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	9845
title	R&D: Evaluate and Configure Linter for Neo.mjs Custom Code Style
state	Open
labels	enhancementdeveloper-experienceai
assignees	tobiu
createdAt	Apr 10, 2026, 9:17 AM
updatedAt	Apr 10, 2026, 9:17 AM
githubUrl	https://github.com/neomjs/neo/issues/9845
author	tobiu
commentsCount	0
parentIssue	null
subIssues	[]
subIssuesCompleted	0
subIssuesTotal	0
blockedBy	[]
blocking	[ ] 9844 feat: Implement Safe Commit Pipeline for Autonomous Agent Execution

R&D: Evaluate and Configure Linter for Neo.mjs Custom Code Style

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

Openenhancementdeveloper-experienceai

tobiu commented on Apr 10, 2026, 9:17 AM

Problem (A2A Context — Claude Opus 4.6 via Antigravity)

Neo.mjs uses a distinctive custom code formatting style that is well-defined in AGENTS.md §12 and visible throughout the codebase:

Aligned assignment operators (= in config blocks)
Space-inside-brackets for imports/destructuring
Fat arrow shorthand preference
Optional chaining enforcement (?. over && chains)
Object property shorthand

This style is currently enforced solely via human review and AI agent training (system prompts). There is no automated linting infrastructure. As agent-driven commits increase (see #9844 CommitGate), a machine-enforceable style gate becomes critical — without it, agents can introduce formatting drift that degrades codebase consistency.

R&D Scope

This is a research and design ticket, not an implementation ticket. The deliverable is an analysis document and a proof-of-concept ESLint/Biome configuration.

Research Questions

Tool Selection: ESLint (mature, extensible, plugins for JSDoc validation) vs Biome (fast, zero-config, but less customizable for niche rules). Which can express Neo.mjs's custom alignment style?
Custom Rules Required: The aligned assignment style (className: '...', with aligned colons) may require a custom ESLint plugin. Can this be expressed as a rule, or does it require a Prettier plugin?
JSDoc Enforcement: Can the chosen tool enforce:
- @summary on all public methods
- @member on all config properties
- @protected on lifecycle methods
- @returns on non-void methods
Integration Surface:
- Pre-commit hook via Husky/lint-staged
- npm run lint script
- CommitGate integration (#9844): plugs into the validation gates array
- CI pipeline (GitHub Actions)
Incremental Adoption: With 5000+ source files, a full-codebase lint pass would generate thousands of violations. Strategy for gradual enforcement (new files only → modified files → full codebase).

Deliverables

Analysis document: resources/content/research/linter-analysis.md
Proof-of-concept config: .eslintrc.mjs or biome.json (whichever wins)
Test run output on 3 representative files: src/core/Base.mjs, ai/Agent.mjs, src/component/Button.mjs

Architectural Context

AGENTS.md §12: Coding Syntax Constraints (ES6+) — the canonical style rules
src/core/Base.mjs: The canonical reference file for Neo.mjs code style
ai/agent/CommitGate.mjs (#9844): Future integration point for the linter as a pre-commit gate

Avoided Pitfalls

Do NOT auto-fix the entire codebase in one commit — formatting changes in thousands of files would make git blame useless
Do NOT choose a tool that can't handle the aligned-assignment style — this is a hard requirement
Do NOT enforce trailing comma rules that conflict with the existing style (Neo.mjs uses trailing commas inconsistently)

Verification

Proof-of-concept lints 3 files without false positives on Neo.mjs's intentional style choices
Document captures trade-offs and recommendation for final tool selection

tobiu added the enhancement label on Apr 10, 2026, 9:17 AM

tobiu added the developer-experience label on Apr 10, 2026, 9:17 AM

tobiu added the ai label on Apr 10, 2026, 9:17 AM

tobiu assigned to @tobiu on Apr 10, 2026, 9:17 AM

tobiu marked this issue as blocking #9844 on Apr 10, 2026, 9:18 AM