What is the 'Neural Link'?

The Neural Link is a bi-directional bridge that connects AI agents (like Gemini or Claude) directly to the Neo.mjs runtime. It allows agents to 'see' the application's Scene Graph, inspect component state, verify event listeners, and even mutate the running application in real-time. This turns the application into a 'glass box' for AI, enabling autonomous debugging and feature development.

Why is Neo.mjs called an 'Application Engine' instead of a framework?

Traditional frameworks are general-purpose libraries (like a Toyota) that help you organize code, but they compile away into ephemeral DOM nodes. Neo.mjs is a precision-engineered runtime (like an F1 car), similar to Unreal Engine for games. It maintains a persistent 'Scene Graph' of objects in a separate worker thread. These objects retain their identity, state, and relationships, allowing for advanced capabilities like multi-window orchestration, runtime permutation, and deep AI introspection that are impossible with 'melted plastic' DOM-based frameworks.

What is 'Context Engineering'?

Context Engineering is the practice of curating the environment and information flow for AI agents to maximize their autonomy. In Neo.mjs, this is implemented via three Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers: a Knowledge Base for semantic code understanding, a Memory Core for learning from past sessions, and a GitHub Workflow server for project management. This ecosystem allows agents to work as fully integrated members of the development team.

What is 'Object Permanence' in the context of Neo.mjs?

In Neo.mjs, UI components are persistent JavaScript objects living in the App Worker, not just transient rendering results. This 'Object Permanence' means a component (like a Dashboard) maintains its state (scroll position, user input, internal logic) even if it is detached from the DOM or moved to a different browser window. This is the 'Lego Technic' approach versus the 'Duplo' approach of traditional frameworks.

What is an 'Agent Operating System'?

Neo.mjs v11 introduced the concept of an Agent OS, where the platform itself provides the tools and interfaces for AI agents to operate. It combines a standalone, type-safe AI SDK for autonomous 'Code Execution' with the Neural Link for runtime control. This enables agents to monitor, debug, and heal the application autonomously, effectively acting as an operating system for synthetic intelligence.

How does Neo.mjs handle multi-window applications?

Neo.mjs uses shared web workers to run a single application instance across multiple browser windows. All windows share the same application state and data in real-time. Components can even move between windows while retaining their JavaScript instances. This enables desktop-class experiences like multi-window IDEs, browser-based email clients, and multi-screen control rooms.

What makes Neo.mjs different from React, Angular, or Vue?

Neo.mjs is fundamentally different in its architecture: (1) It uses True Multithreading via web workers to prevent UI jank, (2) It is an AI-Native Application Engine with built-in bridges for AI collaboration, and (3) It treats components as persistent objects in a Scene Graph, enabling native multi-window support and runtime permutation.

Frontmatter

id	10662
title	Add Codex focus seed default to bridge-daemon (mirrors #10661)
state	Closed
labels	bugairegressionarchitecture
assignees	neo-opus-4-7
createdAt	May 3, 2026, 9:50 PM
updatedAt	May 3, 2026, 10:08 PM
githubUrl	https://github.com/neomjs/neo/issues/10662
author	neo-opus-4-7
commentsCount	1
parentIssue	10647
subIssues	[]
subIssuesCompleted	0
subIssuesTotal	0
blockedBy	[]
blocking	[]
closedAt	May 3, 2026, 10:00 PM

Add Codex focus seed default to bridge-daemon (mirrors #10661)

Name: Neo.mjs Application Engine
Author: Neo.mjs

Closedbugairegressionarchitecture

neo-opus-4-7 commented on May 3, 2026, 9:50 PM

Context

Empirical anchor from the cross-harness prompt-landing matrix execution (#10649) on 2026-05-03 ~19:43Z, captured publicly at #10649 comment 4367004889 and broadcast at A2A MESSAGE:d2f8dc1c-b329-4463-a896-8aad71c2ac5a:

@tobiu collapsed the Codex code sidebar and reproduced the Codex equivalent of the Claude pre-#10661 failure. Bridge wake delivery reached the Codex app window; osascript exited 0; but the composer did NOT have focus. The first Cmd+A in the bridge's destructive-clear sequence selected thread history instead of composer content. Codex row of the #10649 matrix is RED under collapsed-sidebar state.

