# Sideways MCP Server

> Shift perspective. Unlock creativity.

## What is Sideways?

Sideways is an MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that provides unexpected questions and lateral thinking prompts to help break through creative blocks and shift perspective. When AI gets stuck thinking in straight lines, Sideways helps it think sideways.

## How It Works

Sideways uses a privacy-preserving design:

1. User says "use sideways" in their prompt
2. AI assistant reads available categories via MCP Resources
3. AI selects the best category for the user's creative challenge
4. AI invokes a category-specific MCP Prompt to get a random strategy
5. User receives an unexpected strategy card with 5 questions to apply it

**Privacy**: The server only receives category names (like 'reframe' or 'reduce'). User conversations, creative challenges, and work stay on their device.

## Categories

Sideways organizes 86 creative strategies into 6 categories for targeted creative interventions:

### Reframe (18 strategies)
Change perspective, reverse assumptions, adopt alternative viewpoints.
**Use when**: Stuck in a single way of thinking, facing opposition, or need to see the problem from a completely different angle.

### Reduce (15 strategies)
Simplify, subtract, remove, clarify, focus on essentials.
**Use when**: Overwhelmed by complexity, dealing with too many options, or when clarity is needed.

### Expand (10 strategies)
Add more, elaborate, embrace abundance, do both.
**Use when**: Solutions feel too minimal, avoiding decisions, or when there's room to explore more possibilities.

### Disrupt (14 strategies)
Break patterns, embrace chaos, make destructive moves, honor mistakes.
**Use when**: Stuck in safe patterns, avoiding risk, or when work feels too polished or predictable.

### Embody (10 strategies)
Physical, sensory, body-based approaches to creative problems.
**Use when**: Too much in your head, experiencing physical tension, or disconnected from intuition.

### Pause (14 strategies)
Rest, reflect, step back, examine, take breaks.
**Use when**: Rushing, feeling frantic, or unable to see the forest for the trees.

## Usage Instructions

To use Sideways with an AI assistant:

1. Install the MCP server in your AI tool (see Installation section below)
2. In your prompt to the AI, include the phrase "use sideways"
3. The AI will automatically select the appropriate category and return a strategy card

Example prompts:
- "My test suite takes 10 minutes to run. Use sideways to help me think about performance."
- "I'm debugging and nothing makes sense anymore. Use sideways"
- "I want to plan a memorable vacation but I'm overwhelmed by options. Use sideways"

## MCP Resources Available

- `categories://index` - List of all 6 strategy categories with descriptions and guidance
- `strategies://metadata` - Overall statistics about the strategy collection
- `categories://{categoryId}` - Detailed information about each category

## MCP Prompts Available

- `sideways-reframe` - Get a random Reframe strategy with 5 questions
- `sideways-reduce` - Get a random Reduce strategy with 5 questions
- `sideways-expand` - Get a random Expand strategy with 5 questions
- `sideways-disrupt` - Get a random Disrupt strategy with 5 questions
- `sideways-embody` - Get a random Embody strategy with 5 questions
- `sideways-pause` - Get a random Pause strategy with 5 questions

## MCP Tools Available

- `get-strategy` - Get a random strategy from a specific category
  - Parameter: `category` (required) - one of: reframe, reduce, expand, disrupt, embody, pause
  - Returns: Just the strategy text (no questions)

## Installation

### SSE Endpoint (recommended for remote clients)
```
https://sideways.aribadernatal.com/sse
```

### Standard MCP Endpoint
```
https://sideways.aribadernatal.com/mcp
```

### Example Configuration (Claude Code)
```bash
claude mcp add --transport http sideways https://sideways.aribadernatal.com/mcp
```

### Example Configuration (Claude Desktop)
```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "sideways": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["mcp-remote", "https://sideways.aribadernatal.com/sse"]
    }
  }
}
```

## Technical Details

- **Platform**: Cloudflare Workers
- **Authentication**: None required
- **Transport**: SSE (Server-Sent Events) and Streamable HTTP MCP
- **Response Format**: Strategy cards with emoji (🎴) + quoted strategy + 5 context-agnostic questions

## Credits

- Built by Ari Bader-Natal (https://aribadernatal.com)

## Use Cases

Sideways works across contexts:
- **Code/Engineering**: Performance optimization, debugging, architecture decisions
- **Creative Work**: Writing, design, artistic blocks
- **Decision Making**: Career choices, planning, strategy
- **Learning**: Skill acquisition, overcoming plateaus
- **Problem Solving**: Any situation where conventional thinking isn't working