Building a Scenario

The Scenario Editor is where you create and configure scenario definitions. You specify which plugins participate and supply the configuration parameters each plugin needs before it can initialize.

Open the editor by clicking New Scenario in the navigation bar, or Edit on an existing definition from the Dashboard.

Screenshot placeholder: Scenario Editor with a name entered and two plugins added, one configured and one not.

Naming Your Scenario

The first field is the scenario name. This is required — autosave will not begin until the name is filled in.

Below the name is an optional description field. Use this to record the purpose of the scenario, expected outcomes, or any context that will be useful when you or a colleague returns to this definition later.

Adding Plugins

Click Add Plugin to open the plugin selection dialog. It shows all plugins currently online (registered with Core).

Screenshot placeholder: Add Plugin modal showing a list of available plugins with names, versions, and descriptions.

Each plugin entry shows:

  • Plugin name and version
  • Description
  • Any capability names the plugin declares (shown as small badges)
  • An Add button (disabled and labeled "Added" if the plugin is already in the draft)

Use the search box to filter by name, description, or plugin ID. Click Add to include the plugin in your scenario.

Plugins that go offline after being added to a draft are shown with an offline badge in the editor. They can still be configured, but they must be online when you start the run or the run won't be able to fully initialize.

Configuring Plugins

After adding plugins, each one must be configured before you can start a run. The editor shows each plugin card with a configured or not configured badge.

Click the Configure button on a plugin card to open its configuration dialog. NeuroSim supports two configuration styles depending on how the plugin was built:

Schema-based configuration

Most plugins declare a JSON Schema that describes their configuration parameters. NeuroSim renders this as a form with appropriate input fields — text boxes, numbers, dropdowns, checkboxes, and arrays.

Fill in the fields and click Save. The plugin card will update to show configured.

Screenshot placeholder: Plugin configuration form showing a schema-based form with several fields.

Plugin-provided configuration UI

Some plugins provide their own embedded configuration interface (an HTML page loaded in an iframe). These plugins handle their own configuration submission directly.

A note in the dialog will tell you when this applies. Complete the plugin's form and click Done to close the dialog.

Autosave

The editor autosaves your work continuously. After you enter a name and add at least one plugin, changes are saved to the database automatically with a short delay after each edit. The status text in the header shows Saving…, Saved, or Autosave failed.

You do not need to manually save. If you navigate away, your definition is already persisted.

Forking locked definitions: If you open a definition that already has runs (a locked definition), you are editing a fork. Autosave will attempt to update the original; if that is blocked by the lock, it silently creates a new definition with your changes instead. The new definition appears on the Dashboard as a separate unlocked entry.

Removing Plugins

Click the trash icon on a plugin card to remove it from the draft. This only affects the current draft — it does not affect any completed runs.

Starting a Run

When you are ready, click Start Run. This button is enabled only when:

  • The scenario has a name
  • At least one plugin has been added
  • The draft is not currently saving

Clicking Start Run opens a confirmation dialog before anything happens.

Screenshot placeholder: Start Run confirmation modal showing plugin readiness checklist.

The confirmation dialog shows a readiness checklist for each plugin:

  • Green checkmark — plugin is online and configured
  • Red X — plugin is offline or not configured

If all plugins are online and configured, the Start Run button in the dialog is enabled and the run will proceed with all plugins.

If some plugins are offline, an amber warning explains that those plugins will be excluded and the run may start in a partial state. You can still start in this condition if you accept the degraded configuration.

Click Start Run in the dialog to begin. You will be taken to the Run Initialization screen.

Canceling

Click Cancel or the ← Back button to return to the Dashboard without starting a run. Your definition is already saved if autosave has run at least once.