How does NeuroNest protect against prompt injection attacks?

NeuroNest uses a 13-layer security stack. Layer 1 is a zero-dependency TypeScript engine that applies sanitization, regex-based injection detection, secrets scanning, and policy enforcement in under 1 ms. Layer 2 adds LLM-powered semantic analysis to catch sophisticated attacks that evade pattern matching.

Does NeuroNest send my code to the cloud?

No. NeuroNest is local-first. Source code is processed on your machine by default and is never sent to NeuroNest servers. When you configure a cloud AI provider such as OpenAI or Anthropic, code is sent only to that provider under their privacy policy.

What is the NeuroNest Edit Lock System?

The Edit Lock System lets you mark any file or directory as protected. No agent — including the master orchestrator — can modify locked paths without explicit human approval. This is the seventh security layer in NeuroNest's defense-in-depth model.

What is HMAC request signing in NeuroNest?

All inter-agent communication in NeuroNest is signed with HMAC-SHA256 with nonce-based replay protection. This prevents spoofing of agent messages and replay attacks where a captured valid message is re-submitted.

NeuroNest is an agent-first IDE built on Electron for production development teams. It orchestrates 300+ specialized AI agents across 22+ divisions with a 9-stage AI pipeline, 13-layer security model, live code knowledge graph, local-first inference, and 50+ AI-powered features. No cloud dependency required.

How much does NeuroNest cost?

The Community edition is free forever and includes all 300+ AI agents, swarm orchestration, 11 AI providers, knowledge graph, 13-layer security model, all channels, skills and templates, recipes, session sharing, and local auth. Professional is $29/month and Enterprise offers custom pricing.

What operating systems does NeuroNest support?

NeuroNest currently runs on macOS 13 or later (Apple Silicon and Intel). It works fully offline with local-first inference so your data never leaves your workstation.

What makes NeuroNest different from other AI coding tools?

NeuroNest is purpose-built — not a VS Code fork. It ships with 300+ specialized agents across 22+ divisions, a 9-stage AI pipeline with ZERA Optimizer, a 13-layer security model, a 13-layer defense-in-depth security model, a live code graph, 11 AI providers (local and cloud), and 50+ production-grade features including Recipes, Subagents, OS Mode, P2P Session Sharing, Voice-to-Code, Adversary Reviewer, and more. Data never leaves your workstation.

What are the 13 agent departments in NeuroNest?

Engineering (16+), Design (8+), Marketing (8+), Product (6+), Project Management (6+), Testing (8+), Support (6+), Infrastructure (10+), Security (10+), DevOps (10+), Research (6+), Sales (8+), Finance (6+), Healthcare (6+), Game Development (8+), Academic (6+), GIS (4+), Spatial Computing (4+), Paid Media (6+), Data Science (8+), Software Delivery (8+), Optimization (4+), and more. Total: 300+ specialized agents across 22+ divisions.

What AI providers does NeuroNest support?

NeuroNest supports 11 AI providers. Cloud providers (API key auth): OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini, DeepSeek, Grok (xAI), Mistral, NVIDIA NIM, Groq. Local providers (no auth required): Ollama, llama.cpp, OpenMythos. You can route sensitive operations to local providers so data never leaves your machine.

Is NeuroNest open source?

NeuroNest is source-available, not open source. The source code is published on GitHub at github.com/NETGVai/NeuroNest under the Business Source License 1.1 (BUSL-1.1), which allows you to read, audit, and build with the code subject to the license's usage terms. The Community edition is free forever.

What are the 5 execution topologies in NeuroNest?

Sequential (agents work in a linear chain — design then implement then test), Star (a hub agent dispatches work to independent spoke agents), Hierarchy (a manager agent coordinates a pool of specialist workers), Mesh (agents communicate peer-to-peer with no central coordinator), and Hybrid (adaptive combination chosen automatically by the orchestrator at runtime).

How does the 13-layer security model work?

Layer 1: Firewall Engine — regex-based sanitization, prompt injection detection (100+ rules, 12 threat categories), secrets scanning, and policy enforcement under 1 ms. Layer 2: Enhanced Firewall — hybrid regex plus LLM semantic analysis for sophisticated attacks, 4 policy presets, PII redaction for 12 data types. Layer 3: Action Analyzer — pre-execution risk scoring for every shell command and file operation using 200+ risk signatures and ensemble worst-case scoring. Layer 4: Runtime Protection — DevTools detection, debugger-flag scanning, SHA-256 file integrity verification, environment anomaly detection, keyboard shortcut blocking. Layer 5: Secure Communication — HTTPS enforcement, TOFU certificate pinning, HMAC-SHA256 request signing, 5-minute replay protection window, macOS Keychain token storage. Layer 6: Native C++ Module — SHA-256, HMAC, AES-256-GCM compiled into a Node-API addon so crypto secrets never surface in JavaScript. Layer 7: Edit Lock — directory-scoped write restrictions so agents can only modify paths they have been explicitly granted access to.

