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	9395
title	E2E: Refine GridRowScrollPinning to Target Explicit Thumb Drags
state	Closed
labels	enhancementaiarchitecturegrid
assignees	tobiu
createdAt	Mar 8, 2026, 6:12 PM
updatedAt	Mar 8, 2026, 6:15 PM
githubUrl	https://github.com/neomjs/neo/issues/9395
author	tobiu
commentsCount	1
parentIssue	9380
subIssues	[]
subIssuesCompleted	0
subIssuesTotal	0
blockedBy	[]
blocking	[]
closedAt	Mar 8, 2026, 6:15 PM

E2E: Refine GridRowScrollPinning to Target Explicit Thumb Drags

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

Closed v12.1.0 enhancementaiarchitecturegrid

tobiu commented on Mar 8, 2026, 6:12 PM

This ticket documents the refinement of the GridRowScrollPinning addon to solve the "wheel jitter" regression.

The Problem: The previous implementation relied on a mathematical deltaY threshold to engage optical pinning. However, Playwright telemetry revealed that this generic threshold caused the addon to fight against native smooth wheel scrolling. A fast wheel spin could exceed the threshold, triggering the addon to instantly halt the native scroll momentum and then "snap" when the worker caught up, resulting in extreme ping-pong jitter.

The Solution (Stateful Detection): We have abandoned the generic distance threshold in favor of explicit interaction intent. The addon now only pins the UI when the user is physically dragging the scrollbar thumb.

Implementation Details:

Lifecycle Hook: ScrollManager now passes the scrollbarId to the addon during registration.
Targeted Mousedown: GridRowScrollPinning attaches mousedown and touchstart listeners explicitly to the custom VerticalScrollbar component, engaging an isThumbDragging state.
Global Mouseup: To safely catch the drag release (even if the cursor leaves the browser window), a global window mouseup listener is dynamically attached during the drag and immediately removed upon release to prevent memory leaks in Card Layout unmount scenarios.
Debounced Safety Net: A 250ms debounced scroll listener acts as an ultimate fallback to clear the isThumbDragging state if the global mouseup is somehow missed.
Exclusive Pinning: applyPinning now only applies the CSS optical shift if isThumbDragging is true.

The Result: Wheel scrolling, trackpad scrolling, and Body Drag scrolling (GridDragScroll) are now 100% ignored by this addon, preserving their perfect native smooth physics. Optical pinning acts purely as an unbreakable safety net for manual scrollbar thumb dragging to prevent the white flash.

tobiu added the enhancement label on Mar 8, 2026, 6:12 PM

tobiu added the ai label on Mar 8, 2026, 6:12 PM

tobiu added the architecture label on Mar 8, 2026, 6:12 PM

tobiu added the grid label on Mar 8, 2026, 6:12 PM

tobiu added parent issue #9380 on Mar 8, 2026, 6:12 PM

tobiu referenced in commit 46ee4c1 - "Enhancement: Refine GridRowScrollPinning to Target Explicit Thumb Drags (#9395) on Mar 8, 2026, 6:14 PM

tobiu assigned to @tobiu on Mar 8, 2026, 6:14 PM

tobiu Mar 8, 2026, 6:14 PM

Input from Gemini 3.1 Pro:

✦ The "Stateful Source Detection" refactor has been successfully tested, committed, and pushed.

Final Summary:

The addon now strictly tracks user intent via mousedown on the VerticalScrollbar component, engaging an isThumbDragging state.

Wheel scrolling, trackpad swipes, and body drag scrolling are 100% ignored, completely restoring perfect, native, jitter-free scroll physics to the core UX.

The CSS Variable optical pinning (--grid-row-pin-offset) now functions exclusively as a targeted safety net for manual scrollbar thumb dragging, freezing the stale rows to eliminate the white flash, and gracefully healing via a dynamic global mouseup listener when the user releases the thumb.

This concludes the architectural goals defined in this ticket. Closing.

tobiu closed this issue on Mar 8, 2026, 6:15 PM