[opensourcedex]

loonflow is a free, open source orchestration & scheduling project written in TypeScript and released under AGPL-3.0. It has 2,089 GitHub stars, 704 forks and 19 open issues, and was last pushed 4 months ago. On this registry it ranks #46 of 64 tracked projects in Orchestration & Scheduling, with 5 head-to-head comparisons available.

What is loonflow?

What it is

Loonflow is an open-source process automation platform for enterprises, built around ticket and workflow operations. It lives in the Django and Python web ecosystem, and the README also identifies React and MUI for the interface.

The concrete problem it solves is the need to model, run, and integrate ticket-based business processes without hand-coding every approval path, form, notification, and permission rule. The project is licensed under AGPL-3.0, and the provided metadata records a nine-year repository history with a recent push date.

Key capabilities

  • Drag-and-drop process designer supports conditional branches, parallel tasks, and hooks.
  • Form designer provides fields for text, numbers, dropdowns, personnel selection, and attachments.
  • Real-time preview and validation check process logic during design.
  • Multi-version process configuration allows testing and switching between process versions.
  • Plugin architecture extends custom actions, permission validation, and notification methods.
  • RESTful APIs connect customer service systems, CMDB, monitoring systems, CI/CD, and OA systems.
  • Model Context Protocol ticket server exposes ticket functionality to compatible clients.

Who uses it and how

  • IT operations teams use it to manage tickets and workflows that need forms, routing, and audit logs.
  • HR, finance, and customer service teams can run approval, reimbursement, and service-request processes from the same platform.
  • Platform engineers integrate it with CMDB, monitoring, CI/CD, and OA systems through RESTful APIs.
  • Teams that need Model Context Protocol access can use the MCP ticket server to interact with tickets.
  • SaaS providers or large enterprise groups can use optional multi-tenant data isolation when authorized.

Getting started

The README lists a managed SaaS edition at https://www.loonflow.com/ with a two-week free trial and no self-hosting required. The provided excerpt does not give Docker image names, package manager commands, or self-hosted deployment steps.

When to use it — and when not to

Use Loonflow when a team needs a visual ticket and workflow engine with forms, conditional routing, audit logs, plugin extension, and API or MCP integration. Do not choose it when a team needs a fully documented self-hosted installation path in the excerpt, because the README shown gives only the hosted SaaS route and does not list database, storage, SMTP, or container deployment requirements. The facts also show open issues and an incomplete contributor count, so teams should verify current maintenance and operational support before adoption.

project readme (upstream, from github) — read inline

Loonflow 3.0 - Intelligent and Visual Process Automation System

Dedicated to providing enterprise-grade unified workflow solutions

Python Django React MUI License star

English | 简体中文

Loonflow 3.0 - A Fresh Start

Loonflow is an open-source process automation platform developed based on Django. After multiple versions of iteration and refactoring, we proudly present Loonflow 3.0 - a version that achieves a qualitative leap in visualization, flexibility, and scalability.

The core of version 3.0 is "making complex business processes simple and visual, making personalized customization needs within reach." Not only have we rebuilt the process and form designers, but we have also constructed a powerful extension framework, aiming to become the most core process engine in enterprise digital transformation.

SaaS

We offer a managed SaaS edition of Loonflow at https://www.loonflow.com/. You can start with a two-week free trial—no self-hosting required. Visit the site for signup and plan details.

Feature Demo

Feature Demo new

MCP Demo

MCP Demo

Core Features

Revolutionary Visual Design

  • Drag-and-Drop Process Designer: No complex configuration needed. Complete complex business process modeling through intuitive drag-and-drop connections. Supports advanced nodes like conditional branches, parallel tasks, and hooks.
  • Smart Form Designer: Powerful visual form building tool with rich field types (text, numbers, dropdowns, personnel selection, attachments, etc.) and flexible layouts.
  • Real-time Preview & Validation: Real-time preview during process design with built-in process logic validation to prevent design errors early.
  • Multi-Version Process Configuration: You can configure multiple versions of processes and easily test and switch between versions.

