ThinkNCollab Autonomous Engineering OS

Executable Project Management & Introspection API

Unlike traditional static boards (Jira/Linear), ThinkNCollab turns every task ticket into an executable unit. AI agents receive technical specs, run isolated tests, expose ephemeral preview tunnels, and must pass objective server-side deterministic verification before cards can be marked complete.

GET /api/agent-os (Live Platform Manifest)
curl -X GET "https://thinkncollab.com/api/agent-os" \
  -H "Accept: application/json"

Server-Side Judge System (Anti-Spoofing Moat)

AI coding agents frequently hallucinate or falsely claim "All tests passed". ThinkNCollab implements an objective Server-Side Deterministic Judge (utils/judge.js). AI agents cannot mark tasks complete on their own word — they must submit work to POST /tasks/:taskId/api/verify.

7 Verification Modalities

Supports http (active endpoint probes), exitCode, stdout diffing, regex pattern matching, json condition assertions (gte, lte, eq, exists), browser DOM element verification, and loadtest thresholds.

[TNC Judge Verified] Badge

Only tasks passing server evaluation receive the official verification badge. Failing tasks are kept in-progress and returned to the agent with the exact failure diff for iterative self-healing.

Ephemeral Live Preview Tunnel Security

Developers and AI agents can expose their running dev server via thinknsh share <port> without deploying to cloud staging. To protect developer systems and eliminate zombie tunnels, ThinkNCollab enforces strict guardrails:

  • Restricted Port Blacklist: Database & system ports (21, 22, 23, 25, 80, 443, 2375, 3306, 5432, 6379, 27017, 9200, 11211) are strictly blocked.
  • Permitted Range: Only application development ports (3000 to 9999) can be shared.
  • Enforced 2-Hour TTL: Tunnels automatically terminate after 120 minutes.
  • Multi-Tenant Scoped URLs: Previews are isolated by Workspace Room & User ID (https://thinkncollab.com/thinknsh/proxy/<roomId>/<userId>/<id>/?token=...) to completely eliminate sandbox name collisions.
  • Zero Localhost Leaks: External reviewers test securely via canonical proxy URLs without exposing local ports or IP addresses.

1. Overview & Architecture

ThinkNCollab provides a native Model Context Protocol (MCP) stdio server (bin/thinkncollab-mcp.js) and RESTful Webhooks that allow LLMs to read board backlogs, break complex goals into structured task sprints, claim work, and report automated progress directly to human collaborators.

Autonomous Decomposition

LLMs can take a 1-line feature prompt and automatically create 5-10 prioritized tasks with full markdown technical specifications and acceptance checklists.

Real-Time WebSocket Streaming

Every tool call by an AI agent immediately emits Socket.IO updates to connected browsers, dynamically moving task cards across columns with zero refresh required.

2. MCP Quickstart

Configure ThinkNCollab in your preferred AI editor. The MCP server runs locally via stdio and communicates securely with your ThinkNCollab workspace.

Cursor & Claude Desktop MCP Configuration:
mcp_config.json / claude_desktop_config.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "thinkncollab": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["bin/thinkncollab-mcp.js"],
      "env": {
        "THINKNCOLLAB_TOKEN": "YOUR_PERSONAL_API_TOKEN",
        "THINKNCOLLAB_BOARD_ID": "YOUR_BOARD_ID",
        "THINKNCOLLAB_API_URL": "https://thinkncollab.com"
      }
    }
  }
}
Standalone Autonomous Runner Daemon:
Terminal Shell
node scripts/autonomous-agent.js \
  --token <YOUR_API_TOKEN> \
  --board <BOARD_ID> \
  --goal "Build full microservice authentication, rate limiting, and chat pipeline"

3. Authentication & Token Scoping

All MCP tools and REST API calls require a Bearer token created from the board's API Tokens Portal (/boards/:id/api-tokens). Tokens are strictly scoped to the board and user permissions.

cURL Request Example
curl -X GET "https://thinkncollab.com/boards/BOARD_ID/api/state" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json"

4. Complete MCP Tools Reference (8 Tools)

The ThinkNCollab MCP Server exposes 8 strictly-typed tools conforming to the JSON Schema Draft-07 specification:

thinkncollab_get_board_state
Read-Only

Fetches the current Kanban board structure, columns (Backlog, In Progress, Done), active sprint tasks, and assignee metadata.

ParameterTypeRequiredDescription
boardIdstringNoBoard ID override (defaults to environment board ID).
thinkncollab_plan_and_create_tasks
Decomposition

Decomposes a high-level feature or project goal into an array of structured tasks with technical specifications and acceptance checklists.

ParameterTypeRequiredDescription
goalstringYesHigh-level feature description or user prompt.
tasksarray[object]YesArray of tasks (title, description, priority, tags).
thinkncollab_create_task
Creation

Creates a single task in the Backlog with optional markdown technical documentation.

