these tags and enters explicit reasoning mode
The <thinking> tags signal to Claude to show its reasoning process explicitly.
Security Considerations
- The tool doesn't access or transmit any sensitive information
- It runs locally on your machine and only processes the text you send to Claude
- See SECURITY.md for vulnerability reporting guidelines
Contributing
Contributions are welcome! Please see CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.
License
This project is licensed under the terms in LICENSE.
