diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 23bdec5b..e3bba8e1 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ This README is being written.<br>
 	* Added `uiWindowContentSize()`, `uiWindowSetContentSize()`, and `uiWindowOnContentSizeChanged()` methods for manipulating uiWindow content sizes. Note the use of "content size"; the size you work with does NOT include window decorations (titlebars, menus, etc.).
 	* Added `uiWindowFullscreen()` and `uiWindowSetFullscreen()` to allow making fullscreen uiWindows, taking advantage of OS facilities for fullscreen and without changing the screen resolution (!).
 	* Added `uiWindowBorderless()` and `uiWindowSetBorderless()` for allowing borderless uiWindows.
+	* Added `uiMainSteps()`. You call this instead of `uiMain()` if you want to run the main loop yourself. You pass in a function that will be called; within that function, you call `uiMainStep()` repeatedly until it returns 0, doing whatever you need to do in the meantime. (This was needed because just having `uiMainStep()` by itself only worked on some systems.)
 
 * **15 June 2016**
 	* Added `uiFormDelete()`; thanks to @emersion.
diff --git a/TODO.md b/TODO.md
index 981deef1..d91a3eab 100644
--- a/TODO.md
+++ b/TODO.md
@@ -93,3 +93,8 @@ notes
 
 - group and tab should act as if they have no child if the child is hidden
 on windows
+
+
+
+- a way to do recursive main loops
+	- how do we handle 0 returns from non-recursive uiMainStep() calls that aren't the main loop? (event handlers, for instance)
diff --git a/doc/mainsteps b/doc/mainsteps
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..f572b21c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/doc/mainsteps
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+the function passed to mainsteps must not return until uiQuit itself has been called; otherwise the results are undefined
diff --git a/windows/main.cpp b/windows/main.cpp
index 1db790cb..5cc34332 100644
--- a/windows/main.cpp
+++ b/windows/main.cpp
@@ -77,6 +77,11 @@ void uiMain(void)
 		;
 }
 
+void uiMainSteps(void (*f)(void *), void *data)
+{
+	(*f)(data);
+}
+
 static int peekMessage(MSG *msg)
 {
 	BOOL res;