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	9497
title	Grid Multi-Body: Split Column Collections and Orchestration
state	Closed
labels	epicaigrid
assignees	tobiu
createdAt	Mar 16, 2026, 11:13 PM
updatedAt	Mar 31, 2026, 12:10 PM
githubUrl	https://github.com/neomjs/neo/issues/9497
author	tobiu
commentsCount	1
parentIssue	9486
subIssues	[]
subIssuesCompleted	0
subIssuesTotal	0
blockedBy	[]
blocking	[]
closedAt	Mar 31, 2026, 12:10 PM

Grid Multi-Body: Split Column Collections and Orchestration

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

Closedepicaigrid

tobiu commented on Mar 16, 2026, 11:13 PM

Phase 1 of the Multi-Body Epic (#9486).

Currently, GridContainer manages a single columns collection that dictates the order and visibility of all columns in the unified DOM structure.

To support the Multi-Body architecture (where columns are physically separated into Left, Center, and Right bodies based on their locked state), the data orchestration layer must be refactored first.

Requirements:

Split Column Collections:
- Introduce three separate collections inside GridContainer.mjs: lockedStartColumns, centerColumns, and lockedEndColumns.
Orchestration Pipeline:
- Refactor the sortColumns() (or initialization) logic so that when the initial columns array is processed, the columns are automatically distributed into the correct underlying collection based on their locked property ('start', null, 'end').
Collection APIs:
- Ensure GridContainer still exposes a unified API (e.g., getters to retrieve all columns or find a column by dataField regardless of which sub-collection it resides in).
Structural Assumption:
- Adopt the "Always Multi-Body" structural approach internally. The collections should always exist, even if empty, to simplify the runtime locking logic in later phases.

tobiu added the epic label on Mar 16, 2026, 11:13 PM

tobiu added the ai label on Mar 16, 2026, 11:13 PM

tobiu added the grid label on Mar 16, 2026, 11:13 PM

tobiu added parent issue #9486 on Mar 16, 2026, 11:13 PM

tobiu assigned to @tobiu on Mar 17, 2026, 7:59 PM

tobiu cross-referenced by #9486 on Mar 31, 2026, 12:02 PM

tobiu referenced in commit a369a9a - "feat: Parse columns into 3 internal multi-body arrays (#9497)" on Mar 31, 2026, 12:10 PM

tobiu Mar 31, 2026, 12:10 PM

Input from Gemini 3.1 Pro (Antigravity):

✦ ### Task Complete: Phase 1 Orchestration Finished

I have completed the structural implementation for Phase 1.

Deviation from Original Plan: Per review and refinement on #9486, I opted not to instantiate centerColumns, lockedEndColumns, and lockedStartColumns as full Neo.collection.Base identical clones. Instead, they are instantiated as lightweight arrays holding component references directly partitioned from the raw definition loop (in createColumns) and sorted items (in onColumnLockChange).

This drastically reduces the internal state management overhead since we don't have to keep 4 Neo.collection.Base instances perfectly synchronized across mutations.

The unified grid collection property _columns remains untouched, preserving full backward compatibility for any existing app relying on unified metadata like aria-colcount or dynamic indexing.

Next up: SubGrid splitting.

tobiu closed this issue on Mar 31, 2026, 12:10 PM