Reticle

The infrastructure diagram you can operate.

Reticle lets you intentionally map the systems and relationships you actually reason about, keep the diagram in Git as one YAML file, and connect it to current health checks, notes, and guarded actions.

It is not an auto-discovered inventory of every pod, process, socket, and volume. You decide what belongs in the operating model; Reticle keeps that model connected to reality.

Download free Desktop · Explore the live demo · Reticle Team Daemon

MIT-licensed Desktop · macOS / Linux / Windows

A diagramming tool first, with reality attached

Reticle starts with the infrastructure diagram your team would make anyway.

The useful map is an expression of intent, not a dump of runtime objects. Reticle is a purpose-built diagramming app for laying out the services, boundaries, relationships, and context that form your team's mental model. Then it connects that same hand-authored diagram to live systems.

• Diagramming that stands on its own: arrange architecture freely, add the context people need, and refine the model visually without surrendering the canvas to generated inventory.
• Reality on the same canvas: attach HTTP, fixed SSH, and explicitly enabled custom checks. Health and observation times appear where your team already looks to understand the system.
• One portable model: edit visually or in YAML, keep it in Git, export it as PDF, or inspect the same graph through local JSON and read-only MCP.

The YAML configuration is authoritative. Runtime health is a timestamped, ephemeral observation. Reticle complements metrics, logs, traces, alerting, and durable history; it does not replace them.

Download and quick start

Download the latest Desktop release: .dmg for macOS, .AppImage/.deb/.rpm for Linux, or .msi/.exe for Windows.

macOS builds are currently unsigned. Right-click the app and choose Open the first time.

1. Open Reticle and choose a bundled sample or New workspace.
2. Drag services and boundaries onto the canvas, then connect them.
3. Save the YAML beside your infrastructure code and add a fixed health check.

Desktop supports multiple local workspaces. It is standalone and local-only; there is no account or Reticle cloud service.

Draw, connect, inspect

1. Draw the operating model

Map the architecture people actually reason about. Add service ownership notes, runbooks, boundaries, and dependencies without trying to enumerate every runtime resource.

2. Connect it to current evidence

Start with HTTP status/JSON checks and fixed, read-only SSH probes for host uptime and systemd service state. Custom remote SSH and Unix-only local Bash checks are available only after explicit privileged configuration.

3. Inspect before acting

Select a failing service to see its relationships, current evidence, and freshness. Export the whole diagram as a vector PDF or use a persisted, guarded named action when a human operator decides to proceed.

Free Desktop and Team Daemon

	Free Desktop	Team Daemon
Best for	Homelabs, enthusiasts, solo operators, evaluation	Organizations sharing one always-on diagram
Deployment	Free, MIT-licensed, standalone, local-only	Commercial, customer-hosted, always on
Scope	Multiple local workspaces	One topology per licensed daemon
Access	One local operator	Unlimited browser seats; shared viewer/editor bearer tokens
Integrations	Opt-in loopback JSON and read-only MCP	Authenticated JSON and read-only MCP
Audit	Not a shared service	Configurable JSONL logging; off unless configured
Price	Free	$199/month or $1,999/year per running daemon

Team keeps collection running when a laptop closes, centralizes credentials on one managed host, and serves authorized browsers and integrations from one network vantage point. SSO, individual identity, per-user attribution, built-in high availability, and a default SLA are not included.

White-glove Team deployment and initial mapping starts at $3,000 one-time.

Safety and product boundaries

• Fixed HTTP and read-only SSH probes are the safe defaults.
• Custom command checks are arbitrary commands. Desktop requires its global privileged toggle; Team requires --allow-custom-commands and editor access.
• Named actions are persisted, server-owned definitions. Callers do not submit arbitrary command text.
• MCP has no shell, mutation, command, or named-action tools. Team has no browser terminal or ad-hoc shell.
• The Desktop/daemon OS identity and restricted SSH principal remain the real execution boundary.
• Reticle does not auto-discover infrastructure and is not an autonomous remediation system.

Read the full capabilities and limitations, security policy, and Team operations guide.

Local JSON and MCP

Desktop can expose the current graph to local integrations through an opt-in, loopback-only server. It is disabled during normal startup.

make desktop-api-dev
curl http://127.0.0.1:8786/api/graph

MCP is available at POST http://127.0.0.1:8786/mcp with read-only graph and node inspection tools. See Operational graph.

Why machine-readable topology matters

A July 2026 Dynatrace Research preprint evaluated 248 controlled Kubernetes security-patching trials. For topology-dependent findings, adding a live service-call graph and service-account bindings raised patch correctness from 11.1% to 78.0%. The study did not evaluate Reticle or human-curated topology; it supports only the broader premise that agents can make better decisions when system relationships are part of their context.

Read the preprint.

Documentation

Getting started	Install Desktop and create the first diagram
Topology reference	YAML fields, kinds, notes, checks, health, edges, and add-ons
Operational graph	Snapshot schema, collectors, actions, JSON, and MCP
Keyboard shortcuts	Canvas, editing, and operating keys
Team Daemon	Pricing, licensing, and the shared deployment path
Daemon operations	Flags, access model, audit log, and deployment
Capabilities and limitations	Current product boundaries
Production deployment	Linux, systemd, TLS, rotation, backup, and rollback
Contributing · Security · Discord

Build from source

Requires stable Rust and Bun:

git clone https://github.com/mannders00/reticle
cd reticle
bun install
bun run tauri dev

Repository layout:

src/          frontend (vanilla ESM + SVG, no framework build)
core/         shared graph, collectors, named actions, config
src-tauri/    MIT Desktop shell and opt-in loopback read API
daemon/       proprietary Team runtime
web/          static reticle.live site

See CONTRIBUTING.md before sending a change.

License

Desktop, the shared core, frontend, and their documentation are provided under the MIT license. The daemon/ directory is proprietary commercial software governed by its Team license and agreement.