# RepoAgent: An LLM-Powered Open-Source Framework for Repository-level Code Documentation Generation

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2402.16667 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2402.16667/

## Key facts

- Cited by 70 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 17 of its 42 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 26 Feb 2024.

## Builds on (most cited first, 17 of 17)

- [Attention Is All You Need](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1706.03762/) (2017)
- [BERT: Pre-training of Deep Bidirectional Transformers for Language Understanding](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1810.04805/) (2018)
- [Exploring the Limits of Transfer Learning with a Unified Text-to-Text Transformer](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1910.10683/) (2019)
- [Evaluating Large Language Models Trained on Code](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2107.03374/) (2021)
- [Code Llama: Open Foundation Models for Code](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2308.12950/) (2023)
- [ToolLLM: Facilitating Large Language Models to Master 16000+ Real-world APIs](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2307.16789/) (2023)
- [MetaGPT: Meta Programming for A Multi-Agent Collaborative Framework](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2308.00352/) (2023)
- [CodeGen: An Open Large Language Model for Code with Multi-Turn Program Synthesis](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2203.13474/) (2022)
- [StarCoder: may the source be with you!](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2305.06161/) (2023)
- [Tool Learning with Foundation Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2304.08354/) (2023)
- [A Convolutional Attention Network for Extreme Summarization of Source Code](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1602.03001/) (2016)
- [Lemur: Harmonizing Natural Language and Code for Language Agents](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2310.06830/) (2023)
- [Automatic Code Documentation Generation Using GPT-3](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2209.02235/) (2022)
- [ProAgent: From Robotic Process Automation to Agentic Process Automation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2311.10751/) (2023)
- [A Prompt Learning Framework for Source Code Summarization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2312.16066/) (2023)
- [Enhancing Open-Domain Task-Solving Capability of LLMs via Autonomous Tool Integration from GitHub](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2312.17294/) (2023)
- [gDoc: Automatic Generation of Structured API Documentation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2303.13041/) (2023)

## Built on by (most cited first, 30 of 70)

- [LiveCodeBench: Holistic and Contamination Free Evaluation of Large Language Models for Code](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2403.07974/) (2024)
- [UI-TARS-2 Technical Report: Advancing GUI Agent with Multi-Turn Reinforcement Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2509.02544/) (2025)
- [Large Language Model-Based Agents for Software Engineering: A Survey](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2409.02977/) (2024)
- [RetrievalAttention: Accelerating Long-Context LLM Inference via Vector Retrieval](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2409.10516/) (2024)
- [SWE-PolyBench: A multi-language benchmark for repository level evaluation of coding agents](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2504.08703/) (2025)
- [Paper2Code: Automating Code Generation from Scientific Papers in Machine Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2504.17192/) (2025)
- [CodexGraph: Bridging Large Language Models and Code Repositories via Code Graph Databases](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2408.03910/) (2024)
- [Lingma SWE-GPT: An Open Development-Process-Centric Language Model for Automated Software Improvement](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2411.00622/) (2024)
- [Alibaba LingmaAgent: Improving Automated Issue Resolution via Comprehensive Repository Exploration](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2406.01422/) (2024)
- [Long Code Arena: a Set of Benchmarks for Long-Context Code Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2406.11612/) (2024)
- [AgileCoder: Dynamic Collaborative Agents for Software Development based on Agile Methodology](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2406.11912/) (2024)
- [HelloBench: Evaluating Long Text Generation Capabilities of Large Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2409.16191/) (2024)
- [EnvBench: A Benchmark for Automated Environment Setup](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2503.14443/) (2025)
- [Can LLM Agents Simulate Multi-Turn Human Behavior? Evidence from Real Online Customer Behavior Data](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2503.20749/) (2025)
- [Code Graph Model (CGM): A Graph-Integrated Large Language Model for Repository-Level Software Engineering Tasks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2505.16901/) (2025)
- [Thinking Longer, Not Larger: Enhancing Software Engineering Agents via Scaling Test-Time Compute](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2503.23803/) (2025)
- [The Future of AI-Driven Software Engineering](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2406.07737/) (2024)
- [RepoMaster: Autonomous Exploration and Understanding of GitHub Repositories for Complex Task Solving](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2505.21577/) (2025)
- [Shop-R1: Rewarding LLMs to Simulate Human Behavior in Online Shopping via Reinforcement Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2507.17842/) (2025)
- [VersiCode: Towards Version-controllable Code Generation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2406.07411/) (2024)
- [From Code Foundation Models to Agents and Applications: A Comprehensive Survey and Practical Guide to Code Intelligence](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2511.18538/) (2025)
- [LiCoEval: Evaluating LLMs on License Compliance in Code Generation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2408.02487/) (2024)
- [AgentMaster: A Multi-Agent Conversational Framework Using A2A and MCP Protocols for Multimodal Information Retrieval and Analysis](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2507.21105/) (2025)
- [MatTools: Benchmarking Large Language Models for Materials Science Tools](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2505.10852/) (2025)
- [Agent-S: LLM Agentic workflow to automate Standard Operating Procedures](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2503.15520/) (2025)
- [LookaheadKV: Fast and Accurate KV Cache Eviction by Glimpsing into the Future without Generation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2603.10899/) (2026)
- [CLOVER: A Test Case Generation Benchmark with Coverage, Long-Context, and Verification](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2502.08806/) (2025)
- [CursorCore: Assist Programming through Aligning Anything](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2410.07002/) (2024)
- [AgentGroupChat: An Interactive Group Chat Simulacra For Better Eliciting Emergent Behavior](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2403.13433/) (2024)
- [Leveraging Large Language Models in Code Question Answering: Baselines and Issues](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2411.03012/) (2024)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Generative models have demonstrated considerable potential in software engineering, particularly in tasks such as code generation and debugging. However, their utilization in the domain of code documentation generation remains underexplored. To this end, we introduce RepoAgent, a large language model powered open-source framework aimed at proactively generating, maintaining, and updating code documentation. Through both qualitative and quantitative evaluations, we have validated the effectiveness of our approach, showing that RepoAgent excels in generating high-quality repository-level documentation. The code and results are publicly accessible at https://github.com/OpenBMB/RepoAgent.