Version 1.7.2 Enhancements from Version 1.6

• Each step in the process is now on a different tab to make it easier to see how to use the tool, to make it easier to use with smaller laptop screens and to provide additional space for explanations.

• The potential ‘COM-B targets’ are now phrased as variables (e.g., ‘Level of X’) rather than questions (e.g., ‘How much …’). This is to make it easier to see how these relate to users' ratings.

• The BCTs are organised under 'Behaviour Change Wheel’ Intervention Functions (e.g., Education, Persuasion) so that it is clearer how each BCT fulfils that function. Many BCTs can fulfil more than one function and so are repeated. The fuller BCT description in the ‘BCT List’ tab reflects the specific BCT/Intervention Function combination, and this is presented in the CACTIS Results tab and provides the prompt for the AI stage of the process.

• There are now fuller explanations for ‘Behavioural Goal’, ‘Intervention Setting’, ‘Target population’ and each of the COM-B targets. These take the form of links to Google Docs, which will be updated as required in response to user feedback.

• The ‘CACTIS Results’ tab provides a structured prompt that can be used with any AI system to obtain suggestions for the intervention strategy based on the information provided.

• There are currently 27, instead of 26, COM-B targets, with the inclusion of a sense of ‘agency’, which is different from confidence in the ability to perform the behaviour.

Version 1.7.3 (30 June 2026) Enhancement from Version 1.7.2:

• The HTML version of the tool is now the standard version and the only one that will be maintained and updated.

• The built-in logic in Step 2 (Deciding on the priority for COM-B targets) going from ‘Room for improvement’ and ‘Strength of evidence’ to Priority has been improved in response to user feedback. It now reads:

IF (“Relevance and room for improvement”=”Unclear”) OR (“Level of evidence”=”Limited evidence”) OR (“Level of evidence=”Not known”) THEN (“Priority rating”=”Unclear”).

IF (“Relevance and room for improvement”=”Some room for improvement”) AND ((“Level of evidence”=”Strong evidence”) OR (“Level of evidence”=”Moderate evidence”)) THEN (“Priority rating”=”Medium”).

IF (“Relevance and room for improvement”=”Major room for improvement”) AND ((“Level of evidence”=”Strong evidence”) OR (“Level of evidence”=”Moderate evidence”)) THEN (“Priority rating”=”High”).

IF (“Relevance and room for improvement”=”Little or no room for improvement”) AND ((“Level of evidence”=”Strong evidence”) OR (“Level of evidence”=”Moderate evidence”)) THEN (“Priority rating”=”Low”).

IF (“Relevance and room for improvement”=”Not relevant”) THEN (“Priority rating”=”N/A”)

• A disclaimer has been added, based on discussion in the authorship team and following standard practice for development of tools such as this, clarifying that users take responsibility for the consequences of the decisions they make using the tool.

• A statement has been added, following good practice with tools such as this, clarifying that this tool is open source and free to use with appropriate attribution. The form of attribution is provided.

Version 1.8.1 (8 July 2026) Enhancements from Version 1.7.3

• This version will still work with projects saved in earlier versions.

• We have improved the wording of the prompts for additional information in Step 3b (selecting BCTs) to make it clearer what information is required, and added tooltips to explain potential sources of information for completing these fields, such as evidence reviews, existing practice, or evidence-based guidelines. This change arises from user feedback and team discussions.

• We have provided IDs for each COM-B target so they can be easily referenced. These cannot just be numbered 1 to 27 because we may add ones earlier in the sequence and the sequence may be made modifiable. This change arises from user feedback and team discussions.

• We have provided a button in Step 3 for users to toggle the listing of COM-B targets that have been declared low priority or not relevant on or off. This change arises from user feedback and team discussions.

Version 1.8.2 (10 August 2026) Enhancements from Version 1.8.1

• This version will still work with projects saved in earlier versions.

• We have re-ordered the 27 COM-B targets so that all the ones that belong in a given COM-B component (e.g., reflective motivation, automatic motivation) are listed together on screen and in the downloadable Excel file.

• We have removed five BCTs that were incorrectly duplicated.

• The downloadable Excel reference file now contains a list of the BCTs.

Future developments

• Once the BCW/COM-B ontology is complete, we will link all CACTIS constructs to ontology classes in that ontology and BCIO. This change arises from user feedback and discussion within the team.