creative-thinking

uddhav/creative-thinking

3.2

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Creative Thinking MCP Server provides structured techniques for lateral and creative problem-solving.

Tools
  1. lateralthinking

    Guides users through proven lateral thinking techniques for creative problem-solving.

Creative Thinking MCP Server

An MCP server implementation that provides structured lateral and creative thinking techniques for problem-solving and ideation.

Installation

Quick Install with npx

# Run directly from GitHub
npx -y github:uddhav/creative-thinking

# Or if published to npm
npx -y creative-thinking

Local Development

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/uddhav/creative-thinking.git
cd creative-thinking

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build the project
npm run build

# Run locally
node dist/index.js

Features

  • Six Thinking Hats: Systematic exploration of problems from six distinct perspectives
  • PO (Provocative Operation): Break thinking patterns through deliberate provocation
  • Random Entry: Generate creative connections through random stimuli
  • SCAMPER: Systematic ideation through seven transformation actions
  • Concept Extraction: Transfer successful patterns across domains
  • Yes, And...: Collaborative ideation with critical evaluation
  • Session Persistence: Save, load, list, delete, and export thinking sessions
  • Auto-save: Automatically persist progress after each step
  • Tagging & Organization: Categorize sessions with names and tags
  • Multiple Export Formats: Export sessions as JSON, Markdown, or CSV
  • Visual progress tracking with emojis and formatted output
  • Support for revisions and branching in creative exploration
  • Session management with unique IDs and history tracking
  • Insights extraction and summary when sessions complete
  • Colored console output with chalk (can be disabled with DISABLE_THOUGHT_LOGGING environment variable)

Tool

lateralthinking

Guides users through proven lateral thinking techniques for creative problem-solving.

Inputs:

  • technique (string): The lateral thinking technique to use ("six_hats", "po", "random_entry", "scamper")
  • problem (string): The problem or challenge to address
  • currentStep (integer): Current step number in the technique
  • totalSteps (integer): Total steps for this technique
  • output (string): Your creative output for this step
  • nextStepNeeded (boolean): Whether another step is needed

Technique-specific inputs:

  • hatColor (string, optional): Current hat color for six_hats technique
  • provocation (string, optional): The provocative statement for po technique
  • principles (array, optional): Extracted principles for po technique
  • randomStimulus (string, optional): The random word/concept for random_entry
  • connections (array, optional): Generated connections for random_entry
  • scamperAction (string, optional): Current SCAMPER action

Advanced features:

  • isRevision (boolean, optional): Whether this revises a previous step
  • revisesStep (integer, optional): Which step is being revised
  • branchFromStep (integer, optional): Step number to branch from
  • branchId (string, optional): Identifier for the branch

Techniques

Six Thinking Hats

Edward de Bono's method for parallel thinking:

  1. Blue Hat 🔵: Process control and overview
  2. White Hat ⚪: Facts and information only
  3. Red Hat 🔴: Emotions, feelings, and intuition
  4. Yellow Hat 🟡: Optimism, benefits, and positive thinking
  5. Black Hat ⚫: Critical judgment, caution, and risk assessment
  6. Green Hat 🟢: Creativity, alternatives, and new ideas

PO (Provocative Operation)

Four-step process for escaping mental patterns:

  1. Create a provocative statement (Po: ...)
  2. Suspend judgment about the provocation
  3. Extract useful principles from the provocation
  4. Develop practical ideas from the principles

Random Entry

Three-step creative connection process:

  1. Introduce a random stimulus (word, image, concept)
  2. Generate connections between stimulus and problem
  3. Develop solutions from the connections

SCAMPER

Seven systematic transformations:

  • Substitute: Replace parts with alternatives
  • Combine: Merge with other ideas or functions
  • Adapt: Adjust for different contexts
  • Modify: Magnify, minimize, or modify attributes
  • Put to other use: Find new applications
  • Eliminate: Remove unnecessary elements
  • Reverse: Invert or rearrange components

Concept Extraction

Four-step process for transferring successful principles across domains:

  1. Identify Success: Analyze a successful solution from any domain
  2. Extract Concepts: Identify the key principles that make it work
  3. Abstract Patterns: Generalize concepts into transferable patterns
  4. Apply to Problem: Transfer abstracted patterns to your specific challenge

