thinking-partner vs Think Steps
thinking-partner is a plugin bundle for AI coding tools published by mattnowdev. Marketplaces we read that list it: 1 (Claude Code: claude-plugins-community). Think Steps is an MCP server published by sadri-dridi. Marketplaces we read that list it: 1 (Official MCP Registry). As of our marketplace pass on 2026-10-15. 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 |  thinking-partner |  Think Steps |
|---|---|---|
| Claude Code: claude-plugins-community | Listed Version: 1.0.0 Forks (GitHub): 17 Stars (GitHub): 213 Not marked · First seen |
Not listed |
| Official MCP Registry | Not listed | Listed Version: 1.0.0 Forks (GitHub): 0 Stars (GitHub): 0 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 | thinking-partner | Think Steps |
|---|---|---|
| Marketplaces that list it | 1 | 1 |
| Stars (GitHub) (differs) | 213 (better) | 0 (worse) |
| Forks (GitHub) (differs) | 17 (better) | 0 (worse) |
| Last release | Not published | Not published |
| Where it runs (differs) | Installs as a plugin bundle | Remote server (agent-observatory-sensor.nolimit-observatory.workers.dev/s/think-steps/mcp) |
| Transport (differs) | Not stated | Streamable HTTP |
| Tools it declares | Not published | Not published |
| Environment variables it asks for | Not published | Not published |
| Parts of the bundle (differs) | 1 | Not a bundle |
| Licence | Not stated | Not stated |
| Repository (differs) | github.com/mattnowdev/thinking-partner | github.com/sadri-dridi/named-mcp-utilities |
| Changes in the last 7 days | 0 | 0 |
| First seen (differs) | 2026-10-12 | 2026-10-11 |
| Endpoint at the last check (differs) | no remote endpoint we check | Responded 9 h ago |
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
thinking-partner
A deterministic thinking partner that challenges assumptions and applies 150+ mental models across 17 disciplines to sharpen decisions, solve problems, and think more clearly. Features include orientation detection that diagnoses 6 thinking states with targeted interventions, a structured 6-step workflow from diagnosis to synthesis, 7 complementary cognitive operation pairs, and explicit anti-patterns to avoid common reasoning failures. Works as a sparring session, not a lecture, asks one question at a time, names the model being applied, and challenges where it matters.
Think Steps
Return a three-step thinking template. Prompt discarded.
How to run each
thinking-partner As a Claude Code plugin
/plugin marketplace add anthropics/claude-plugins-community
/plugin install thinking-partner@claude-communityThink Steps As a remote MCP server
claude mcp add --transport http think-steps https://agent-observatory-sensor.nolimit-observatory.workers.dev/s/think-steps/mcpCommands built only from what the marketplaces declare; the full set for every client is on each card.
Only Think Steps has a remote endpoint we check. How we check endpoints
Tools each declares
Neither one's marketplaces publish a list of tools, so there is nothing to compare.
Settings each asks for
Neither one's marketplaces publish the settings it asks for.
What it can do: thinking-partner · What it can do: Think Steps · Compare two other plugins
Data comes from the public marketplace file https://github.com/anthropics/claude-plugins-community/blob/HEAD/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json. Data comes from the Official MCP Registry (registry.modelcontextprotocol.io), CC0 1.0. Figures come from our own regular passes over the marketplaces, last read on . We publish no contact details for plugin publishers.