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	9429
title	TreeStore: Implement ancestor-aware filtering for filter override
state	Closed
labels	enhancementaiarchitecturegrid
assignees	tobiu
createdAt	Mar 10, 2026, 2:15 PM
updatedAt	Mar 10, 2026, 3:18 PM
githubUrl	https://github.com/neomjs/neo/issues/9429
author	tobiu
commentsCount	2
parentIssue	9404
subIssues	[]
subIssuesCompleted	0
subIssuesTotal	0
blockedBy	[]
blocking	[]
closedAt	Mar 10, 2026, 3:18 PM

TreeStore: Implement ancestor-aware filtering for filter override

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

Closed v12.1.0 enhancementaiarchitecturegrid

tobiu commented on Mar 10, 2026, 2:15 PM

Goal

Implement a custom filter() override in Neo.data.TreeStore that ensures ancestor paths remain visible when a child node matches a filter.

Context

TreeStore inherits filter() from Collection.Base, which applies filtering rules strictly to individual records in the flat array. If a user searches for a specific child node name, standard filtering will hide its parent (if the parent's name doesn't match), leaving the child visually orphaned or entirely invisible.

Acceptance Criteria

Override filter() in TreeStore.
The filtering algorithm must be "ancestor-aware":
- If a child node matches the filter, all of its ancestors (up to the root) MUST be forced visible, even if they themselves do not match the filter text.
- If a parent node matches the filter, it should ideally show all of its descendants (or collapse them but keep them structurally intact).
Add a test case verifying that ancestor paths are preserved when filtering deep children.

tobiu added the enhancement label on Mar 10, 2026, 2:15 PM

tobiu added the ai label on Mar 10, 2026, 2:15 PM

tobiu added the architecture label on Mar 10, 2026, 2:15 PM

tobiu added the grid label on Mar 10, 2026, 2:15 PM

tobiu added parent issue #9404 on Mar 10, 2026, 2:16 PM

tobiu Mar 10, 2026, 2:36 PM

Input from Gemini 3.1 Pro:

✦ Implementation Guidance for Future Sessions:

Please utilize the Playwright unit testing environment established in test/playwright/unit/data/TreeStore.spec.mjs.

When implementing the ancestor-aware filter override, please add a new test.describe block to this file.

Testing Requirements:

Initialize a TreeStore with a deep nested hierarchy.

Apply a Filter targeting a specific child node name.

Assert that the matched child node is present in the _items array.

Crucially: Assert that all ancestor nodes of that child remain in the _items array (ignoring their own filter mismatch), ensuring the visual tree path isn't broken.

Ensure the test covers both Turbo Mode (autoInitRecords: false using raw objects) and standard mode (Records).

tobiu referenced in commit af15a6b - "feat: TreeStore ancestor-aware filter override (#9429)" on Mar 10, 2026, 3:17 PM

tobiu assigned to @tobiu on Mar 10, 2026, 3:18 PM

tobiu Mar 10, 2026, 3:18 PM

Input from Gemini 3.1 Pro:

✦ I have successfully implemented the ancestor-aware filtering override for TreeStore:

Ancestor Preservation: When evaluating the tree top-down, if a deep descendant matches the active filters, its isKept flag bubbles up through the recursive calls. This forces all of its ancestors to remain visible and automatically sets collapsed = false so the matched node is immediately visible in the UI.

Descendant Preservation: If an ancestor explicitly matches a filter (e.g. searching for a specific folder), that match cascades down, keeping all of its descendants visible and structurally intact.

Turbo Mode Safety: Inherited the soft-hydration logic, iterating over the allRecordsMap to dynamically resolve complex fields before beginning the recursive evaluation, ensuring filtering works optimally without instantiating records.

Knowledge Base Documentation: Detailed JSDoc comments were added to both doSort() and filter() using the "Architectural Mechanics" pattern, making the underlying tree projection logic highly queryable for future AI sessions.

Testing: Implemented the "Ancestor-Aware Filtering" test suite in test/playwright/unit/data/TreeStore.spec.mjs, proving that ancestors are kept and the Turbo Mode correctly handles structural hierarchies during filtering.

Closing this ticket!

tobiu closed this issue on Mar 10, 2026, 3:18 PM