neoloopy

New in 3.6.0: Engage builds from your intent — say what a model should help you decide, and it asks one question at a time until the next step is clear.

neoloopy is a local-first tool for systems thinking. Map any system as a causal-loop diagram, let neoloopy find the feedback loops that drive it, and — new in 3.4.0 — grow a Graph: a system map that holds your ideas next to live references to your models, variables, loops, and concepts.

GRAPH — YOUR SYSTEM MAP (NEW IN 3.4.0) • Put an idea on the canvas and link it to the real thing: a model, a variable, a loop, a concept from your vault. References stay live, so the map is never a stale drawing of your thinking. • Focus on one node and the map re-centers around it. A +N badge counts its hidden relations — tap to bring them in, tap again to prune. Big maps stay readable because you only ever look at what you asked for. • Search the structure. The board lists every node and relation with search and filters, so a hundred-node map is still navigable on a phone. • Plain files. Every graph is a Markdown note in your vault, and graphs import from and export to Cypher for tools that speak property graphs.

CAUSAL LOOPS, FOUND FOR YOU • Draw a variable, connect causes to effects, and mark each link same-direction (+) or opposite (−). neoloopy continuously detects every closed feedback loop and badges it Reinforcing (R) or Balancing (B) — the heart of how systems grow, stall, and stabilize. • Recognize the patterns. Classic archetypes like Limits to Growth and Tragedy of the Commons surface when your structure matches them. • Read the dynamics. Mark delays, flag virtuous vs. vicious cycles, and see how much of your model sits inside feedback loops. • See an edit's impact before you commit it: which loops it creates and which it breaks. • Annotate richly. Write a note on any loop or variable to capture what it means and why it matters.

STOCKS AND FLOWS • When a map is ready for more, draw it in stock-and-flow notation on the same canvas — stocks as tanks, flows as channels — and export the result as SVG.

LEARN AS YOU GO • A built-in systems-thinking glossary explains every term — causal link, polarity, delay, reinforcing, balancing — right where you need it.

LOCAL-FIRST BY DESIGN • No account required. Download it and work offline. • Your models and graphs are plain Markdown files in a folder on your device — yours to keep, back up, and open in other tools. • Obsidian-compatible vault format. Your thinking is never locked in. • No ads, no tracking, no analytics inside the app. • Optional cross-device Sync (in development) is end-to-end encrypted: notes are encrypted on your device before they ever leave it, so we relay only ciphertext and cannot read your models.

Map a business, a habit, a team, an ecosystem, a policy — anything with moving parts that affect each other. Think in loops, and keep the map.