Sequential Thinking (Reference) vs niw-skills
Sequential Thinking (Reference) is an MCP server published by modelcontextprotocol. Marketplaces we read that list it: 1 (Docker MCP Catalog). niw-skills is a plugin bundle for AI coding tools published by thepaperscompany. Marketplaces we read that list it: 1 (Claude Code: claude-plugins-community). As of our marketplace pass on 2026-10-24. This pair was picked by a reader, not by our comparison rule, so search engines are asked not to index the page.
Where each is published
| Marketplace |  Sequential Thinking (Reference) |  niw-skills |
|---|---|---|
| Docker MCP Catalog | Listed Version: sha256:cd3174b2ecf3 Forks (GitHub): 11 846 Pulls (Docker Hub): 427 505 Stars (Docker Hub): 30 Stars (GitHub): 91 505 Not marked · First seen |
Not listed |
| Claude Code: claude-plugins-community | Not listed | Listed Version: 0.2.0 Forks (GitHub): 5 Stars (GitHub): 13 Not marked · First seen |
Each figure is the marketplace's own and is never added up across marketplaces. A marketplace that publishes no figure shows none: no number is not zero.
The facts side by side
| Fact | Sequential Thinking (Reference) | niw-skills |
|---|---|---|
| Marketplaces that list it | 1 | 1 |
| Stars (GitHub) (differs) | 91 505 (better) | 13 (worse) |
| Pulls (Docker Hub) (differs) | 427 505 | No figure on Docker Hub |
| Forks (GitHub) (differs) | 11 846 (better) | 5 (worse) |
| Last release | Not published | Not published |
| Where it runs (differs) | On your machine (mcp/sequentialthinking) | Installs as a plugin bundle |
| Transport (differs) | stdio | Not stated |
| Tools it declares (differs) | 1 | Not published |
| Environment variables it asks for | Not published | Not published |
| Parts of the bundle (differs) | Not a bundle | 1 |
| Licence (differs) | NOASSERTION | Apache-2.0 |
| Repository (differs) | github.com/modelcontextprotocol/servers | github.com/thepaperscompany/niw-skills |
| Changes in the last 7 days | 0 | 0 |
| First seen | 2026-10-11 | 2026-10-11 |
Lines where the two differ have a tinted background and bold values. Where the data itself says which value is better (more marketplaces, a larger figure of the same marketplace, a fresher release, a verified mark on a marketplace that lists both), the better one is also marked green with ▲ and the worse one red with ▼. Where it runs, the transport, the tools, the settings, hooks, the bundle's parts, the licence and the week's changes are marked only as different: more or fewer is not better in itself.
What each says it does
Sequential Thinking (Reference)
Dynamic and reflective problem-solving through thought sequences.
niw-skills
Open-source plugin for U.S. EB-2 National Interest Waiver (NIW) case work. Honest pre-filing legal evaluation of self-petitions under the current USCIS adjudication standard, with the preponderance-of-the-evidence burden applied prong by prong under Matter of Dhanasar. Built for three cohorts: DIY self-petitioners ready to file, prospective applicants 6–24 months out, and master's/PhD students 3–5 years out who want a multi-year roadmap before committing. Key features: • Agentic 5-stage conversation — orient → co-design your proposed endeavor → confirm → full evaluation → follow-ups. Adapts to what you know and what you've provided; produces a clean structured memo, not an engineering trace. • Citation discipline — every legal rule cites authority inline (Dhanasar, Chawathe, Katigbak, USCIS Policy Manual Vol. 6 Pt. F Ch. 5, and curated AAO decisions). • Verdict floor under preponderance — no inflated assessments. No prong is rated "Strong" without documented evidence clearing preponderance. • Hard anti-halluc
How to run each
Sequential Thinking (Reference) As a local MCP server: Docker image
claude mcp add --transport stdio sequentialthinking -- docker run -i --rm mcp/sequentialthinkingniw-skills As a Claude Code plugin
/plugin marketplace add anthropics/claude-plugins-community
/plugin install niw-skills@claude-communityCommands built only from what the marketplaces declare; the full set for every client is on each card.
Tools each declares
The marketplaces of niw-skills publish no list of tools, so we do not compare tools.
Settings each asks for
Neither one's marketplaces publish the settings it asks for.
What it can do: Sequential Thinking (Reference) · What it can do: niw-skills · Compare two other plugins
Data comes from the Docker MCP Catalog (desktop.docker.com/mcp/catalog) and Docker Hub. Data comes from the public marketplace file https://github.com/anthropics/claude-plugins-community/blob/HEAD/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json. Figures come from our own regular passes over the marketplaces, last read on . We publish no contact details for plugin publishers.