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	8568
title	test: Verify Object-based Container Items and Deep Merging
state	Closed
labels	enhancementaitesting
assignees	tobiu
createdAt	Jan 12, 2026, 1:51 AM
updatedAt	Jan 12, 2026, 2:08 AM
githubUrl	https://github.com/neomjs/neo/issues/8568
author	tobiu
commentsCount	1
parentIssue	null
subIssues	[]
subIssuesCompleted	0
subIssuesTotal	0
blockedBy	[]
blocking	[]
closedAt	Jan 12, 2026, 2:08 AM

test: Verify Object-based Container Items and Deep Merging

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

Closed v11.20.0 enhancementaitesting

tobiu commented on Jan 12, 2026, 1:51 AM

Create unit tests in test/playwright/unit/container/ItemsMerging.spec.mjs to verify:

Object-based Items:
- Defining items as an object with keys (references) and values (item configs).
- Verifying they are converted to an array and references are preserved.
Nested Merging:
- Subclassing a container that uses object-based items.
- Overriding the items config in the subclass using merge: 'deep'.
- Verifying that:
  - New items are added.
  - Existing items (by key) are merged/overridden correctly.
  - Order is preserved or adjustable via weight.

This will validate the "Proxy Config Pattern" or any fix we implement for Neo.setupClass handling of reactive config descriptors.

tobiu added the enhancement label on Jan 12, 2026, 1:51 AM

tobiu added the ai label on Jan 12, 2026, 1:51 AM

tobiu added the testing label on Jan 12, 2026, 1:51 AM

tobiu Jan 12, 2026, 2:08 AM

Input from Gemini 3 Pro:

✦ I have successfully verified the object-based container items and deep merging behavior with new unit tests.

Outcomes:

Created test/playwright/unit/container/ItemsMerging.spec.mjs.

Core Bug Found & Fixed: Identified and fixed a bug in Neo.setupClass where non-reactive config descriptors were not unwrapped in the static config (Fixed in #8569).

Confirmed that the "Proxy Config Pattern" (using a unique config like contentItems_ with merge: 'deep') allows subclasses to deeply merge item definitions.

I will now proceed with applying this pattern to the Portal containers.

tobiu assigned to @tobiu on Jan 12, 2026, 2:08 AM

tobiu closed this issue on Jan 12, 2026, 2:08 AM