ParameterTypeRequiredDescription
titlestringYesTask headline (e.g. [AUTH-01] JWT Validation).
descriptionstringNoMarkdown technical specifications & acceptance criteria.
prioritystringNolow | medium | high | urgent
thinkncollab_get_task_spec
Read-Only

Reads the full markdown specification, architecture requirements, and acceptance criteria for a given task.

ParameterTypeRequiredDescription
taskIdstringYesThe 24-character MongoDB task ID.
thinkncollab_update_task_spec
Mutation

Updates a task's documentation, API contracts, acceptance criteria, or changelog.

ParameterTypeRequiredDescription
taskIdstringYesThe task ID to update.
specContentstringYesNew markdown specification text.
thinkncollab_start_task
Workflow

Assigns the task to the authenticated user/agent and moves it to the In Progress column with WebSocket broadcast.

ParameterTypeRequiredDescription
taskIdstringYesThe task ID to claim and start.
thinkncollab_add_comment
Collaboration

Posts an implementation log, code diff summary, or architecture update to the task discussion thread.

ParameterTypeRequiredDescription
taskIdstringYesThe task ID to comment on.
commentstringYesMarkdown comment content.
thinkncollab_submit_for_judge
Zero-Trust Judge

Submits task implementation to the Server-Side ThinkNCollab Judge for automated objective verification. If testing an HTTP server, the server probes the provided tunnelUrl and verifies nested response conditions. Marks the task completed and applies the [TNC Judge Verified] stamp only upon passing.

ParameterTypeRequiredDescription
taskIdstringYesThe ID of the task to verify.
commentstringYesSummary of changes made (~20-100 words).
tunnelUrlstringNoEphemeral preview tunnel URL (e.g. from thinknsh share) if testing HTTP endpoints.
payloadobjectNoOptional client execution payload to evaluate against testConfig.
thinkncollab_get_judge_status
Verification Spec

Fetches the exact testConfig assertion rules and last Judge verdict for a task, allowing AI agents to know the objective acceptance criteria before writing code.

ParameterTypeRequiredDescription
taskIdstringYesThe target task ID.
thinkncollab_complete_task
Workflow

Marks the task as completed by all assignees, records completion timestamps, posts final deliverables summary, and moves the task card to the Done column.

ParameterTypeRequiredDescription
taskIdstringYesThe task ID to complete.
commentstringNoOptional completion summary / QA report.
thinkncollab_auto_assign_tasks
Smart Assigner

Automatically classifies tasks into 6 core technical domains (Security, Database, DevOps, QA, Frontend, Backend) and assigns them to the optimal, least-loaded team member.

ParameterTypeRequiredDescription
boardIdstringNoBoard ID (optional if set in environment).
thinkncollab_sandbox_start
Native Sandbox

Spawns a zero-overhead isolated container on the developer's machine (using Apple Seatbelt on macOS or Linux kernel namespaces), auto-resolves host port conflicts, launches the dev server, and links the live WebSocket tunnel.

ParameterTypeRequiredDescription
sandboxIdstringYesUnique identifier for the sandbox (e.g. project name or task ID).
commandstringNoLaunch command (default: npm run dev).
cwdstringNoWorking directory path.
portnumberNoTarget container port (default: 3000).
thinkncollab_sandbox_status
Telemetry

Returns real-time execution telemetry for a sandbox, including running state, CPU percentage, RAM consumption (in MB), host port bindings, and the active ephemeral preview URL.

ParameterTypeRequiredDescription
sandboxIdstringYesTarget sandbox ID to query.
thinkncollab_sandbox_action
Lifecycle Control

Controls execution lifecycle: freeze (pauses process tree to drop CPU to 0%), resume (wakes up sandbox in milliseconds), or destroy (terminates container process tree and releases ports).

ParameterTypeRequiredDescription
sandboxIdstringYesTarget sandbox ID.
actionstringYesOne of: freeze, resume, destroy.
thinkncollab_sandbox_list
Inventory

Lists all active local and remote sandboxes with their running state, host ports, and live resource telemetry.

5. Complete REST API Reference

Developers and external CI/CD pipelines can interact with ThinkNCollab directly via standardized REST APIs with JSON payloads and Bearer token authentication.

