NeuroDock Task Fractionator MCP Server
io.github.tlennon-ie/neurodock-mcp-task-fractionator
Decompose vague goals into atomic 5-90 minute tasks and surface the next safe action.
What is the NeuroDock Task Fractionator MCP server?
The NeuroDock Task Fractionator MCP server breaks down ambiguous goals into concrete, time-bounded tasks (5-90 minutes each) and identifies the immediate next step. It's part of NeuroDock, a cognitive substrate designed for neurodivergent professionals that integrates with Claude Desktop, Claude Code, and Cursor to provide memory, pacing, and task decomposition.
The Task Fractionator helps you translate fuzzy objectives into actionable atomic tasks with realistic time estimates. Instead of staring at "finish the project," you get a sequence of specific 5-90 minute steps you can actually complete. It's especially useful for managing executive dysfunction, hyperfocus risk, and the gap between intention and execution.
How to install NeuroDock Task Fractionator
Copy-paste configuration for popular MCP clients.
Tools & capabilities
Tools this server exposes to the agent.
decompose— Breaks down a vague goal into atomic 5-90 minute tasks with time estimates and surfaces the next safe action to take.
Use cases
- Break down a large project goal into concrete, time-bounded subtasks you can complete in a single session
- Identify the immediate next action when facing an overwhelming or ambiguous objective
- Plan your morning or day by decomposing high-level goals into realistic 5-90 minute work blocks
- Translate corporate or abstract goals into specific, measurable tasks with clear time boundaries
- Manage hyperfocus risk by having Claude suggest task boundaries and break points
NeuroDock Task Fractionator MCP server FAQ
It's an MCP server that decomposes vague goals into atomic 5-90 minute tasks and identifies the next safe action. Part of NeuroDock, a cognitive substrate built for neurodivergent professionals.
Yes. NeuroDock is open-source under AGPL-3.0-or-later and runs entirely on your local machine with no telemetry.
Run `npx --yes @neurodock/cli@latest install-all` (one command, under 5 minutes), then full-quit Claude with Cmd+Q or Ctrl+Q so it re-reads its MCP config. Then start talking to Claude.
No. It runs locally by default with no external dependencies. Optional cloud features (hosted remote server) are available but not required.
Tasks that are small enough to complete in a single focused session (5-90 minutes), with clear success criteria and no further decomposition needed.
Yes. You can install individual servers via `pip install neurodock-mcp-task-fractionator` and wire them manually, or use the all-in-one `install-all` command for the full suite.
README (reference)
Source of truth, from the repository.
5-second TL;DR
- What it does: gives Claude a memory of your work, a sense of time, a refuse-rumination guardrail, and a translator for corporate ambiguity.
- Who it's for: neurodivergent people — self-ID only, no diagnosis required, no gatekeeping.
- How to install: one command, below.
NeuroDock plugs into Claude Desktop / Claude Code / Cursor (any MCP-aware client). Local-first by default. No telemetry. AGPL-3.0-or-later.
How it fits together
You chat with Claude exactly like normal. Under the hood, Claude calls NeuroDock's local MCP servers; they read and write your local store; the result flows back into Claude's reply.
<p align="center"> <img src="./assets/branding/architecture-request-path.svg" alt="Request path: you talk to Claude; Claude calls five NeuroDock MCP servers (chronometric, cognitive-graph, task-fractionator, translation, guardrail) plus the evals harness; they read and write ~/.neurodock on your local machine; results flow back into Claude's reply. All local by default, no telemetry, your data stays your data." width="100%"> </p>Everything runs on your laptop. Nothing leaves your machine unless you explicitly turn on a cloud option.
<p align="center"> <img src="./assets/branding/onboarding-3-steps.svg" alt="Install NeuroDock in three steps: 1) Run npx @neurodock/cli@latest install-all (under 5 minutes). 2) Full-quit Claude with Cmd+Q or Ctrl+Q so it re-reads its MCP config (30 seconds). 3) Start talking to Claude — for example, ask 'What was I working on yesterday?'" width="100%"> </p>Install
npx --yes @neurodock/cli@latest install-all
One command. It pip-installs the five MCP servers (plus the neurodock-evals
harness), wires Claude Desktop / Claude Code / Cursor, and drops a starter
profile at ~/.neurodock/profile.yaml.
