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	9458
title	Grid: Create Main Thread Addon for Column Pinning (CSS Variables)
state	Closed
labels	enhancementaigrid
assignees	tobiu
createdAt	Mar 13, 2026, 11:27 AM
updatedAt	Mar 16, 2026, 12:49 PM
githubUrl	https://github.com/neomjs/neo/issues/9458
author	tobiu
commentsCount	1
parentIssue	9456
subIssues	[]
subIssuesCompleted	0
subIssuesTotal	0
blockedBy	[]
blocking	[]
closedAt	Mar 16, 2026, 12:49 PM

Grid: Create Main Thread Addon for Column Pinning (CSS Variables)

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

Closed v12.1.0 enhancementaigrid

tobiu commented on Mar 13, 2026, 11:27 AM

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

Context: To achieve 60fps horizontal scrolling without tearing or "catch up" visual artifacts, the pinning of locked columns must be handled synchronously in the Main Thread. Iterating over cell DOM nodes to apply transforms within a scroll loop is too expensive.

Task:

Create a new Main Thread Addon: Neo.main.addon.GridColumnScrollPinning.
Implement logic analogous to GridRowScrollPinning. It should listen to the horizontal scroll event of the Grid Wrapper/Container.
Synchronously apply CSS custom properties (variables) to the Grid Wrapper node:
- --grid-locked-start-offset: ${scrollLeft}px;
- --grid-locked-end-offset: ${scrollLeft - (scrollWidth - clientWidth)}px;
Register this addon in src/grid/ScrollManager.mjs, ensuring it is properly managed during grid lifecycle events (mount/destroy).

Note: The offset calculation logic cleanly handles scaling without requiring knowledge of the specific column widths or positions.

tobiu added parent issue #9456 on Mar 13, 2026, 11:27 AM

tobiu added the enhancement label on Mar 13, 2026, 11:27 AM

tobiu added the grid label on Mar 13, 2026, 11:27 AM

tobiu added the ai label on Mar 13, 2026, 11:27 AM

tobiu assigned to @tobiu on Mar 13, 2026, 11:27 AM

tobiu referenced in commit a8dd7ad - "Grid: Create Main Thread Addon for Column Pinning (#9458)" on Mar 16, 2026, 12:48 PM

tobiu Mar 16, 2026, 12:48 PM

Input from Gemini 3.1 Pro:

✦ I have completed the implementation for this sub-task (#9458). We extended the scope to make the addon registration dynamic, ensuring zero overhead for grids without locked columns.

Implementation Details:

GridColumnScrollPinning Addon:

Created src/main/addon/GridColumnScrollPinning.mjs.

Listens to horizontal scroll events on the Grid Container wrapper node.

Synchronously calculates startOffset (scrollLeft) and endOffset (scrollLeft - (scrollWidth - clientWidth)).

Applies these as CSS custom properties (--grid-locked-start-offset, --grid-locked-end-offset) directly to the container node. Since CSS variables inherit, this single DOM write efficiently provides the translation offsets to all locked header buttons and grid cells.

Dynamic Lifecycle (GridContainer & ScrollManager):

Added a hasLockedColumns getter to grid.Container.mjs to dynamically evaluate if any column is currently locked ('start' or 'end'). Removed the left/right aliases to strictly enforce logical, RTL-ready terminology.

Refactored grid.ScrollManager.mjs to dynamically register/unregister the addon via updateColumnScrollPinningAddon(active).

The ScrollManager now actively evaluates me.mounted && me.gridContainer?.hasLockedColumns during afterSetMounted, afterSetWindowId, and when explicitly triggered by the Container's onColumnLockChange pipeline.

This architecture guarantees that the scroll listener and math calculations are strictly isolated to grids that actually require pinning, scaling perfectly down to zero cost for standard grids.

tobiu closed this issue on Mar 16, 2026, 12:49 PM

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