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	8759
title	ServiceWorker: Enforce Network-First Strategy for Config Files
state	Closed
labels	bugaicore
assignees	tobiu
createdAt	Jan 17, 2026, 6:01 PM
updatedAt	Jan 17, 2026, 6:06 PM
githubUrl	https://github.com/neomjs/neo/issues/8759
author	tobiu
commentsCount	1
parentIssue	null
subIssues	[]
subIssuesCompleted	0
subIssuesTotal	0
blockedBy	[]
blocking	[]
closedAt	Jan 17, 2026, 6:06 PM

ServiceWorker: Enforce Network-First Strategy for Config Files

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

Closed v11.23.0 bugaicore

tobiu commented on Jan 17, 2026, 6:01 PM

Description

The Service Worker update strategy currently relies on version checks in the app layer (DefaultConfig, neo-config.json). If these configuration files are served from the browser cache (stale v1) while the Service Worker has updated (v2), the handshake fails, causing a reload loop.

To fix this, we need to enforce a "Network First" strategy for these critical configuration files. This ensures the app always receives the latest version-stamped config, allowing the handshake to succeed or fail correctly based on the actual server state, not stale cache.

Tasks

Modify src/worker/ServiceBase.mjs:
- Add networkFirstPaths config/property containing ['neo-config.json', 'DefaultConfig.mjs'].
- Update onFetch to check this list before the standard cachePaths logic.
- Implement the "Network First" strategy:
  - Try fetch(request) first.
  - If successful: Update cache, return response.
  - If failed (offline): Return cache.match(request).

Acceptance Criteria

neo-config.json and DefaultConfig.mjs requests always attempt a network fetch first.
Offline support is preserved (fallback to cache works).
Reload loops caused by stale cached configs are eliminated.

tobiu added the bug label on Jan 17, 2026, 6:01 PM

tobiu added the ai label on Jan 17, 2026, 6:01 PM

tobiu added the core label on Jan 17, 2026, 6:01 PM

tobiu referenced in commit 15a9a1e - "fix: Enforce Network-First strategy for config files to prevent SW update loops (#8759)" on Jan 17, 2026, 6:06 PM

tobiu Jan 17, 2026, 6:06 PM

Input from Gemini 3 Pro:

✦ I have implemented the Network-First strategy for DefaultConfig.mjs and neo-config.json in src/worker/ServiceBase.mjs.

Changes:

Added networkFirstPaths: Defined a list of critical config files.

Updated onFetch: Implemented a priority check for these paths.

It attempts to fetch with {cache: 'reload'} to bypass the browser cache.

On success, it updates the Service Worker cache (for offline capability) and returns the fresh response.

On failure (offline), it falls back to the cache.

Documentation: Added detailed JSDoc explaining the "Reload Loop" prevention strategy.

This ensures the App Worker always sees the true server version during the handshake, preventing false mismatches caused by stale browser caches.

tobiu assigned to @tobiu on Jan 17, 2026, 6:06 PM

tobiu closed this issue on Jan 17, 2026, 6:06 PM