Then, in any conversation, try one of:
What was I working on yesterday?
Plan my morning.
Decompose this goal into atomic tasks.
Claude calls the MCP tools under the hood; you just talk.
🛑 First-time gotcha: full-quit Claude before testing
Claude only reads its MCP config at startup. Closing the window is not enough. This is the #1 silent failure people hit.
- macOS:
Cmd + Q(or Claude menu → Quit Claude).- Windows: right-click the Claude icon in the system tray → Quit.
- Linux: kill the process (
pkill -f Claudeor quit from the tray).Then reopen Claude and try one of the prompts above.
Requires Python 3.11+ and Node 22+. Works on macOS, Linux, Windows.
<details> <summary><strong>Want to install it step-by-step instead?</strong></summary>Why
@latest? If you previously rannpm install -g @neurodock/cli, npx will silently reuse that older global install instead of fetching the current version — and old versions don't haveinstall-all. The@latesttag forces npx to resolve against the npm registry every time. Same reason we use it onupdate.
NeuroDock ships across two registries: the Python MCP servers (MCP = Model Context Protocol — the standard that lets Claude call local tools) on PyPI, and the user-facing CLI on npm. The CLI wraps everything else.
1. Install the six MCP servers
pip install neurodock-mcp-chronometric neurodock-mcp-cognitive-graph neurodock-mcp-task-fractionator neurodock-mcp-translation neurodock-mcp-guardrail neurodock-evals
2. Wire them into your MCP-aware client
npx --yes @neurodock/cli@latest init
Detects Claude Desktop, Claude Code, or Cursor and writes the server entries automatically.
3. Restart Claude (full quit, not close-window — see the callout above).
About the neurodock command — it lives on npm as @neurodock/cli,
not on PyPI. The pip install step gives you the MCP server binaries
that Claude calls over stdio; the CLI is separate. Two ways to run it:
# Option A — run via npx, no install
npx --yes @neurodock/cli@latest doctor
# Option B — install once, call 'neurodock' from anywhere
npm install -g @neurodock/cli
neurodock doctor
@neurodock/cli exposes: init, doctor, validate, update, sync,
uninstall, host install, host uninstall, profile show,
profile validate, install-all, install-hooks, examples,
plugin add/remove/list/enable/disable/validate.
Proactive guardrails (optional, recommended)
By default NeuroDock waits for you to ask. That's the wrong shape — an ND user in hyperfocus is the one least likely to remember to run a break tool. One command flips it:
neurodock install-hooks --self-test
This wires a small Python script (bundled, stdlib-only — no extra install needed) into Claude Code's hook system. It then runs silently on every tool call and auto-fires the chronometric / rumination / sycophancy heuristics when patterns trip. You get a one-line stderr banner on the next prompt — never blocked, always dismissible.
For host-agnostic coverage (catches you working in the terminal at 02:00 too), add the standalone daemon:
neurodock install-hooks --install-daemon --self-test
That registers a per-user autostart entry (HKCU Run on Windows,
LaunchAgent on macOS, systemd --user on Linux). The daemon polls
every 5 min and surfaces OS-native notifications.
Opt out anytime:
neurodock install-hooks --uninstall # removes both
export NEURODOCK_GUARDRAILS=off # disables without removing
The browser extension carries its own equivalent (Phase 2 watchdog) —
it's enabled by default and toggleable from chrome.storage.local via
the popup Settings tab.
See docs/.../proactive-guardrails for the design behind this and the
opt-out matrix.
Want to see it work without installing from PyPI/npm at all?
TESTING_LOCAL.md walks through the from-clone path.