The Claude row of the same matrix went green after PR #10661 introduced the per-harness focusSeedKey primitive defaulting to 'space' for appName === 'Claude', emitting key code 49 after Cmd+3 and before the destructive Cmd+A / Cmd+X clear sequence. The substrate primitive is in dev; only the per-harness default needs extension to Codex.

Per the cross-family coordination thread on this issue:

@neo-gpt (Codex identity holder, reactivation-gate owner) confirmed the lane split: short-term Codex Space-seed extension lands on me; medium-term Codex app-server adapter (anchored on existing #10517) lands on him
@neo-gemini-3-1-pro endorsed via broadcast MESSAGE:ceeb3d6f-965d-4c33-9823-9aae7239d17d
@tobiu confirmed: "we should try the SPACE key trick for codex too"

Operator-side interim mitigation: keep Codex sidebar open until the seed lands.

The Problem

bridge-daemon.mjs:588 defaults focusSeedKey to 'space' only when appName === 'Claude'. Codex matches the same focus-uncertainty failure mode under collapsed-sidebar state (Cmd+3 / cmd-tab / app-activation does not always land focus in the composer), but the bridge does not seed focus before the destructive clear. The result: Cmd+A operates on whatever IS focused (thread history list), Cmd+X cuts that, paste lands wake payload into the wrong target. Substrate-architecturally identical to the Claude case #10660 / #10661 closed.

The focusSeedKey primitive already supports per-harness defaults via the else if (appName === 'Antigravity') ... extension pattern (Antigravity stays unset / no seed because Cmd+Shift+I is already idempotent). Codex needs the same 'space' default Claude uses.

The Architectural Reality

ai/scripts/bridge-daemon.mjs:583-588 — per-harness focusSeedKey resolution. Currently:

    let focusSeedKey = meta.focusSeedKey;
  if (focusSeedKey === undefined && appName === 'Claude') focusSeedKey = 'space';

Needs:

    let focusSeedKey = meta.focusSeedKey;
  if (focusSeedKey === undefined && (appName === 'Claude' || appName === 'Codex')) focusSeedKey = 'space';

ai/scripts/bridge-daemon.mjs:625-633 — Space-seed osascript injection. Already handles 'space' / ' ' via key code 49; no changes required to the keystroke-emission path.
ai/mcp/server/memory-core/openapi.yaml — focusSeedKey schema field already exposed (added in PR #10661); no schema change required.
ai/mcp/server/memory-core/services/WakeSubscriptionService.mjs — already documents focusSeedKey in the harnessTargetMetadata JSDoc (added in PR #10661); no service-layer change required beyond a round-trip test.

The Fix

Single conditional extension in bridge-daemon.mjs:

if (focusSeedKey === undefined && (appName === 'Claude' || appName === 'Codex')) focusSeedKey = 'space';

Plus the matching Anchor & Echo update on the comment block above the conditional, citing the empirical anchor (#10649 collapsed-sidebar reproduction).

Test coverage (mirrors PR #10661's bridge-daemon.spec.mjs additions):

WakeSubscriptionService round-trip test — assert that subscribing with harnessTargetMetadata.focusSeedKey: 'space' for Codex round-trips correctly through the schema validation. Mirror of the existing Claude test.
Bridge-daemon ordering test for Codex — mock osascript pattern, verify the keystroke sequence is activate < tab < space < clear for Codex (same shape as the existing Claude ordering test). The collapsed-sidebar reproduction is operator-side; the unit test verifies the bridge emits the right keystroke order, which matches the matrix-validated test path the operator runs against the live IDE.

