Docs

Settings — Respecting Preference Without Enabling Paralysis

The Settings Window

Loomline’s settings are organized into four tabs:

General

  • Default mode for new projects
  • Sidebar density
  • Reopen last project on launch
  • Confirm before deleting
  • Reset onboarding

Editor

  • Font size (11–22pt)
  • Line spacing (1.0–2.0×)
  • Show line numbers
  • Spell check
  • Auto-save
  • Focus mode (dims surrounding paragraphs)

Threads

  • Default priority for new tasks
  • Task sort order
  • Completed task behavior (show / dimmed / hidden)
  • Due date badges
  • Priority indicators

Appearance

  • Light / Dark / System mode
  • Accent color
  • Show project icons
  • Compact toolbar
  • Reduce motion

The Philosophy

Settings exist to accommodate genuine differences in how people work, not to provide the illusion of control.

Every setting in Loomline passes a test: “Would two reasonable people disagree about the right default?” If yes, it’s a setting. If no, it’s a decision the app should make.

Font size is a setting because screen distances, visual acuity, and personal comfort vary enormously. The three-thread focus limit is not a setting because making it configurable would undermine its philosophical purpose.

What’s Deliberately Not Configurable

  • The focus limit (3 threads)
  • The number of board columns (3: Backlog, Focus, Done)
  • The available tags (5 defaults)
  • Status colors (semantic, not decorative)
  • The mode switcher’s position (always in the toolbar)
  • Whether the document is the source of truth (always)

These are load-bearing decisions. Making them configurable would turn Loomline from an opinionated tool into a framework, and frameworks don’t have a point of view.

Completed Task Behavior

This setting deserves special mention because it reflects a genuine philosophical split:

  • Show: “I want to see everything I’ve accomplished. Completed tasks are evidence of progress.”
  • Dimmed: “I want to know completed tasks exist, but active work should dominate my attention.”
  • Hidden: “Done means done. I don’t need to see it anymore.”

All three are valid. None is more “productive” than the others. The default is Dimmed — a middle ground that acknowledges completion without celebrating it.

Onboarding

First-time users see a five-step walkthrough overlay:

  1. Your Sidebar — Where navigation lives
  2. Mode Switcher — How to change perspectives
  3. Create a Weave — How to start
  4. Right-Click Everything — Where actions hide
  5. You’re Ready — Permission to begin

The walkthrough can be skipped at any step and reset from Settings. It’s brief because Loomline should be learnable by using it, not by reading about it. The walkthrough points at the interface and says “look here” — it doesn’t explain philosophy. That’s what this documentation is for.