Make cycle diagrams from text

cycle OODA Loop

Observe blue
  Gather raw information from the environment
  Monitor unfolding circumstances
  -Unfold circumstances-> color: blue

Orient green
  Analyze and synthesize observations
  Form a mental model of the situation
  -Form hypothesis-> color: green

Decide orange
  Select a course of action
  -Commit to action-> color: orange

Act red
  Execute the chosen course of action
  Generate results that feed back
  -Generate feedback-> color: red

Overview

A cycle arranges stages in a closed loop where the last step feeds back into the first — the shape of a recurring process that never terminates. Reach for it for OODA and PDCA loops, product lifecycles, continuous-improvement frameworks, retro cadences, and any workflow that repeats. You list the stages in order and the loop is drawn for you: nodes sit around a circle and the arrows connect each to the next, with the last wrapping back to the start.

When to use

• cycle — the process loops forever with no exit, and the loop itself is the point.
• flowchart — the process ends, or it branches on decisions. A cycle has no branches and no terminating step.
• state — the boxes are conditions something is in rather than steps you do, specific events flip between them, and you can go backwards. A cycle is a fixed loop always walked one direction.

Syntax

cycle Title

NodeLabel
NodeLabel color: blue, span: 2

The first line declares the chart type and title. Each top-level line declares a node. Nodes are positioned around a circle in declaration order.

Nodes

Every non-indented, non-directive line is a node:

cycle Seasons

Spring green
Summer yellow
Autumn orange
Winter blue

Color uses the trailing-token form (Spring green). Reach for color: <name> only when another metadata key (span, description, …) rides along — e.g. Spring color: green, span: 2.

Node Metadata Keys

Descriptions

Indented lines under a node add description text. Markdown inline formatting is supported (**bold**, *italic*, `code`, [links](url)). Bullet points with - item render as • item.

Observe blue
  Gather raw information from the environment
  Monitor unfolding circumstances

If both description: text and indented lines exist, they concatenate (same-line first, then indented).

Edges

Edges are implicit — every node connects to the next, with the last wrapping to the first. The -> syntax annotates edges with labels, descriptions, and styling:

Observe blue
  -Unfold circumstances-> color: blue
    Synthesize raw data into context

Orient green
  -> width: 4

Edge lines are indented under their source node. A label goes between - and ->. Edge metadata supports color and width. Edges have no trailing-token color slot, so color: <name> is the only way to color them.

Edge Descriptions

Indented lines under an edge line add description text:

Observe
  -Analyze->
    Break down observations into components
    Identify **key patterns**

Span

The span metadata controls relative arc distance between nodes. A node with span: 2 gets twice the arc space to the next node:

cycle Weighted Process

Important Step span: 2
Quick Step
Another Step span: 1.5

Directives

cycle Simple Loop

direction-counterclockwise

Plan
Do
Check
Act

Complete Example

cycle PDCA Continuous Improvement

Plan color: blue, span: 1.5
  Define objectives and processes
  Establish expected outcomes
  -Start implementation->

Do green
  Execute the plan on a small scale
  Collect data for analysis
  -Gather results->

Check orange
  Compare results against expectations
  Identify deviations and root causes
  -Propose changes-> color: orange

Act red
  Standardize successful changes
  Address remaining gaps
  -Feed back into planning-> color: red
    Begin the next improvement cycle

Appearance

Every chart accepts the universal appearance directives:

Colors come from the active palette — see Colors. Set the palette and light/dark theme at render time with --palette <name> and --theme light|dark|transparent.

Next

• Related: flowchart · state
• Then: Colors & palettes