Sequential Thinking Skill for Claude
Systematic step-by-step reasoning with revision and branching. Use for complex problems, multi-stage analysis, design planning, problem decomposition, or encountering unclear scope, alternative approaches needed, revision requirements.
Install
one command, takes just this skill from the repositorynpx skills add https://github.com/secondsky/claude-skills --skill sequential-thinkingThe instruction itself
12 sections, as written by the authorSequential Thinking
Enables structured problem-solving through iterative reasoning with revision and branching capabilities.
Core Capabilities
- Iterative reasoning: Break complex problems into sequential thought steps
- Dynamic scope: Adjust total thought count as understanding evolves
- Revision tracking: Reconsider and modify previous conclusions
- Branch exploration: Explore alternative reasoning paths from any point
- Maintained context: Keep track of reasoning chain throughout analysis
When to Use
Use mcp__reasoning__sequentialthinking when:
- Problem requires multiple interconnected reasoning steps
- Initial scope or approach is uncertain
- Need to filter through complexity to find core issues
- May need to backtrack or revise earlier conclusions
- Want to explore alternative solution paths
Don't use for: Simple queries, direct facts, or single-step tasks.
Basic Usage
The MCP tool mcp__reasoning__sequentialthinking accepts these parameters:
Required Parameters
thought(string): Current reasoning stepnextThoughtNeeded(boolean): Whether more reasoning is neededthoughtNumber(integer): Current step number (starts at 1)totalThoughts(integer): Estimated total steps needed
Optional Parameters
isRevision(boolean): Indicates this revises previous thinkingrevisesThought(integer): Which thought number is being reconsideredbranchFromThought(integer): Thought number to branch frombranchId(string): Identifier for this reasoning branch
Workflow Pattern
1. Start with initial thought (thoughtNumber: 1)
2. For each step:
- Express current reasoning in `thought`
- Estimate remaining work via `totalThoughts` (adjust dynamically)
- Set `nextThoughtNeeded: true` to continue
3. When reaching conclusion, set `nextThoughtNeeded: false`
Simple Example
// First thought
{
thought: "Problem involves optimizing database queries. Need to identify bottlenecks first.",
thoughtNumber: 1,
totalThoughts: 5,
nextThoughtNeeded: true
}
// Second thought
{
thought: "Analyzing query patterns reveals N+1 problem in user fetches.",
thoughtNumber: 2,
totalThoughts: 6, // Adjusted scope
nextThoughtNeeded: true
}
// ... continue until done
Advanced Features
Revision Pattern
When you realize an earlier conclusion was wrong:
{
thought: "Reconsidering thought #2: The N+1 problem isn't the main bottleneck - missing index is.",
thoughtNumber: 5,
totalThoughts: 8,
nextThoughtNeeded: true,
isRevision: true,
revisesThought: 2
}
Branching Pattern
When exploring alternative approaches:
{
thought: "Branch A: What if we solve this with caching instead of query optimization?",
thoughtNumber: 6,
totalThoughts: 10,
nextThoughtNeeded: true,
branchFromThought: 3,
branchId: "caching-approach"
}
Tips
- Start with rough estimate for
totalThoughts, refine as you progress - Use revision when assumptions prove incorrect
- Branch when multiple approaches seem viable
- Express uncertainty explicitly in thoughts
- Adjust scope freely - accuracy matters less than progress visibility
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How to use it
Take secondsky/sequential-thinking from the repository into ~/.claude/skills for personal
use, or into .claude/skills inside a project.
The agent identifies a skill by the name field in its header. Two skills with the
same name cannot sit side by side — one of them will be ignored.