The "think" tool creates a dedicated space for LLMs to perform structured thinking during complex tasks. This tool enhances the LLM's problem-solving performance by providing a sandbox for reasoning through complex situations.
When using multiple tools or making multi-step decisions, LLMs benefit from having a place to analyze information, verify policy compliance, and plan sequential actions. The "think" tool provides this space without retrieving new information or changing any data - it simply logs the thought process.
This tool is a simple implementation inspired by Anthropic's "think" tool research. For more information, please see: https://www.anthropic.com/engineering/claude-think-tool
Research and testing have shown that the think tool provides significant advantages in several key scenarios:
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Analysis of Tool Results: Particularly valuable when the LLM needs to carefully evaluate outputs from previous tool calls before proceeding, especially in situations where strategy adjustments may be necessary.
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Regulatory and Guidelines Adherence: Essential in contexts with strict policies or complex regulations that must be carefully followed and verified.
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Multi-step Decision Processes: Most beneficial in scenarios where actions build sequentially, with each decision affecting subsequent options and where errors could have cascading consequences.
To maximize the benefits of the think tool in your LLM implementation:
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Create Context-Specific Examples Develop tailored examples that demonstrate:
- Appropriate reasoning depth for your use case
- Techniques for deconstructing complex tasks
- Frameworks for addressing common scenarios
- Methods for ensuring comprehensive information gathering
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Integrate Detailed Guidance in System Instructions For complex implementations, incorporate comprehensive think tool instructions within the system prompt rather than the tool description. This approach helps the LLM better incorporate structured thinking into its overall problem-solving process.
The think tool does have limitations and isn't beneficial in all scenarios. Consider the additional token usage when deciding whether to implement it. The tool offers minimal benefits in:
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Simple or Parallel Tool Operations: Use cases requiring only single tool calls or non-sequential multiple tool operations typically don't benefit from the additional reflection.
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Straightforward Task Execution: Scenarios with minimal constraints or where the LLM's standard reasoning is already sufficient for the task at hand.
Incorporate the think tool into your LLM environment through these steps:
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Begin with Complex Scenarios: Identify challenging use cases where the LLM currently experiences difficulties with policy compliance or complex reasoning chains.
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Configure the Tool for Your Domain: Implement a customized think tool specific to your needs, including relevant examples and use cases in your system instructions.
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Evaluate and Adjust: Observe how the LLM utilizes the tool in real-world scenarios and refine your implementation to encourage more effective reasoning patterns.
To get the most value from the think tool, consider adding specific instructions to your system prompt about when and how to use it:
## Using the think tool
Before taking any action or responding to the user after receiving tool results, use the think tool as a scratchpad to:
- List the specific rules that apply to the current request
- Check if all required information is collected
- Verify that the planned action complies with all policies
- Iterate over tool results for correctness
Here are some examples of what to iterate over inside the think tool:
<think_tool_example_1>
User wants to [specific scenario]
- Need to verify: [key information]
- Check relevant rules: [list rules]
- Verify [important conditions]
- Plan: [outline steps]
</think_tool_example_1>
Domain-specific examples in your prompts significantly improve how effectively the LLM uses the think tool. Consider including examples tailored to your specific use case.
Original concept by Anthropic
Tool author: Kalo Chin
Repository: https://github.com/fdb02983rhy/dify-think-plugin
This project is licensed under the MIT License.