diff --git a/javac-plugin/src/main/java/org/moditect/deptective/internal/PluginTask.java b/javac-plugin/src/main/java/org/moditect/deptective/internal/PluginTask.java
index 5ab5ef5..932e8cd 100644
--- a/javac-plugin/src/main/java/org/moditect/deptective/internal/PluginTask.java
+++ b/javac-plugin/src/main/java/org/moditect/deptective/internal/PluginTask.java
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@
 import org.moditect.deptective.internal.model.Components;
 import org.moditect.deptective.internal.model.PackageDependencies;
 import org.moditect.deptective.internal.options.DeptectiveOptions;
+import org.moditect.deptective.internal.options.ReportingPolicy;
 
 /**
  * Describes the {@link PackageReferenceHandler} to be invoked when traversing the ASTs of the project under
@@ -48,7 +49,7 @@ public PackageReferenceHandler getPackageReferenceHandler(JavaFileManager jfm, D
                     configSupplier.get(),
                     options.getReportingPolicy(),
                     options.getUnconfiguredPackageReportingPolicy(),
-                    options.getCycleReportingPolicy(),
+                    options.getCycleReportingPolicy(ReportingPolicy.ERROR),
                     options.createDotFile(),
                     log
             );
@@ -73,6 +74,7 @@ public PackageReferenceHandler getPackageReferenceHandler(JavaFileManager jfm, D
                     jfm,
                     log,
                     options.getWhitelistedPackagePatterns(),
+                    options.getCycleReportingPolicy(ReportingPolicy.WARN),
                     new Components(components),
                     options.createDotFile()
             );
diff --git a/javac-plugin/src/main/java/org/moditect/deptective/internal/handler/PackageReferenceCollector.java b/javac-plugin/src/main/java/org/moditect/deptective/internal/handler/PackageReferenceCollector.java
index d1bea42..47af7d7 100644
--- a/javac-plugin/src/main/java/org/moditect/deptective/internal/handler/PackageReferenceCollector.java
+++ b/javac-plugin/src/main/java/org/moditect/deptective/internal/handler/PackageReferenceCollector.java
@@ -30,6 +30,8 @@
 import org.moditect.deptective.internal.export.DotSerializer;
 import org.moditect.deptective.internal.export.JsonSerializer;
 import org.moditect.deptective.internal.export.ModelSerializer;
+import org.moditect.deptective.internal.graph.Cycle;
+import org.moditect.deptective.internal.graph.GraphUtils;
 import org.moditect.deptective.internal.log.DeptectiveMessages;
 import org.moditect.deptective.internal.log.Log;
 import org.moditect.deptective.internal.model.Component;
@@ -58,6 +60,7 @@ public class PackageReferenceCollector implements PackageReferenceHandler {
 
     private final JavaFileManager jfm;
     private final List<PackagePattern> whitelistPatterns;
+    private final ReportingPolicy cycleReportingPolicy;
 
     /**
      * Any components that were declared externally.
@@ -71,10 +74,11 @@ public class PackageReferenceCollector implements PackageReferenceHandler {
     private boolean createOutputFile = true;
 
     public PackageReferenceCollector(JavaFileManager jfm, Log log, List<PackagePattern> whitelistPatterns,
-            Components declaredComponents, boolean createDotFile) {
+            ReportingPolicy cycleReportingPolicy, Components declaredComponents, boolean createDotFile) {
         this.log = log;
         this.jfm = jfm;
         this.whitelistPatterns = Collections.unmodifiableList(whitelistPatterns);
+        this.cycleReportingPolicy = cycleReportingPolicy;
         this.declaredComponents = declaredComponents;
         this.createDotFile = createDotFile;
 
@@ -185,7 +189,31 @@ public void onCompletingCompilation() {
             throw new RuntimeException("Failed to write deptective.json file", e);
         }
 
+        List<Cycle<Component>> cycles = GraphUtils.detectCycles(packageDependencies.getComponents());
+
+        if (!cycles.isEmpty()) {
+            String cyclesAsString = "- " + cycles.stream()
+                    .map(Cycle::toString)
+                    .collect(Collectors.joining("," + System.lineSeparator() + "- "));
+
+            log.report(cycleReportingPolicy, DeptectiveMessages.CYCLE_IN_CODE_BASE, cyclesAsString);
+        }
+
         if (createDotFile) {
+            if (!cycles.isEmpty()) {
+                for (Component.Builder component : builder.getComponents()) {
+                    for (Cycle<Component> cycle : cycles) {
+                        if (contains(cycle, component.getName())) {
+                            for (Component nodeInCycle : cycle.getNodes()) {
+                                if (component.getReads().containsKey(nodeInCycle.getName())) {
+                                    component.addRead(nodeInCycle.getName(), ReadKind.CYCLE);
+                                }
+                            }
+                        }
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+
             serializer = new DotSerializer();
             packageDependencies.serialize(serializer);
 
