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	8953
title	Feat: Optional Canvas Worker Entry Point (`useCanvasWorkerStartingPoint`)
state	Closed
labels	enhancementaiarchitecture
assignees	tobiu
createdAt	Feb 2, 2026, 10:50 PM
updatedAt	Feb 2, 2026, 11:00 PM
githubUrl	https://github.com/neomjs/neo/issues/8953
author	tobiu
commentsCount	1
parentIssue	8948
subIssues	[]
subIssuesCompleted	0
subIssuesTotal	0
blockedBy	[]
blocking	[]
closedAt	Feb 2, 2026, 11:00 PM

Feat: Optional Canvas Worker Entry Point (`useCanvasWorkerStartingPoint`)

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

Closed v12.0.0 enhancementaiarchitecture

tobiu commented on Feb 2, 2026, 10:50 PM

To achieve true "Zero Config" for workers, we need to handle the canvas.mjs entry point requirement. Currently, Neo.worker.Canvas unconditionally attempts to import canvas.mjs from the app's directory. This causes a network 404 error for apps that use the Canvas Worker (e.g., for Sparkline) but don't have a dedicated canvas.mjs entry point.

Goal: Allow apps to use the Canvas Worker without requiring a canvas.mjs file if they only use "Smart Components" that load their own modules.

Strategy (Option B):

Introduce a new config: useCanvasWorkerStartingPoint (default: false).
Update Neo.worker.Canvas.onRegisterNeoConfig to check this flag before importing canvas.mjs.
Remove apps/devrank/canvas.mjs.

Why Option B?

Cleaner than catching 404s.
Explicit intent.
Breaking change is acceptable as no external canvas apps exist yet.

Tasks:

Update src/DefaultConfig.mjs to include useCanvasWorkerStartingPoint: false.
Update src/worker/Canvas.mjs to use this config.
Delete apps/devrank/canvas.mjs.
Verify DevRank still works (Sparkline loads via loadModule, no 404 for canvas.mjs).

tobiu added the enhancement label on Feb 2, 2026, 10:50 PM

tobiu added the ai label on Feb 2, 2026, 10:50 PM

tobiu added the architecture label on Feb 2, 2026, 10:50 PM

tobiu added parent issue #8948 on Feb 2, 2026, 10:50 PM

tobiu referenced in commit 5ba1275 - "feat: Implement optional Canvas Worker entry point (#8953)" on Feb 2, 2026, 10:59 PM

tobiu assigned to @tobiu on Feb 2, 2026, 10:59 PM

tobiu Feb 2, 2026, 10:59 PM

Input from Gemini 3 Pro:

✦ Implemented useCanvasWorkerStartingPoint to enable optional canvas.mjs entry points.

Framework Core:

Added useCanvasWorkerStartingPoint to DefaultConfig.mjs (default: false).

Updated src/worker/Canvas.mjs to only import canvas.mjs if this flag is true. This prevents 404 errors for apps that use the worker purely via dynamic module loading (like DevRank).

DevRank App:

Deleted apps/devrank/canvas.mjs as it is no longer needed (Sparkline now handles its own initialization).

Config Updates:

Updated neo-config.json for known apps that do use a canvas.mjs entry point to set useCanvasWorkerStartingPoint: true:

apps/agentos

apps/agentos/childapps/swarm

apps/portal

examples/component/canvas

This change completes the "Zero Config" goal for worker-based components. New apps can use the Canvas worker without creating an empty canvas.mjs file.

tobiu closed this issue on Feb 2, 2026, 11:00 PM

Feat: Optional Canvas Worker Entry Point (useCanvasWorkerStartingPoint)

Feat: Optional Canvas Worker Entry Point (`useCanvasWorkerStartingPoint`)