The install-all command above is the recommended path. The same servers are
also distributed through three standard channels — all install the identical
local stdio servers, so you can pick whichever fits your client:
Claude Code plugin — bundles the five MCP servers and a set of ND-aware
skills in one step. Requires uv (the servers
run via uvx).
/plugin marketplace add tlennon-ie/neurodock
/plugin install neurodock@neurodock
Claude Desktop extension (.mcpb) — one-click install, no config editing.
One bundle per server under mcpb/; build with
npx @anthropic-ai/mcpb pack mcpb/neurodock-mcp-translation and drag the
.mcpb onto Claude Desktop → Settings → Extensions. Requires uv.
Official MCP Registry — each server ships a
server.json and is published to
registry.modelcontextprotocol.io
under the io.github.tlennon-ie/* namespace, so MCP-aware clients can discover
them directly.
Hosted remote server (no install) — the stateless tools (translation,
guardrail, and decompose) are also served over OAuth at a hosted HTTPS
endpoint, so you can use them with no local install and no uv:
https://mcp.neurodock.org/mcp
In Claude (claude.ai or Desktop) → Settings → Connectors → Add custom
connector → paste that URL → complete the sign-in prompt. The eight stateless
tools appear immediately. An opt-in memory surface (enable_hosted_storage,
connect_byos_storage, record_fact, recall_entity, …) is also exposed but
does nothing until you explicitly enable storage for your signed-in account. The
personal cognitive graph and neurotype profile are never hosted — they stay
on the local install. Full walkthrough: Hosted server.
The hosted remote server is live at mcp.neurodock.org.
Update
npx --yes @neurodock/cli@latest update
One command. Upgrades all six MCP servers (pip install --upgrade /
uv tool install), refreshes your wired client configs, and
re-registers the optional native-messaging host. Same flags as
install-all (--client, --profile, --installer, --dry-run,
--no-native-host, --yes).
The browser extension auto-updates through the Chrome / Firefox / Edge
store; sideloaded users git pull and rebuild.
Full-quit Claude after updating so it re-reads its MCP config — same as first install.
Just want to re-shape client configs without touching package versions?
Use neurodock sync.
See it in action
The cognitive substrate in a real session — you talk to Claude normally; under the hood it calls NeuroDock's MCP tools to remember, pace, and decompose.
https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/bcbf65ce-88dd-4f83-8dc1-d56bdde01bed
The browser extension — translating corporate-speak inline on Gmail, Slack, and the rest, right where you read it, without context-switching back to Claude.
https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/5fa25044-923e-4c25-95bd-f1bd63fb3d6e
Prefer a written walkthrough? Try the Claude Desktop walkthrough.
Browser extension (optional)
There's also a browser extension that translates corporate-speak inline on Gmail, Slack, Linear, Notion, GitHub, Google Docs, and Outlook. It calls the same translation tools the MCP server exposes, but surfaces them where you'd actually use them — a floating Translate button plus a right-click menu — so you don't have to context-switch back to Claude just to decode "let's circle back on this."
You pick the LLM provider. Five options: Ollama (local, default), LM
Studio (local), OpenRouter (including its auto-router), Anthropic, OpenAI.
The API key, if you need one, stays in chrome.storage.local and never
leaves the device.
Store submission is still pending (the listing prep is done; the developer accounts and screenshots aren't). Until then, load it manually:
- Build it:
pnpm --filter @neurodock/extension-browser run build - Chrome / Edge: go to
chrome://extensions, turn Developer mode on, click Load unpacked, and pickpackages/extension-browser/.output/chrome-mv3/. - Firefox: go to
about:debugging, click This Firefox → Load Temporary Add-on, and pickmanifest.jsoninsidepackages/extension-browser/.output/firefox-mv3/.
Full per-provider setup walkthrough lives in
packages/extension-browser/README.md.
