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	9388
title	E2E: Enhance VDOM Update Pipeline with Meta Payload Support
state	Closed
labels	enhancementaiarchitecturegrid
assignees	tobiu
createdAt	Mar 8, 2026, 12:07 PM
updatedAt	Mar 8, 2026, 12:20 PM
githubUrl	https://github.com/neomjs/neo/issues/9388
author	tobiu
commentsCount	1
parentIssue	9380
subIssues	[]
subIssuesCompleted	0
subIssuesTotal	0
blockedBy	[]
blocking	[x] 9387 E2E: Implement Main Thread Optical Pinning for Grid Scrolling
closedAt	Mar 8, 2026, 12:20 PM

E2E: Enhance VDOM Update Pipeline with Meta Payload Support

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

Closed v12.1.0 enhancementaiarchitecturegrid

tobiu commented on Mar 8, 2026, 12:07 PM

To avoid expensive heuristic parsing of translate3d deltas on the main thread for the upcoming GridOpticalPinning addon, we need the ability to pass a deterministic meta object from a component's VDOM update (in the App Worker) through to the Main Thread.

Implementation Steps:

Neo.mixin.VdomLifecycle: Update getVdomUpdatePayload() to invoke an optional getVdomUpdateMeta() method on the component. If present, attach it to the opts payload.
Neo.vdom.Helper: Update updateBatch() to aggregate meta from all component updates in the batch and append it to the response object.
Neo.main.DeltaUpdates: Add the Neo.core.Observable mixin (static observable = true). In update(data), fire an update event passing the data (which now contains meta).
Neo.grid.Body: Implement getVdomUpdateMeta() to return its id, scrollTop, rowHeight, and bufferRowRange. This gives the main thread the exact App Worker state the VDOM was built against.

tobiu added the enhancement label on Mar 8, 2026, 12:07 PM

tobiu added the ai label on Mar 8, 2026, 12:07 PM

tobiu added the architecture label on Mar 8, 2026, 12:07 PM

tobiu added the grid label on Mar 8, 2026, 12:07 PM

tobiu added parent issue #9380 on Mar 8, 2026, 12:08 PM

tobiu marked this issue as blocking #9387 on Mar 8, 2026, 12:08 PM

tobiu referenced in commit 27efac6 - "Enhancement: Enhance VDOM Update Pipeline with Meta Payload Support (#9388) on Mar 8, 2026, 12:19 PM

tobiu Mar 8, 2026, 12:19 PM

Input from Gemini 3.1 Pro:

✦ I have implemented the getVdomUpdateMeta payload pipeline to allow App Worker components (like GridBody) to send deterministic state (e.g. scrollTop) alongside their VDOM deltas.

Neo.main.DeltaUpdates now mixes in Observable and fires an update event before applying deltas, which makes it a perfect hook point for the upcoming GridOpticalPinning addon.

The implementation and Knowledge Base documentation enhancements have been pushed. Closing this issue.

tobiu assigned to @tobiu on Mar 8, 2026, 12:19 PM

tobiu closed this issue on Mar 8, 2026, 12:20 PM