Sequential Thinking
Version: 1.0.0 Use When: Complex problems requiring structured analysis
Core Pattern
thought_structure[5]{step,format,purpose}: 1,Initial analysis,Understand the problem space 2,Build on previous,Deepen understanding 3,[REVISION],Correct earlier assumptions 4,[BRANCH],Explore alternatives 5,[FINAL],Synthesize solution
Output Format
Thought 1/N: [Initial analysis of the problem]
- Key observations
- Initial assumptions
Thought 2/N: [Building on Thought 1]
- Deeper analysis
- Connections discovered
Thought 3/N [REVISION of Thought 1]: [Corrected understanding]
- What was wrong
- Corrected view
Thought 4/N [BRANCH A]: [Alternative approach]
- Different angle
- Trade-offs
Thought 5/N [FINAL]: [Solution synthesis]
- Recommended approach
- Key decisions
Dynamic Adjustment
adjustment[3]{action,when,how}: Expand,Complexity increases,Add more thoughts (N+1) Contract,Simpler than expected,Skip to FINAL Branch,Multiple valid paths,Create BRANCH A/B/C
When to Use
use_cases[5]{scenario,thoughts,model}: Architecture design,5-8,opus Bug root cause,3-5,sonnet Performance optimization,4-6,sonnet Security analysis,5-7,opus Refactoring strategy,4-6,sonnet
Integration
phase_integration[4]{phase,use,focus}: Phase 1,Requirements analysis,Understand scope and constraints Phase 2,Technical planning,Evaluate approaches Phase 3,Complex implementation,Debug tricky issues Phase 4,Code review,Deep analysis of changes
Example
User: "The login is slow but I don't know why"
Thought 1/4: [Initial analysis]
- Login involves: UI → API → Auth → DB
- "Slow" is vague - need metrics
- Possible bottlenecks: network, DB, auth provider
Thought 2/4: [Building on observations]
- Auth provider (external) is most likely
- DB queries should be fast (indexed)
- Network latency is user-dependent
Thought 3/4 [REVISION of Thought 2]: [After checking logs]
- Actually, DB query is taking 2.3s
- Missing index on users.email
- Auth provider is fine (50ms)
Thought 4/4 [FINAL]: [Solution]
- Add index: CREATE INDEX idx_users_email ON users(email)
- Expected improvement: 2.3s → 50ms
- Verify with EXPLAIN ANALYZE
Invoke: Use for problems requiring structured exploration before solution.