What's inside
NeuroDock is built around three pillars. Each pillar is made of small, independent packages that you can use one at a time or all together.
flowchart TB
subgraph cognitive[Cognitive substrate]
chrono[mcp-chronometric<br/>time + sessions]
cgraph[mcp-cognitive-graph<br/>memory]
frac[mcp-task-fractionator<br/>decomposition]
end
subgraph comms[Communication layer]
trans[mcp-translation<br/>tone + meetings]
ext[extension-browser<br/>Gmail, Slack, ...]
end
subgraph safety[Clinical guardrails]
guard[mcp-guardrail<br/>rumination / hyperfocus / sycophancy]
clin[clinical<br/>heuristic library]
end
skills[skills/<br/>six markdown bundles] --> cognitive
skills --> comms
skills --> safety
cli[cli/<br/>install + manage] --> cognitive
cli --> comms
cli --> safety
<details>
<summary>Prefer the directory tree? Open this.</summary>
neurodock/
├── packages/
│ ├── mcp-chronometric/ Time + session + break management
│ ├── mcp-cognitive-graph/ Persistent memory + entity recall (SQLite)
│ ├── mcp-task-fractionator/ Decompose vague goals into atomic tasks
│ ├── mcp-translation/ Corporate-speak translator (MCP + browser ext)
│ ├── mcp-guardrail/ Rumination / hyperfocus / sycophancy detectors
│ ├── skills/ Six SKILL.md bundles activating on phrases
│ ├── extension-browser/ WXT-built Chrome / Firefox / Edge extension
│ ├── native-host/ Optional native messaging host (extension <-> profile.yaml)
│ ├── cli/ `npx neurodock init` and friends
│ ├── core/ Shared types, profile schema, plugin spec
│ ├── clinical/ Heuristic library for the guardrail server
│ └── evals/ Eval harness + corpus contribution pipeline
├── docs/ Astro Starlight site (deploys to docs.neurodock.org)
├── plugins/ Drop your own plugins here; auto-discovered
└── profiles/ Curated profile presets
</details>
Status
Public preview shipped. All three substrate pillars (cognitive,
communication, guardrails) are built, on main, and installable from
npm + PyPI. Latest substrate tag: v0.7.3.
MCP servers (PyPI)
neurodock-mcp-chronometric— 5 tools, 22 tests, mypy--strict.neurodock-mcp-cognitive-graph— 4 tools, SQLite + sqlite-vec- fastembed; 4-rung resolution cascade (exact → alias → fuzzy → embedding).
Latest patch ships friendlier
record_facterrors so wrong-shape input no longer leaks raw Pydantic traces.
- fastembed; 4-rung resolution cascade (exact → alias → fuzzy → embedding).
Latest patch ships friendlier
neurodock-mcp-task-fractionator— 2 tools, 32 tests; ISO 8601 duration spec.neurodock-mcp-translation— 4 tools, 29 tests; deterministic baseline plus LLM refinement envelope.neurodock-mcp-guardrail— all three detectors live: rumination, hyperfocus, sycophancy (48 tests, public heuristics).neurodock-evals— air-gapped harness, 10 seed corpus examples, contribution pipeline.neurodock-clinical— reserved name; importable detector library (currently a stub).
CLI + browser surface (npm)
@neurodock/cli— 19 verbs across 7 groups:init,install-all,examples,doctor,validate,update,sync,uninstall,host install/uninstall,profile show/validate,install-hooks,plugin add/remove/list/enable/disable/validate.install-hookswires the proactive-guardrail hook into Claude Code and optionally registers the standalone daemon.@neurodock/core— profile schema and plugin protocol manifests (JSON Schema 2020-12).@neurodock/native-host— optional Chrome Native Messaging host for the extension ↔ profile sync.@neurodock/extension-browser— WXT MV3 build for Chrome / Firefox / Edge. Seven sites wired. Five real LLM providers: Ollama, LM Studio, Anthropic, OpenAI, OpenRouter. Includes the Phase 2 proactive watchdog for hyperfocus / late-night / single-host rumination signals. Not yet store-published.