What is the ZERA Optimizer?

ZERA Optimizer is NeuroNest's prompt enhancement layer that runs at Stage 2 of the 9-stage AI pipeline — between user input and the Orchestrator Planner. It improves instruction clarity, reduces ambiguity, and structures user intent before routing to the appropriate agent department.

What are Recipes in NeuroNest?

Recipes are portable YAML workflow configurations with {{variable}} template substitution. They let you save and share multi-step agent workflows. NeuroNest ships 4 built-in recipes: Code Review, API Builder, Security Audit, and Test Generator. Custom recipes can be created and shared via deeplink.

What productivity features does NeuroNest include?

NeuroNest includes a comprehensive feature catalog: Monaco Editor (100+ languages), Inline Code Completion, Embedded Browser with pinned tabs, Extension System (CSV/Markdown/JSON/Image viewers), Multi-Session Parallel Agents, Subagents, Recipes, OS Mode (screen capture), Voice-to-Code (Whisper), P2P Session Sharing (PIN-protected), Global Search, Git Integration (AI commit messages and worktrees), Context Loading (images/URLs/sticky notes), Decision Log, Plan Archive, File-Session Links, 6 built-in Themes, App Zoom, Configuration Profiles, Prompt Cache, and an 8-step Onboarding Walkthrough.

Can I build plugins for NeuroNest?

Yes. The NeuroNest Plugin SDK (planned) will let developers build custom tools, skills, and integrations using a TypeScript-first SDK. Plugins run locally within the same security sandbox as built-in agents and declare their required capabilities in a manifest.

How do I get access to the beta?

Download NeuroNest at neuronest.cc/download and enter a PQC invite code (format: PQC-XXXXXXXX-XXXXXXXX). Invite codes are derived using post-quantum cryptography (ML-KEM-768, ML-DSA-65, or SLH-DSA-SHAKE-128s). Request a code from an existing user or the NeuroNest team.

Is NeuroNest raising investment?

Yes. NeuroNest has a Series A open. Visit neuronest.cc/investors for the full investor deck covering the problem, solution, market opportunity ($50B+ AI developer tools market), traction, roadmap, team, and the ask.

NeuroNest Security Architecture — 13-Layer Defense-in-Depth

NeuroNest protects every AI agent action with thirteen independent security layers. No single point of failure. Defense in depth means each layer catches threats that the others miss.

The 13 Security Layers

Firewall Engine — 4-tier scanning: sanitization, prompt injection detection, secrets scanning, and policy enforcement.
Enhanced Firewall — Hybrid regex + semantic analysis with sophistication assessment and PII redaction.
Action Security Analyzer — Pre-execution risk classification (LOW/MEDIUM/HIGH) for shell commands and file operations.
Permission Pattern Engine — Declarative allow/deny patterns enabling zero-prompt unattended operation during loops.
Runtime Protection — Anti-tamper, anti-debug, and file integrity verification in production builds.
Secure Communication — HTTPS enforcement, certificate pinning, request signing, and replay protection.
Edit Lock Manager — Directory-scoped file edit restrictions with glob pattern enforcement.
Network Sandbox — Policy-based network access control with domain/IP/port allow/deny rules and 3 presets (permissive, standard, strict).
Path Traversal Guard — Validates all file paths against the project root; blocks symlink escapes and directory traversal.
Shell Injection Prevention — All subprocess execution uses argument arrays with no shell interpretation.
Dynamic Import Validation — Module imports restricted to an allowlist of permitted packages.
SQL Injection Prevention — Table name allowlist plus parameterized queries for all database access.
CSP Nonce-Based Script Control — Per-session cryptographic nonces replace unsafe-inline in the Content-Security-Policy.

Security Postures

Choose Strict (every tool call requires human approval), Auto (risk classifier escalates only high-risk calls), or Autonomous (no approval pauses except policy denials). Policy presets — Standard, Strict, Enterprise — can only be tightened, never loosened.

Local-First by Design

Source code is processed locally by default. Nothing is sent to NeuroNest servers. When cloud providers are configured, code goes only to that provider under their privacy policy. You can audit every agent action through the tamper-evident audit chain.

Prompt Injection Protection

NeuroNest firewall layers form the most comprehensive prompt injection defense available in any IDE: regex-tier detection catches known injection patterns in under 1 ms, while LLM semantic analysis catches novel injections that pattern matching cannot detect.