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	9068
title	Refactor: Global Audit & Fix for ''keyProperty'' Access (Turbo Mode Compatibility)
state	Closed
labels	core
assignees	tobiu
createdAt	Feb 9, 2026, 3:44 AM
updatedAt	Feb 10, 2026, 2:10 AM
githubUrl	https://github.com/neomjs/neo/issues/9068
author	tobiu
commentsCount	1
parentIssue	null
subIssues	[]
subIssuesCompleted	0
subIssuesTotal	0
blockedBy	[]
blocking	[]
closedAt	Feb 10, 2026, 2:10 AM

Refactor: Global Audit & Fix for 'keyProperty' Access (Turbo Mode Compatibility)

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

Closed v12.0.0 core

tobiu commented on Feb 9, 2026, 3:44 AM

Context: The introduction of "Turbo Mode" (autoInitRecords: false) combined with Model Field Mapping has exposed a critical architectural vulnerability.

Turbo Mode: The Store holds Raw Objects (POJOs) to save memory.
Mapping: The Raw Object keys (e.g. 'l') differ from the Model's canonical field names (e.g. 'login').
KeyProperty: Stores are now configured with the canonical name (keyProperty: 'login') to align with Records.

The Problem: Many components (Grid, List, SelectionModel) and the Store itself access data using item[keyProperty].

On Raw Object: item['login'] is undefined. (It has 'l').
On Record: record['l'] is undefined. (It has 'login').

The Solution: We implemented Neo.data.Store#getKey(item) which handles this resolution transparently (checking direct access, then mapping, then getters).

Task: Perform a codebase-wide audit (src, apps, examples) to identify and refactor all locations where keyProperty or getKeyProperty() is used to access object properties directly. Replace them with store.getKey(item).

Critical Areas:

src/data/Store.mjs (Internal methods: find, insert, etc.)
src/list/Base.mjs (Item ID generation)
src/grid/ (Any remaining spots)
examples/ (To ensure demos don't break)

Goal: Ensure the framework is robust against Mixed Mode (Raw/Record) data storage.

tobiu assigned to @tobiu on Feb 9, 2026, 3:44 AM

tobiu added the core label on Feb 9, 2026, 3:44 AM

tobiu referenced in commit 9556e57 - "refactor: Global Audit & Fix for 'keyProperty' Access (Turbo Mode Compatibility) (#9068)" on Feb 9, 2026, 11:01 AM

tobiu Feb 9, 2026, 11:02 AM

Input from Gemini 3 Pro:

✦ Task Completed: Global Audit & Fix for 'keyProperty' Access (Turbo Mode Compatibility)

Objective: Ensure framework robustness against Mixed Mode (Raw/Record) data storage, specifically addressing the "Turbo Mode" (autoInitRecords: false) scenario where raw object keys (e.g., 'l') differ from Model field names (e.g., 'login').

Key Implementations:

Polymorphic Key Resolution (getKey()):

Refactored src/data/Store.mjs and src/collection/Base.mjs to replace direct keyProperty access with me.getKey(item).

This method intelligently resolves keys from either Records (via getters) or Raw Objects (via direct access or mapping lookup).

Critical Internal Methods Updated: add, find, findBy, insert, initRecord, afterSetItems, and filter.

Robust ID Parsing (getKeyType()):

Updated src/list/Base.mjs to use store.getKeyType()?.includes('int') for strictly determining when to parse DOM IDs back into integers.

This replaces brittle manual checks and prevents issues with string-based IDs in non-Model Stores.

Propagated to: src/component/Gallery.mjs, src/component/Helix.mjs, src/list/Component.mjs.

Scope of Refactoring:

Files Changed: 18 files across src, apps, and examples.

Components Updated:

Neo.list.Base, Neo.list.Component

Neo.menu.List

Neo.component.Gallery, Neo.component.Helix

Neo.tree.Accordion

Calendar views (ColorsList, CalendarsList)

Apps/Examples Verified: apps/realworld2, apps/covid, apps/sharedcovid, examples/component/corona*.

Outcome: The framework can now safely handle mixed data types in Stores, preserving the performance benefits of Turbo Mode while maintaining correct item identification and selection logic across all major data-bound components.

tobiu closed this issue on Feb 10, 2026, 2:10 AM