Ultimate Flexibility & Extensibility

  • Plugin Architecture: We provide plugin extension capabilities for almost all key nodes (such as custom actions, permission validation, notification methods, etc.). Your unique business logic can be easily integrated like building blocks.
  • Powerful API System: Provides comprehensive and clear RESTful APIs for seamless integration with your customer service systems, CMDB, monitoring systems, CI/CD, OA, and other third-party systems.
  • Highly Customizable Permission Model: Supports fine-grained permission control based on roles, departments, or even specific business conditions to meet complex enterprise permission management needs.

Enterprise-Ready Features Out of the Box

  • Multi-Type Ticket Support: Easily manage various processes including IT operations, HR approvals, financial reimbursements, customer service, etc.
  • Automation & Smart Routing: Supports conditional routing based on form data, automatic assignee assignment, and intelligent ticket flow.
  • Comprehensive Audit Logs: Complete records of every operation from ticket creation to closure, meeting compliance and audit requirements.
  • Authentication: Supports Microsoft OIDC, Wecom QR scan login.
  • Multi-Tenant Support (Optional): Provides data isolation capabilities for SaaS providers or large enterprise groups (requires additional authorization).

Model Context Protocol (MCP)

Loonflow exposes a Model Context Protocol ticket server so compatible clients (for example AI-assisted editors) can list, inspect, prepare, and handle tickets through authenticated tools. The advertised server name is loonflow-ticket; tools use the same permission-aware ticket services as the web UI.

  • Authentication: Use a personal access token (recommended; values start with lfpat.) or a JWT issued by Loonflow. Create a personal access token under Personal Information → Personal Access Token in the product UI.
  • SaaS endpoint: https://mcp.loonflow.com/mcp
  • Self-hosted: The MCP process serves Streamable HTTP on path /mcp by default (adjust host, port, and transport using the environment variables described in the documentation).

Registered tools include ticket_list, ticket_detail, ticket_prepare_handle, ticket_handle (supports dry_run validation), and user_list (paginated user search within the authenticated tenant). For JSON client examples, supported parameters, and operational notes, see the full guide: MCP — Ticket Server.

Installation & Deployment

  1. Download docker-compose related files
wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/blackholll/loonflow/refs/heads/master/docker_compose_deploy/docker-compose.yml
wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/blackholll/loonflow/refs/heads/master/docker_compose_deploy/.env
  1. Modify the .env file Please modify at least the password section
  2. Start docker-compose Navigate to the directory containing docker-compose.yml and execute:
docker-compose up -d
  1. Access loonflow Login to loonflow using the email and password you set in the .env file.

Project Roadmap

Roadmap

Deep Dive

🤝 Contributing

Community contributions are warmly welcome! Whether you're fixing typos, improving documentation, reporting bugs, or developing new features.

Please fork this repository first, then submit a Pull Request.

Getting Help

  • GitHub Issues - Submit bug reports and feature requests.
  • Discussion Forum Discord.
  • Commercial Support & Customization: For enterprise-level deep customization, technical training, or deployment support needs, please contact me at [[email protected];[email protected]].

Acknowledgments

Thanks to all contributors who have contributed code, submitted issues, and helped improve documentation for Loonflow.

If Loonflow has been helpful to you, please give us a ⭐️ Star for support!

Welcome Donations

Your support is my greatest motivation. Click the "sponsor" button on the GitHub project homepage to sponsor. If your are from China or you have alipay account. go to 简体中文, check alipay method to donate.

License & Legal Notice

This project is open source under the AGPLv3 license. You are free to view, modify, and distribute the code, but please note:

If you provide this project as a SaaS service to the public, according to AGPLv3, you must open source all your modifications.

If you want to use this project for SaaS services without open-sourcing modifications, or if you need to use its multi-tenant functionality within your enterprise, you need to obtain a commercial license from us. Please contact [[email protected];[email protected]].

Frequently asked questions

Is loonflow free to use?

loonflow is open source under the AGPL-3.0 licence. There is no licence fee and no seat count — you can self-host it or, where the project offers one, pay a vendor for a managed version instead.

What does loonflow do?

A Intelligent and Visual Process Automation System, ticket, workflow, MCP

What is loonflow written in?

loonflow is primarily written in TypeScript. Its source is publicly available at https://github.com/blackholll/loonflow, and it has 2,089 GitHub stars.