Skills + docs
- Six launch skills —
adhd-daily-planner,audhd-context-recovery,ocd-decision-finalizer(beta),hyperfocus-formatter,visual-organizer,asd-meeting-translator. - Docs site — builds clean (Astro Starlight), deploys to
docs.neurodock.org.
Still deferred
- Browser-store submissions — Chrome Web Store, Firefox Add-ons, Edge Add-ons developer accounts + screenshots; manual step.
How to actually test it right now
TESTING_LOCAL.md — step-by-step guide to running this against your
Claude Desktop, today, from a clone. Takes about 5 minutes.
Documentation
The docs site lives at docs.neurodock.org.
Source is at docs/src/content/docs/. To preview locally:
pnpm --filter @neurodock/docs run dev
# opens http://localhost:4321
Architecture
The substrate splits into three pillars:
- Cognitive substrate — externalises executive function (time, memory, decomposition). MCP servers: chronometric, cognitive-graph, task-fractionator.
- Communication layer — translates corporate ambiguity; rewrites outgoing messages for register-appropriate tone; structures meeting transcripts. MCP server: translation. Browser extension surfaces the same prompts in Gmail / Slack / Linear / Notion / GitHub / Docs / Outlook.
- Clinical guardrails — detects and intervenes on rumination
(repeat-validation loops), hyperfocus (escalating session-length
nudges), and sycophancy (unconditional agreement). MCP server: guardrail.
Heuristics are public and auditable per
ETHICS.md.
All three layers compose via the same MCP protocol the LLM client already speaks. There's no "NeuroDock app" — the surface is your Claude client.
Design rationale lives in docs/decisions/:
- ADR 0001 — chronometric tool design
- ADR 0002 — cognitive-graph tool design
- ADR 0003 — task-fractionator tool design
- ADR 0004 — profile schema
- ADR 0005 — translation tool design
- ADR 0006 — guardrail tool design
- ADR 0007 — plugin protocol
- ADR 0008 — distribution & remote strategy
Contributing
CONTRIBUTING.md has the welcome + on-ramp. Pick whichever lane matches
what you want to do:
Smallest first PR (~15 min):
- Add a test to an existing skill (
packages/skills/<name>/tests/) - Add a seed eval example (
packages/evals/corpora/translation/) - Improve a tool's parameter description (the LLM uses these — clearer descriptions = better tool use)
One-afternoon PR:
- Write a new skill — markdown bundle activating on specific phrases.
Copy any
packages/skills/<name>/as a template; seedocs/src/content/docs/contribute/write-a-skill.mdx. - Sharpen the task-fractionator heuristics (regex / domain keyword maps).
- Add a new entity-resolution heuristic (e.g., phonetic) to
mcp-cognitive-graph.
Multi-day PR:
- Build an out-of-tree plugin (skill / mcp-server / profile / translation
pack / language pack / theme) per the ADR 0007 plugin protocol. See
docs/src/content/docs/contribute/write-a-plugin.mdx. - Translation language pack (e.g., Hiberno-English, German directness norms, Japanese keigo).
No code:
- Add an anonymised eval example from your own corporate inbox. The
contribution pipeline lives in
packages/evals/and is the highest- leverage non-code contribution.
All PRs run CI: pnpm turbo run lint typecheck test build + uv run pytest
uv run mypy --strict packages/.... Every published package has its own CHANGELOG. Use Conventional Commits in PR titles (feat:,fix:,docs:,test:,chore:,ci:).
Manifesto (short)
- Lower friction for users, and for contributors.
- Local-first by default; cloud is opt-in.
- The user is the authority. Self-ID sufficient.
- Composable over monolithic. No god-modules.
- Refuse where appropriate. AI that fuels rumination, hyperfocus, or anxiety is a regression, not a feature.
Full text in MANIFESTO.md. Ethics framework in ETHICS.md. Governance
in GOVERNANCE.md.
License
AGPL-3.0-or-later. Plugins must declare an AGPL-compatible license to load — the SPDX whitelist is in ADR 0007.
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