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	9179
title	DevIndex: Introduce StateProvider for animateVisuals
state	Closed
labels	bugairefactoring
assignees	[]
createdAt	Feb 16, 2026, 2:07 AM
updatedAt	Feb 16, 2026, 3:14 AM
githubUrl	https://github.com/neomjs/neo/issues/9179
author	tobiu
commentsCount	1
parentIssue	null
subIssues	[]
subIssuesCompleted	0
subIssuesTotal	0
blockedBy	[]
blocking	[]
closedAt	Feb 16, 2026, 3:14 AM

DevIndex: Introduce StateProvider for animateVisuals

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

Closed v12.0.0 bugairefactoring

tobiu commented on Feb 16, 2026, 2:07 AM

To fix a regression where animateVisuals state is lost or listeners are not attached due to lazy loading of the Grid, we will introduce a Neo.state.Provider.

Create apps/devindex/view/ViewportStateProvider.mjs with animateVisuals: true.
Add the provider to DevIndex.view.Viewport.
Bind GridContainer's animateVisuals config to the state provider: bind: {animateVisuals: data => data.animateVisuals}.
Update MainContainerController (checkbox) to write to the state provider instead of the grid directly.
Update ViewportController to listen to the state provider changes to update the HeaderCanvas pulse effect, removing the direct dependency on the Grid component.

tobiu added the bug label on Feb 16, 2026, 2:07 AM

tobiu added the ai label on Feb 16, 2026, 2:07 AM

tobiu added the refactoring label on Feb 16, 2026, 2:07 AM

tobiu referenced in commit 5c201c1 - "refactor(devindex): Implement StateProvider for Viewport state management (#9179)" on Feb 16, 2026, 3:13 AM

tobiu Feb 16, 2026, 3:13 AM

Input from Gemini 3 Pro:

✦ Refactoring complete.

Summary of Changes:

State Provider: Introduced DevIndex.view.ViewportStateProvider to manage animateVisuals and isScrolling state globally for the Viewport.

Decoupling: Removed imperative event listeners from ViewportController, solving the regression where lazy-loaded components (Grid) were missed during initialization.

Bridge Pattern: DevIndex.view.HeaderToolbar now acts as a bridge, binding to the State Provider and declaratively updating the HeaderCanvas renderer via afterSet hooks.

Grid Integration: GridContainer now binds to animateVisuals and pushes isScrolling state to the provider, ensuring the header animation reacts to grid interactions regardless of component lifecycle.

State Logic: State mutations (onShowAnimationsChange and onGridIsScrollingChange) are centralized in MainContainerController.

The architecture is now more robust, leveraging Neo.mjs State Providers for clean, persistent state management across lazy-loaded views.

tobiu closed this issue on Feb 16, 2026, 3:14 AM