mlsanityData to 7 Oct 2026

RoTBench: A Multi-Level Benchmark for Evaluating the Robustness of Large Language Models in Tool Learning

arXiv 2401.08326 ↗First posted 16 Jan 2024cs.CL cs.AIcited by 45

On the map: LLM agents and tool use → Tool learning and function calling

Abstract (arXiv)

Tool learning has generated widespread interest as a vital means of interaction between Large Language Models (LLMs) and the physical world. Current research predominantly emphasizes LLMs' capacity to utilize tools in well-structured environments while overlooking their stability when confronted with the inevitable noise of the real world. To bridge this gap, we introduce RoTBench, a multi-level benchmark for evaluating the robustness of LLMs in tool learning. Specifically, we establish five external environments, each featuring varying levels of noise (i.e., Clean, Slight, Medium, Heavy, and Union), providing an in-depth analysis of the model's resilience across three critical phases: tool selection, parameter identification, and content filling. Experiments involving six widely-used models underscore the urgent necessity for enhancing the robustness of LLMs in tool learning. For instance, the performance of GPT-4 even drops significantly from 80.00 to 58.10 when there is no substantial change in manual accuracy. More surprisingly, the noise correction capability inherent in the GPT family paradoxically impedes its adaptability in the face of mild noise. In light of these findings, we propose RoTTuning, a strategy that enriches the diversity of training environments to bolster the robustness of LLMs in tool learning. The code and data are available at https://github.com/Junjie-Ye/RoTBench.

Key facts. Cited by 45 papers in the map (data through 7 Oct 2026). Placed in Tool learning and function calling, one of 16 directions in LLM agents and tool use. Builds on 21 of its 34 references that are in the map. First posted on arXiv 16 Jan 2024.

Builds on

21 of 34 references.

Closest ancestors · 7

Same direction, newest first

  1. 2023MetaTool Benchmark for Large Language Models: Deciding Whether to Use Tools and Which to Use4 Oct
  2. 2023ToolLLM: Facilitating Large Language Models to Master 16000+ Real-world APIs31 Jul
  3. 2023ToolQA: A Dataset for LLM Question Answering with External Tools23 Jun
  4. 2023ToolAlpaca: Generalized Tool Learning for Language Models with 3000 Simulated Cases8 Jun
  5. 2023ToolkenGPT: Augmenting Frozen Language Models with Massive Tools via Tool Embeddings19 May
  6. 2023Tool Learning with Foundation Models17 Apr
  7. 2023Toolformer: Language Models Can Teach Themselves to Use Tools9 Feb

Other references · 14

  1. 2020Language Models are Few-Shot Learnerscited by 32,199
  2. 2023LLaMA: Open and Efficient Foundation Language Modelscited by 13,958
  3. 2023Llama 2: Open Foundation and Fine-Tuned Chat Modelscited by 12,865
  4. 2022ReAct: Synergizing Reasoning and Acting in Language Modelscited by 8,355
  5. 2022Constitutional AI: Harmlessness from AI Feedbackcited by 2,950
  6. 2022Self-Instruct: Aligning Language Models with Self-Generated Instructionscited by 2,674
  7. 2023Extending Context Window of Large Language Models via Positional Interpolationcited by 721
  8. 2023AgentTuning: Enabling Generalized Agent Abilities for LLMscited by 319
  9. 2023A Comprehensive Capability Analysis of GPT-3 and GPT-3.5 Series Modelscited by 244
  10. 2023On the Robustness of ChatGPT: An Adversarial and Out-of-distribution Perspectivecited by 208
  11. 2023Foundation Models for Decision Making: Problems, Methods, and Opportunitiescited by 160
  12. 2023How Robust is GPT-3.5 to Predecessors? A Comprehensive Study on Language Understanding Taskscited by 58
2 more
  1. 2023Improving the Robustness of Summarization Systems with Dual Augmentationcited by 9
  2. 2023DemoNSF: A Multi-task Demonstration-based Generative Framework for Noisy Slot Filling Taskcited by 5

Built on by

Cited by year (2026 to 7 Oct)

Citing papers per year: 2024: 7; 2025: 19; 2026: 19.

45 papers.

