Visum Thinker MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides structured sequential thinking capabilities for problem-solving and analysis. This server enables AI assistants to break down complex problems into manageable steps, revise thoughts, and explore alternative reasoning paths.

Features

• Step-by-step reasoning: Break down complex problems into sequential thoughts
• Dynamic revision: Revise and refine thoughts as understanding deepens
• Branching logic: Branch into alternative reasoning paths
• Adaptive planning: Adjust the total number of thoughts dynamically
• State management: Maintain thinking context across multiple tool calls
• Progress tracking: Monitor completion status and thought progression
• PDF Analysis: Load and analyze PDF documents for problem-solving context
• Content Search: Find relevant sections in PDFs based on queries and search terms
• Persistent Storage: Auto-save state to disk, survive server restarts
• Knowledge Transfer: Export/import thinking sessions between servers
• 🚗 Visum Integration: Complete PTV Visum COM API integration for transportation planning
  • Smart Path Learning: Automatically discovers and remembers custom Visum installation paths
  • Zero Configuration: Once set up, works seamlessly across server restarts
  • Demo Mode: Full functionality testing without requiring Visum installation
  • Transportation Analysis: Load models, run calculations, analyze networks and matrices

Installation

Quick Installation

# Option 1: Install from NPM
npm install -g visum-thinker-mcp-server

# Option 2: Use with npx (no installation)
npx visum-thinker-mcp-server

# Option 3: Clone from GitHub
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/visum-thinker-mcp-server.git
cd visum-thinker-mcp-server
npm install && npm run build

See INSTALLATION.md for detailed setup instructions.

Prerequisites

• Node.js 16 or higher
• npm or yarn

Usage

With Claude Desktop

Add to your Claude Desktop configuration (claude_desktop_config.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "visum-thinker": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/sequential_thinking/build/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

With VS Code

The project includes a .vscode/mcp.json configuration file for VS Code MCP integration.

Direct Usage

npm run dev

Tools

sequential_thinking

Main tool for step-by-step reasoning process.

Parameters:

• thought (string): The current thinking step
• nextThoughtNeeded (boolean): Whether another thought step is needed
• thoughtNumber (integer): Current thought number
• totalThoughts (integer): Estimated total thoughts needed
• isRevision (boolean, optional): Whether this revises previous thinking
• revisesThought (integer, optional): Which thought is being reconsidered
• branchFromThought (integer, optional): Branching point thought number
• branchId (string, optional): Branch identifier
• needsMoreThoughts (boolean, optional): If more thoughts are needed

load_pdf

Load a PDF file to provide context for analysis.

Parameters:

• filePath (string): Absolute path to the PDF file

analyze_pdf_section

Analyze specific sections of the loaded PDF.

Parameters:

• query (string): What to look for or analyze in the PDF
• startPage (integer, optional): Starting page number (1-based)
• endPage (integer, optional): Ending page number (1-based)
• searchTerms (array of strings, optional): Specific terms to search for

reset_thinking

Clears the current thinking state to start fresh.

get_thinking_summary

Returns a summary of the current thinking session including PDF context if loaded.

export_knowledge

Export the current thinking state and PDF knowledge to a file.

Parameters:

• exportPath (string): Absolute path where to save the exported knowledge file

import_knowledge

Import thinking state and PDF knowledge from an exported file.

Parameters:

• importPath (string): Absolute path to the exported knowledge file to import

🚗 Visum Transportation Planning Tools

The server includes comprehensive PTV Visum integration with intelligent path learning:

• check_visum: Check Visum availability and learn custom installation paths
• load_visum_model: Load transportation models (.ver files)
• run_visum_calculation: Execute transportation calculations and analyses
• get_network_statistics: Analyze network topology and characteristics
• analyze_visum_matrices: Examine demand and flow matrices
• export_visum_results: Export analysis results to various formats

Key Features:

• 🧠 Smart Path Learning: Automatically remembers custom Visum installation paths
• 🔄 Zero Setup: Works seamlessly after initial path discovery
• 🎯 Demo Mode: Full testing capability without Visum installation
• 📊 Complete Analysis: All major transportation planning workflows supported

See VISUM-PATH-LEARNING.md for detailed information about the intelligent path learning system.

🤖 GitHub Copilot Integration

The Sequential Thinking MCP Server includes comprehensive GitHub Copilot integration for enhanced AI-assisted development:

🚀 Quick Start with Copilot

1. Server Status: Ensure MCP server is running (npm run dev)
2. Open Copilot Chat: Ctrl+Shift+I in VS Code
3. Test Integration: Ask @copilot List available MCP tools
4. Start Solving: @copilot Use sequential thinking to solve [your problem]

🎯 Copilot Capabilities

• 🧠 Sequential Thinking: AI-guided step-by-step problem solving
• 📄 PDF Analysis: Intelligent document processing and analysis
• 🚗 Transportation Planning: Expert Visum integration and workflow automation
• 🔧 Smart Configuration: Automatic Visum path learning and persistence
• 💡 Context-Aware Suggestions: Code completion with domain knowledge

💬 Example Copilot Interactions

@copilot Can you use sequential thinking to analyze this transportation network problem?

@copilot Check if Visum is available and help me load a network model

@copilot Use the PDF analysis tools to extract data from this traffic report

@copilot Create a complete workflow for transportation demand analysis

See COPILOT-INTEGRATION.md for comprehensive setup and usage guide.

Development

Project Structure

sequential_thinking/
├── src/
│   └── index.ts          # Main server implementation
├── build/                # Compiled JavaScript output
├── .vscode/
│   └── mcp.json         # VS Code MCP configuration
├── .github/
│   └── copilot-instructions.md
├── package.json
├── tsconfig.json
└── README.md

Scripts

• npm run build: Compile TypeScript to JavaScript
• npm run dev: Build and run the server
• npm test: Run tests (placeholder)

Debugging

The server logs to stderr for compatibility with STDIO transport. Use VS Code's debugging features or add console.error statements for debugging.

Architecture

The server maintains a global thinking state that tracks:

• All thoughts in the current session
• Current progress and estimated completion
• Revision and branching relationships
• Session completion status

Each tool call updates this state and provides formatted responses that help users follow the thinking process.

License

MIT