modelcontextprotocol / modelcontextprotocol/servers

Plugin sequential-thinking fails with "Client closed" when launched in Cursor

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bug
Dominant language
TypeScript
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Description


Describe the bug
When using the @modelcontextprotocol/server-sequential-thinking plugin in Cursor, it fails to run and shows Client closed. The same JSON configuration and command work fine in VSCode. This indicates the plugin server process may be exiting immediately after starting.

To Reproduce
Steps to reproduce the behavior:

  1. Enable the sequential-thinking plugin in Cursor
  2. Cursor attempts to run the command:
    cmd /c npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-sequential-thinking
    
  3. The plugin briefly shows "Enabled" and then fails with Client closed

Expected behavior
The plugin should start a persistent MCP server that Cursor can connect to and interact with, just like other MCP plugins such as browser-tool-mcp.

Logs
Cursor log message:

Client closed

Manually running the command in a terminal does not produce errors and the server starts as expected.

Additional context
This issue only happens with the sequential-thinking plugin. Other MCP plugins (e.g., browser-tool-mcp) work correctly in Cursor using the same setup and command structure.
It’s possible the server script does not block the main thread (e.g., missing await app.listen() or server.listen()), causing the process to exit immediately in non-interactive environments like Cursor.

Environment

  • Cursor version: 0.47.8 (user setup)
  • VSCode version: 1.96.2
  • Node.js: 20.18.1
  • OS: Windows 11 (Windows_NT x64 10.0.26100)

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start by reproducing the failure in Cursor on Windows with cmd /c npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-sequential-thinking, then compare it with the same command in a terminal and the working VSCode setup. Inspect the @modelcontextprotocol/server-sequential-thinking server entry point and verify that the process remains alive and Cursor can connect and interact with it.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
node.js, typescript
Domain
api, backend, devtools
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
3/5
Estimated time
1-2 days
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
35/100

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