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  1. 2024Tool Learning with Large Language Models: A Surveycited by 221
  2. 2024ToolSword: Unveiling Safety Issues of Large Language Models in Tool Learning Across Three Stagescited by 77
  3. 2025ToolHop: A Query-Driven Benchmark for Evaluating Large Language Models in Multi-Hop Tool Usecited by 48
  4. 2025Retrieval Models Aren't Tool-Savvy: Benchmarking Tool Retrieval for Large Language Modelscited by 46
  5. 2024Speech-Copilot: Leveraging Large Language Models for Speech Processing via Task Decomposition, Modularization, and Program Generationcited by 27
  6. 2025reWordBench: Benchmarking and Improving the Robustness of Reward Models with Transformed Inputscited by 25
  7. 2025CRITICTOOL: Evaluating Self-Critique Capabilities of Large Language Models in Tool-Calling Error Scenarioscited by 19
  8. 2025Feedback-Driven Tool-Use Improvements in Large Language Models via Automated Build Environmentscited by 19
  9. 2025On the Robustness of Agentic Function Callingcited by 17
  10. 2024ElecBench: a Power Dispatch Evaluation Benchmark for Large Language Modelscited by 12
  11. 2026VLM-RobustBench: A Comprehensive Benchmark for Robustness of Vision-Language Modelscited by 12
  12. 2024TL-Training: A Task-Feature-Based Framework for Training Large Language Models in Tool Usecited by 11
33 more
  1. 2026The Evolution of Tool Use in LLM Agents: From Single-Tool Call to Multi-Tool Orchestrationcited by 11
  2. 2025GenTool: Enhancing Tool Generalization in Language Models through Zero-to-One and Weak-to-Strong Simulationcited by 9
  3. 2024Can Tool-augmented Large Language Models be Aware of Incomplete Conditions?cited by 8
  4. 2025Impatient Users Confuse AI Agents: High-fidelity Simulations of Human Traits for Testing Agentscited by 8
  5. 2026SOK: A Taxonomy of Attack Vectors and Defense Strategies for Agentic Supply Chain Runtimecited by 8
  6. 2025Trustworthy Medical Question Answering: An Evaluation-Centric Surveycited by 7
  7. 2025Analyzing the Effects of Supervised Fine-Tuning on Model Knowledge from Token and Parameter Levelscited by 7
  8. 2025ToolSpectrum : Towards Personalized Tool Utilization for Large Language Modelscited by 6
  9. 2025DICE-BENCH: Evaluating the Tool-Use Capabilities of Large Language Models in Multi-Round, Multi-Party Dialoguescited by 6
  10. 2025Don't Adapt Small Language Models for Tools; Adapt Tool Schemas to the Modelscited by 6
  11. 2025FamilyTool: A Multi-hop Personalized Tool Use Benchmarkcited by 5
  12. 2026When Simulation Lies: A Sim-to-Real Benchmark and Domain-Randomized RL Recipe for Tool-Use Agentscited by 5
  13. 2024What Affects the Stability of Tool Learning? An Empirical Study on the Robustness of Tool Learning Frameworkscited by 4
  14. 2026MME-CoF-Pro: Evaluating Reasoning Coherence in Video Generative Models with Text and Visual Hintscited by 4
  15. 2025PEToolLLM: Towards Personalized Tool Learning in Large Language Modelscited by 3
  16. 2026FinToolSyn: A forward synthesis Framework for Financial Tool-Use Dialogue Data with Dynamic Tool Retrievalcited by 3
  17. 2026Can Agents Generalize to the Open World? Unveiling the Fragility of Static Training in Tool Usecited by 3
  18. 2025LLMEval-Fair: A Large-Scale Longitudinal Study on Robust and Fair Evaluation of Large Language Modelscited by 2
  19. 2025Tool-RoCo: An Agent-as-Tool Self-organization Large Language Model Benchmark in Multi-robot Cooperationcited by 2
  20. 2026Agentic Tool Use in Large Language Modelscited by 2
  21. 2026DART-SD: Diamond-topology Aware Retrieval and Tuning for Self-Distillation of Multi-Turn Tool-Calling Agentscited by 2
  22. 2026ToolRobustBench: Stage-Wise Perturbation Evaluation and Failure Diagnosis for Tool-Calling Agentscited by 2
  23. 2025RRTL: Red Teaming Reasoning Large Language Models in Tool Learningcited by 1
  24. 2026Enhancing Tool Calling in LLMs with the International Tool Calling Datasetcited by 1
  25. 2026Are Android GUI Agents Robust Against Runtime Anomalies? AnTrap: Evaluating Agents in Dynamic Adversarial Environmentscited by 1
  26. 2025OR-Toolformer: Modeling and Solving Operations Research Problems with Tool Augmented Large Language Modelscited by 0
  27. 2026When a Zero-Shooter Cheats: Improving Age Estimation via Activation Steeringcited by 0
  28. 2026Cross-View Correspondence Is a Measurement Intervention: Two-Sided Validation for Agent Evaluation and Credit Assignmentcited by 0
  29. 2026Invocation-Level Reliability of Tool-Using Agentscited by 0
  30. 2026BlueprintAgent: Constraint-Triggered Targeted Revisits for Simulation-Ready Generation from Scanned Structural Blueprintscited by 0
  31. 2026When Does Action Credit Need Updating?cited by 0
  32. 2026Action-Space Shaping for LLM Agents: Measuring and Mitigating Tool-Schema Biascited by 0
  33. 2026AdviSD: Learning to Advise Frontier LLMs via Targeted Multi-Turn Self-Distillationcited by 0

Similar, not cited

Close in wording, no citation either way

  1. 2024ToolEyes: Fine-Grained Evaluation for Tool Learning Capabilities of Large Language Models in Real-world Scenarios
  2. 2025ToolACE-R: Model-aware Iterative Training and Adaptive Refinement for Tool Learning
  3. 2024Learning Evolving Tools for Large Language Models
  4. 2024StableToolBench: Towards Stable Large-Scale Benchmarking on Tool Learning of Large Language Models
  5. 2025ToLeaP: Rethinking Development of Tool Learning with Large Language Models
  6. 2025ToolACE-DEV: Self-Improving Tool Learning via Decomposition and EVolution
  7. 2025Enhancing Tool Learning in Large Language Models with Hierarchical Error Checklists
  8. 2025Alignment for Efficient Tool Calling of Large Language Models