Acceptance Criteria

bridge-daemon.mjs per-harness focusSeedKey default fires for both appName === 'Claude' AND appName === 'Codex'
Anchor & Echo comment block on the conditional explains the empirical Codex collapsed-sidebar regression + cross-references #10649 + #10661
WakeSubscriptionService.spec.mjs adds a round-trip test for harnessTargetMetadata.focusSeedKey: 'space' under Codex appName
bridge-daemon.spec.mjs adds an ordering test (activate < tab < space < clear) for Codex matching the existing Claude test
Existing tests continue to pass — no regression in Claude / Antigravity rows
After merge: a controlled bridge test against @neo-gpt Codex Desktop with sidebar collapsed shows wake-digest landing in composer (not thread history), matrix Codex row flips to green
After matrix Codex row green: per #10650 protocol, reactivation-gate becomes eligible (gate flip + heartbeat reactivation remains @tobiu's call)

Out of Scope

Codex app-server adapter (turn/start / turn/steer / thread/inject_items via codex debug app-server send-message-v2) — anchored on existing #10517, owned by @neo-gpt, supersedes UI-keystroke delivery once shipped
Disable-Codex-subscription operational mitigation — covered by operator-side discipline (sidebar-open) and the medium-term app-server adapter; only relevant if the Space seed empirically fails
Antigravity / Claude focus-seed changes — both already validated green on the matrix; no change
Bridge backlog fence handling — already documented in the #10650 protocol; not part of this fix
Cross-process cache-invalidation under live updates — separate substrate concern (#10186)

Avoided Traps

Trap: introduce a new primitive instead of extending focusSeedKey. Rejected. PR #10661 just shipped the per-harness focus-seed primitive precisely so future harnesses adopt by extending the default map. Re-architecting would discard the substrate work just merged.
Trap: hardcode Codex as a third branch in the keystroke-emission logic. Rejected. The 'space' / ' ' → key code 49 and else → keystroke "${focusSeedKey}" paths already handle the Codex case identically to Claude; only the per-harness default needs extension.
Trap: assume the Codex regression is identical to Claude's pre-#10661 state. Need to verify empirically: Codex collapsed-sidebar may have additional UI quirks (e.g., the composer might be in a separate window pane that Cmd+3 doesn't touch). The empirical bridge test against collapsed-sidebar Codex is the load-bearing verification; if the Space seed alone doesn't fix it, escalate to disable-subscription or accelerate the medium-term app-server adapter.
Trap: change appName === 'Claude' to appName === 'Codex' instead of OR-ing. Rejected — would regress Claude back to red.

Parent: #10647 (Wake Incident Safety Tree epic)
Mirror: #10661 / closed by PR #10661 (Claude focus seed; this ticket extends the same primitive to Codex)
Matrix sibling: #10649 (cross-harness prompt-landing matrix; this ticket flips the Codex row from red to green)
Composer-focus epic context: #10658
Medium-term superseder: #10517 (HarnessPresence + Codex app-server adapter — non-UI delivery path that bypasses focus seeding entirely)
Operator protocol: #10650 (Wake Substrate Incident Protocol — reactivation-gate evidence requirements depend on this fix)

Origin Session ID

Origin Session ID: 9766f91c-51f8-44fe-ac34-d79f61a0e1bf

Retrieval Hint

query_raw_memories("Codex collapsed-sidebar focusSeedKey space seed bridge-daemon") or query_summaries("Codex focus seed extension #10661 mirror"). Empirical anchor: #10649 comment 4367004889 + A2A MESSAGE:d2f8dc1c-b329-4463-a896-8aad71c2ac5a from @neo-gpt (2026-05-03 19:43Z) + cross-family coordination thread MESSAGE:a6197e52-a95a-440c-b82b-a8f6cc050ea4 (mine) + MESSAGE:93a1d01f-ce14-4def-bd0a-3a9b3c91dff6 (GPT confirmation).

tobiu referenced in commit 73dfaf6 - "fix(ai): extend focus seed default to Codex (#10662) (#10663) on May 3, 2026, 10:00 PM

tobiu closed this issue on May 3, 2026, 10:00 PM