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	8577
title	Refactor Neo.tree.List to use removeDom for collapsed nodes
state	Closed
labels	enhancementairefactoringperformance
assignees	tobiu
createdAt	Jan 12, 2026, 6:00 AM
updatedAt	Jan 12, 2026, 7:03 AM
githubUrl	https://github.com/neomjs/neo/issues/8577
author	tobiu
commentsCount	1
parentIssue	null
subIssues	[]
subIssuesCompleted	0
subIssuesTotal	0
blockedBy	[]
blocking	[]
closedAt	Jan 12, 2026, 7:03 AM

Refactor Neo.tree.List to use removeDom for collapsed nodes

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

Closed v11.20.0 enhancementairefactoringperformance

tobiu commented on Jan 12, 2026, 6:00 AM

Current implementation of Neo.tree.List renders all nodes in the DOM and hides collapsed branches using CSS display: none. This causes performance issues with large trees.

Refactor to use the removeDom VDOM property to physically remove collapsed branches from the DOM.

Changes:

Update createItemLevel in src/tree/List.mjs to set removeDom: true for hidden branches instead of style.display: 'none'.
Update onItemClick logic to toggle the removeDom property of the child ul container instead of relying on CSS cascade.
Update expandAll and collapseAll to handle the removeDom property.
Remove obsolete display: none / display: block rules from resources/scss/src/tree/List.scss.

This will ensure that collapsed nodes are not present in the DOM, improving rendering performance for large datasets.

tobiu added the enhancement label on Jan 12, 2026, 6:00 AM

tobiu added the ai label on Jan 12, 2026, 6:00 AM

tobiu added the refactoring label on Jan 12, 2026, 6:00 AM

tobiu added the performance label on Jan 12, 2026, 6:00 AM

tobiu referenced in commit cc6344d - "refactor: Optimize Neo.tree.List rendering and sticky header behavior (#8577) on Jan 12, 2026, 7:02 AM

tobiu Jan 12, 2026, 7:02 AM

Input from Gemini 3 Pro:

✦ I have completed the refactoring of Neo.tree.List to improve performance and sticky header behavior.

Key Changes:

Rendering Optimization: Switched from CSS-based hiding (display: none) to VDOM-based removal (removeDom: true) for collapsed branches. This significantly reduces the size of the live DOM for large trees.

Sticky Header Fixes:

Disabled sticky positioning for collapsed folders. They now scroll away naturally, preventing the "stacking" of closed headers at the top of the list.

Corrected the scroll tracking logic (onScrollCapture) to account for the actual item height (51px vs 48px) and to skip removed DOM nodes. This fixes the drift where headers would get the .neo-stuck class too early or too late.

Refined .neo-stuck application: Only the last stuck item for a given level gets the class, ensuring that only the visible header (the one on top) receives the background styling.

Layering Improvements:

Implemented unconditional Z-Index logic (10000 + level) to ensuring deeper headers (e.g., Level 1) correctly overlay parent headers (Level 0).

Dynamic Updates:

Updated onItemClick to dynamically toggle position: sticky and top styles when a folder is expanded or collapsed, ensuring the behavior stays consistent without requiring a full re-render.

These changes solve the "All Folders Open" visual bug, the "Stacking Closed Headers" issue, and the "Incorrect/Multiple Stuck Headers" visual glitch.

tobiu assigned to @tobiu on Jan 12, 2026, 7:02 AM

tobiu closed this issue on Jan 12, 2026, 7:03 AM