Thinking CrutchThinking Crutch · Free · Runs on your Mac
Your chat is long. Your thinking shouldn't get lost in it.
Just talk with your agent. As you go, it puts the questions, ideas and reasons that matter on a canvas, so you can see how you got here. What counts is your call.
Tired of this?
Thinking Crutch keeps only what is worth keeping, and every decision can be traced back to why.
Explaining the background. Again?
The canvas is the context. One line picks it back up.
Can you still read what your AI remembers for you?
Only what you Apply stays. Once a question is answered, the working moves into its basis.
Still thinking, or just saying “OK”?
The reasons are laid out. You weigh them, and you decide.
Every decision can be traced.
1 card in the basis
IdeaChats move forward in time, but the current judgment is buried behind us
Agent judgment: Leans for — Search brings back the words, not the why, so the challenge doesn't hold.
SupportI have to reread many messages to reconstruct why we thought this
ChallengeSearch finds the words, but not the reasoning behind the judgment
Open Read why: what was weighed, and why it went this way.
On the Canvas, every option gets an outcome.
An Idea keeps its reasons; a Conclusion keeps its basis. Only what is still unresolved moves on to the next round.
Let the conversation go. Keep the thinking.
What's worth keeping is already on the canvas. Next time, just start a new conversation and let your agent read it first. The old chat? Throw it away.
Download Thinking Crutch
Free. Your canvases stay on your computer.
macOS
Signed and notarized by Apple, so it opens with a double-click.
We're preparing the first signed build.
Download in China
A mirror that's fast from mainland China.
Coming soonWindows
Planned. Tell us if you need it.
PlannedBefore you start
- An agent that can connect to an MCP server, such as Claude Code or Codex.
- macOS. Supported versions will be listed with the first release.
Get started
About five minutes from download to your first canvas.
Install the app
Download Thinking Crutch for Mac and open it. Keep it open while you work: your agent reads and writes the canvas through it.
Connect your agent
Send this to your agent. It adds the canvas to its own MCP configuration.
Please add this MCP server to your own configuration: http://127.0.0.1:47821/mcp (HTTP transport, name: ai-canvas). When you're done, remind me to start a new session so you can use it.
Or add it yourself. The address is
http://127.0.0.1:47821/mcpStart a new session and ask
Tell your agent what you want to think through. It writes the goal, questions and ideas onto the canvas as you talk.
“Read my canvas and help me think about this goal.”
Apply what counts
Everything your agent writes waits on the canvas until you Apply it. Reject what doesn't belong.
Questions
What people ask before they try it.
Where are my canvases stored?
On your computer, as files. There is no account and nothing is uploaded.
Does it cost anything?
No. It's free.
Which agents work with it?
Any agent that can connect to an MCP server over HTTP. We use Claude Code and Codex every day.
Can the agent change my canvas on its own?
No. It proposes; nothing counts until you Apply it.
Is the connection safe?
The agent endpoint listens only on this machine (127.0.0.1). It has no sign-in yet, so other programs on your computer can reach it too.
Is there a Windows or Linux version?
Not yet. Mac comes first.
How do I reach you?
A feedback email is coming soon.
Still early. Tell us where you got stuck.
We use Thinking Crutch to design Thinking Crutch. Your experience helps us decide what to improve next.
Feedback email coming soon