@@ -202,6 +230,16 @@ public void onCompletingCompilation() {
         }
     }
 
+    private boolean contains(Cycle<Component> cycle, String name) {
+        for (Component component : cycle.getNodes()) {
+            if (component.getName().equals(name)) {
+                return true;
+            }
+        }
+
+        return false;
+    }
+
     private boolean isWhitelistAllExternal() {
         return whitelistPatterns.contains(PackagePattern.ALL_EXTERNAL);
     }
diff --git a/javac-plugin/src/main/java/org/moditect/deptective/internal/log/DeptectiveMessages.java b/javac-plugin/src/main/java/org/moditect/deptective/internal/log/DeptectiveMessages.java
index c053cbc..5a63213 100644
--- a/javac-plugin/src/main/java/org/moditect/deptective/internal/log/DeptectiveMessages.java
+++ b/javac-plugin/src/main/java/org/moditect/deptective/internal/log/DeptectiveMessages.java
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ public class DeptectiveMessages extends ListResourceBundle {
     public static final String GENERATED_DOT_REPRESENTATION = "deptective.dotrepresentation";
     public static final String PACKAGE_CONTAINED_IN_MULTIPLE_COMPONENTS = "deptective.packageinmultiplecomponents";
     public static final String CYCLE_IN_ARCHITECTURE = "deptective.cycleinarchitecture";
+    public static final String CYCLE_IN_CODE_BASE = "deptective.cycleincodebase";
 
     @Override
     protected final Object[][] getContents() {
@@ -50,6 +51,12 @@ protected final Object[][] getContents() {
                 { WARNING_PREFIX + CYCLE_IN_ARCHITECTURE,
                         "Architecture model contains cycle(s) between these components: " + System.lineSeparator()
                                 + "{0}" },
+                { ERROR_PREFIX + CYCLE_IN_CODE_BASE,
+                        "Analysed code base contains cycle(s) between these components: " + System.lineSeparator()
+                                + "{0}" },
+                { WARNING_PREFIX + CYCLE_IN_CODE_BASE,
+                        "Analysed code base contains cycle(s) between these components: " + System.lineSeparator()
+                                + "{0}" },
         };
     }
 
diff --git a/javac-plugin/src/main/java/org/moditect/deptective/internal/options/DeptectiveOptions.java b/javac-plugin/src/main/java/org/moditect/deptective/internal/options/DeptectiveOptions.java
index d3f2df5..7fe787f 100644
--- a/javac-plugin/src/main/java/org/moditect/deptective/internal/options/DeptectiveOptions.java
+++ b/javac-plugin/src/main/java/org/moditect/deptective/internal/options/DeptectiveOptions.java
@@ -84,14 +84,14 @@ public ReportingPolicy getUnconfiguredPackageReportingPolicy() {
     /**
      * Returns the policy for reporting cycles between components.
      */
-    public ReportingPolicy getCycleReportingPolicy() {
+    public ReportingPolicy getCycleReportingPolicy(ReportingPolicy defaultPolicy) {
         String policy = options.get("deptective.cycle_reporting_policy");
 
         if (policy != null) {
             return ReportingPolicy.valueOf(policy.trim().toUpperCase());
         }
         else {
-            return ReportingPolicy.ERROR;
+            return defaultPolicy;
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/javac-plugin/src/test/java/org/moditect/deptective/plugintest/visualize/VisualizeTest.java b/javac-plugin/src/test/java/org/moditect/deptective/plugintest/visualize/VisualizeTest.java
index cb9ab20..957f87a 100644
--- a/javac-plugin/src/test/java/org/moditect/deptective/plugintest/visualize/VisualizeTest.java
+++ b/javac-plugin/src/test/java/org/moditect/deptective/plugintest/visualize/VisualizeTest.java
@@ -58,6 +58,11 @@ public void shouldGenerateDotFileForAnalyse() throws Exception {
         );
         assertThat(compilation).hadNoteCount(2);
 
+        assertThat(compilation).hadWarningContaining("Analysed code base contains cycle(s) between these components:");
+        assertThat(compilation).hadWarningContaining(
+                "  - org.moditect.deptective.plugintest.visualize.bar, org.moditect.deptective.plugintest.visualize.qux"
+        );
+
         String expectedConfig = Strings.lines(
                 "digraph \"package dependencies\"",
                 "{",
@@ -65,9 +70,12 @@ public void shouldGenerateDotFileForAnalyse() throws Exception {
                 "  \"org.moditect.deptective.plugintest.visualize.foo\";",
                 "  \"org.moditect.deptective.plugintest.visualize.qux\";",
                 "  subgraph Allowed {",
-                "    \"org.moditect.deptective.plugintest.visualize.bar\" -> \"org.moditect.deptective.plugintest.visualize.qux\";",
                 "    \"org.moditect.deptective.plugintest.visualize.foo\" -> \"org.moditect.deptective.plugintest.visualize.bar\";",
                 "    \"org.moditect.deptective.plugintest.visualize.foo\" -> \"org.moditect.deptective.plugintest.visualize.qux\";",
+                "  }",
+                "  subgraph Cycle {",
+                "    edge [color=purple]",
+                "    \"org.moditect.deptective.plugintest.visualize.bar\" -> \"org.moditect.deptective.plugintest.visualize.qux\";",
                 "    \"org.moditect.deptective.plugintest.visualize.qux\" -> \"org.moditect.deptective.plugintest.visualize.bar\";",
                 "  }",
                 "}"