Usage Examples

Six Thinking Hats Example

{
  "technique": "six_hats",
  "problem": "How to improve team collaboration in remote work",
  "currentStep": 1,
  "totalSteps": 6,
  "hatColor": "blue",
  "output": "We need a systematic approach to analyze our remote collaboration challenges. Let's examine this from all perspectives to find comprehensive solutions.",
  "nextStepNeeded": true
}

SCAMPER Example

{
  "technique": "scamper",
  "problem": "Redesign the coffee mug for better user experience",
  "currentStep": 3,
  "totalSteps": 7,
  "scamperAction": "adapt",
  "output": "Adapt the mug handle design from ergonomic tools - add a thumb rest and finger grooves like those found on professional photography equipment for better grip and reduced fatigue.",
  "nextStepNeeded": true
}

Concept Extraction Example

{
  "technique": "concept_extraction",
  "problem": "How to improve employee onboarding process",
  "currentStep": 3,
  "totalSteps": 4,
  "abstractedPatterns": [
    "Orchestrated parallel workflows",
    "Role clarity through visual systems",
    "Time-boxed task completion",
    "Cross-functional visibility"
  ],
  "output": "Abstract patterns: Create systems where multiple activities happen simultaneously with clear visual indicators, time boundaries, and everyone understanding the full picture.",
  "nextStepNeeded": true
}

Configuration

Usage with Claude Desktop

Add this to your claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "creative-thinking": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "github:uddhav/creative-thinking"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Usage with VS Code

Add the following to your VS Code settings:

{
  "mcp": {
    "servers": {
      "creative-thinking": {
        "command": "npx",
        "args": [
          "-y",
          "github:uddhav/creative-thinking"
        ]
      }
    }
  }
}

To disable visual output logging, set the environment variable: DISABLE_THOUGHT_LOGGING=true

Session Management

The Creative Thinking tool now supports full session persistence, allowing you to save your creative thinking progress and return to it later.

Session Operations

Add sessionOperation to your request to perform session management:

  • save: Save the current session with optional name and tags
  • load: Load a previously saved session
  • list: List all saved sessions with filtering options
  • delete: Delete a saved session
  • export: Export a session in JSON, Markdown, or CSV format

Quick Examples

Save current session:

{
  "sessionOperation": "save",
  "saveOptions": {
    "sessionName": "Product Innovation Brainstorm",
    "tags": ["product", "innovation", "q1-2024"]
  }
}

List sessions:

{
  "sessionOperation": "list",
  "listOptions": {
    "technique": "scamper",
    "status": "active"
  }
}

Load a session:

{
  "sessionOperation": "load",
  "loadOptions": {
    "sessionId": "session_12345"
  }
}

Export a session:

{
  "sessionOperation": "export",
  "exportOptions": {
    "sessionId": "session_12345",
    "format": "markdown"  // Options: "markdown", "json", "csv"
  }
}

Export Formats

The tool supports three export formats:

  • Markdown: Human-readable reports with rich formatting
  • JSON: Complete structured data for analysis and integration
  • CSV: Tabular data for spreadsheets and data visualization

See for detailed export examples and use cases.

Auto-Save

Enable automatic saving after each step by adding "autoSave": true to your thinking step requests.

Configuration

  • PERSISTENCE_TYPE: Storage backend (filesystem or memory)
  • PERSISTENCE_PATH: Custom storage path (default: ~/.creative-thinking/sessions)

For detailed session management examples, see .

Building

Docker:

docker build -t creative-thinking .

NPM:

npm install
npm run build

Usage Tips

  1. Start with Blue Hat: For Six Hats technique, always begin with the Blue Hat to establish process and goals
  2. Embrace Absurdity: For PO technique, the more provocative the statement, the better the creative leaps
  3. True Randomness: For Random Entry, use genuinely random words - avoid choosing "relevant" stimuli
  4. Complete SCAMPER: Work through all seven actions even if some seem less applicable
  5. Session Continuity: The server maintains session state, allowing for natural creative flow
  6. Revision Support: Use the revision feature to refine earlier creative outputs as insights develop

License

This MCP server is licensed under the GPL-3.0 License. This means you are free to use, modify, and distribute the software, subject to the terms and conditions of the GPL-3.0 License. For more details, please see the LICENSE file in the project repository.