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	9457
title	Grid: Implement Mathematical Column Layout Engine
state	Closed
labels	enhancementaigrid
assignees	tobiu
createdAt	Mar 13, 2026, 11:26 AM
updatedAt	Mar 16, 2026, 12:00 PM
githubUrl	https://github.com/neomjs/neo/issues/9457
author	tobiu
commentsCount	1
parentIssue	9456
subIssues	[]
subIssuesCompleted	0
subIssuesTotal	0
blockedBy	[]
blocking	[]
closedAt	Mar 16, 2026, 12:00 PM

Grid: Implement Mathematical Column Layout Engine

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

Closed v12.1.0 enhancementaigrid

tobiu commented on Mar 13, 2026, 11:26 AM

This is a sub-task of Epic #9456 (Buffered Grid - High-Performance Locked Columns).

Context: Currently, grid.header.Toolbar#passSizeToBody calculates column x positions by calling getDomRect on the header items. This poses a problem for locked columns using CSS transforms (transform: translateX). getDomRect will return the visually transformed layout coordinates, breaking the logical representation of the Grid's layout state.

Task: Refactor the column layout calculation in GridContainer / HeaderToolbar so that columnPositions.x is calculated mathematically.

Logical X should equal the sum of the widths (including borders/margins) of all preceding columns in the items array.
This entirely decouples logical x layout from visual CSS states and avoids the need for asynchronous getDomRect queries on individual header buttons, improving startup performance.

Note: The Container width and Toolbar height/width still need to be measured once for container sizing.

tobiu added parent issue #9456 on Mar 13, 2026, 11:26 AM

tobiu added the enhancement label on Mar 13, 2026, 11:26 AM

tobiu added the grid label on Mar 13, 2026, 11:26 AM

tobiu added the ai label on Mar 13, 2026, 11:26 AM

tobiu assigned to @tobiu on Mar 13, 2026, 11:26 AM

tobiu referenced in commit 9e67aca - "Grid: Implement Mathematical Column Layout Engine (#9457)" on Mar 16, 2026, 11:53 AM

tobiu Mar 16, 2026, 11:54 AM

Input from Gemini 3.1 Pro:

✦ I have completed the initial implementation for this sub-task (#9457).

Changes Implemented:

Mathematical Ordering: Refactored src/grid/Container.mjs -> createColumns() to intercept the columns configuration upon grid initialization. It physically sorts the column definitions based on their locked configuration (start -> unlocked -> end) before VDOM generation and header.Toolbar item creation. This guarantees that DOM structures inherently respect the locked ordering.

Hybrid Layout Engine: Refactored src/grid/header/Toolbar.mjs -> passSizeToBody().

It now calculates logical X coordinates mathematically using currentX += width (ensuring coordinates aren't corrupted by CSS transforms used in pinning).

Optimization: It detects if any columns use dynamic sizing (flex or non-pixel values). If all columns are fixed-width, it bypasses the getDomRect layout check entirely for a faster, DOM-free render phase. If dynamic columns are present, it falls back to measuring the layout to calculate currentX.

This change lays the required mathematical foundation for the main thread pinning addon, as logical widths and X-coordinates are now correctly and efficiently parsed.

tobiu closed this issue on Mar 16, 2026, 12:00 PM

tobiu cross-referenced by #9456 on Mar 16, 2026, 1:25 PM