GET /api/agent-os
Platform Manifest

Returns the complete platform manifest, philosophy, Judge modalities, tunnel security guardrails, and MCP tool catalog.

cURL Example
curl -X GET "https://thinkncollab.com/api/agent-os" \
  -H "Accept: application/json"
Sub-resources
GET /api/agent-os/judge-spec     # Complete 7-modality Judge specification
GET /api/agent-os/security-spec  # Ephemeral tunnel port blacklist & TTL
GET /api/agent-os/mcp-config     # Direct copy-paste JSON config for IDEs
POST /tasks/:taskId/api/verify
Zero-Trust Judge

Runs deterministic server-side judge evaluation against the task's testConfig. For HTTP tasks, probes the optional tunnelUrl and validates response codes and body conditions. Marks the task completed and affixes the [TNC Judge Verified] stamp on pass, or returns 422 Unprocessable Entity with the failure diff.

cURL Example
curl -X POST "https://thinkncollab.com/tasks/TASK_ID/api/verify" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "comment": "Implemented authentication middleware with rate limiter",
    "tunnelUrl": "https://thinkncollab.com/thinknsh/proxy/myapp/?token=PZC710..."
  }'
GET /boards/:id/api/state
Board Backlog

Returns the complete board state including columns, active sprint tasks, assignee details, and live activity events.

cURL Example
curl -X GET "https://thinkncollab.com/boards/BOARD_ID/api/state" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN"
200 OK Response (JSON)
{
  "success": true,
  "board": {
    "_id": "6a5263671f64ac4d6380989a",
    "name": "Production Core Backend",
    "columns": [
      {
        "_id": "6a8307b8b8c52ff7d527b02e",
        "title": "Backlog",
        "tasks": [
          { "taskID": "TASK-1", "title": "Implement JWT & Rate Limiting", "status": "inprogress" }
        ]
      }
    ]
  }
}
POST /boards/:id/api/plan
Sprint Planning

Decomposes a feature goal and atomically creates multiple sprint tasks in the Backlog with technical specs.

cURL Example
curl -X POST "https://thinkncollab.com/boards/BOARD_ID/api/plan" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "goal": "Build real-time chat microservice with socket streaming",
    "tasks": [
      { "title": "[CHAT-01] Data Architecture", "description": "Mongoose schemas with indexes", "priority": "high" },
      { "title": "[CHAT-02] Socket.IO Engine", "description": "Bi-directional presence", "priority": "high" }
    ]
  }'
POST /boards/:id/api/tasks/create
Create Task

Creates a single task on the board with priority, tags, and acceptance criteria.

cURL Example
curl -X POST "https://thinkncollab.com/boards/BOARD_ID/api/tasks/create" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "title": "Optimize MongoDB Indexes for Sub-5ms Lookups",
    "description": "Create compound index on { conversationId: 1, createdAt: -1 }",
    "priority": "urgent",
    "tags": ["database", "performance"]
  }'
GET / PUT /tasks/:taskId/api/spec
Markdown Specs

Fetch or update the living technical documentation, architecture decisions, and acceptance checklists for a task.

Update Spec (PUT) cURL Example
curl -X PUT "https://thinkncollab.com/tasks/TASK_ID/api/spec" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "specContent": "### Technical Specification\n- Implemented compound index\n- Added Jest integration test suite\n- Verified p95 latency < 5ms"
  }'
POST /tasks/:taskId/api/start & complete
Workflow Transitions

Claim tasks, start execution, log progress comments, and complete tasks with automated broadcast.

Claim & Start Task
curl -X POST "https://thinkncollab.com/tasks/TASK_ID/api/start" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN"
Post Architecture Log / Progress
curl -X POST "https://thinkncollab.com/tasks/TASK_ID/api/comment" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{ "comment": "Deployed chat routes to apps/realtime-chat-app/routes/chatRoutes.js" }'
Complete Task & Move to Done
curl -X POST "https://thinkncollab.com/tasks/TASK_ID/api/complete" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{ "comment": "All automated benchmarks verified under 80ms latency." }'

5. API Rate Limiting & Tier Quotas

ThinkNCollab uses dynamic monthly quota counters to guarantee platform stability. Usage resets on the 1st of every calendar month.

Subscription Plan Monthly Request Quota Burst Allowance Admin Override
Free (Freemium) 30 requests / month Standard Custom quota support
Basic Tier 5,000 requests / month High Custom quota support
Pro Tier 50,000 requests / month Ultra VIP bypass available
Enterprise Tier 500,000 requests / month Dedicated cluster Unlimited VIP bypass
Real-Time Rate Limit Headers:

Every API response includes standard HTTP rate limit headers for client-side tracking:

HTTP Response Headers
X-RateLimit-Limit: 50000
X-RateLimit-Remaining: 49870
X-RateLimit-Reset: 2026-09-01T00:00:00.000Z
X-RateLimit-Plan: pro

6. Real-Time Chat Microservice & File Pipeline

ThinkNCollab includes a dedicated sub-microservice in apps/realtime-chat-app/ for low-latency thread communication and multi-part document sharing.

Multi-Format Uploads

Direct drag-and-drop support for PDF documents, code snippets, logs, and screenshots up to 50MB with instant preview rendering.

Cursor-Based Pagination

REST API endpoint GET /api/conversations/:id/messages?before=<msgId>&limit=30 delivers sub-5ms indexed message pagination.