mlsanityData to 14 Oct 2026

Divide, Optimize, Merge: Fine-Grained LLM Agent Optimization at Scale

arXiv 2505.03973 ↗First posted 6 May 2025cs.CLcited by 3

On the map: LLM agents and tool use → General LLM agent frameworks and benchmarks

Abstract (arXiv)

LLM-based optimization has shown remarkable potential in enhancing agentic systems. However, the conventional approach of prompting LLM optimizer with the whole training trajectories on training dataset in a single pass becomes untenable as datasets grow, leading to context window overflow and degraded pattern recognition. To address these challenges, we propose Fine-Grained Optimization (FGO), a scalable framework that divides large optimization tasks into manageable subsets, performs targeted optimizations, and systematically combines optimized components through progressive merging. Evaluation across ALFWorld, LogisticsQA, and GAIA benchmarks demonstrate that FGO outperforms existing approaches by 1.6-8.6% while reducing average prompt token consumption by 56.3%. Our framework provides a practical solution for scaling up LLM-based optimization of increasingly sophisticated agent systems. Further analysis demonstrates that FGO achieves the most consistent performance gain in all training dataset sizes, showcasing its scalability and efficiency.

Key facts. Cited by 3 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026). Placed in General LLM agent frameworks and benchmarks, one of 16 directions in LLM agents and tool use. Builds on 45 of its 71 references that are in the map. First posted on arXiv 6 May 2025.

Builds on

45 of 71 references.

Closest ancestors · 6

Same direction, newest first

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  4. 2024AutoGuide: Automated Generation and Selection of Context-Aware Guidelines for Large Language Model Agents13 Mar
  5. 2024Offline Training of Language Model Agents with Functions as Learnable Weights17 Feb
  6. 2023ExpeL: LLM Agents Are Experiential Learners20 Aug

Other references · 39

  1. 2020Language Models are Few-Shot Learnerscited by 32,419
  2. 2022ReAct: Synergizing Reasoning and Acting in Language Modelscited by 8,695
  3. 2023Lost in the Middle: How Language Models Use Long Contextscited by 3,455
  4. 2023Self-Refine: Iterative Refinement with Self-Feedbackcited by 3,442
  5. 2023SWE-bench: Can Language Models Resolve Real-World GitHub Issues?cited by 3,373
  6. 2021Calibrate Before Use: Improving Few-Shot Performance of Language Modelscited by 1,392
  7. 2020ALFWorld: Aligning Text and Embodied Environments for Interactive Learningcited by 1,205
  8. 2021What Makes Good In-Context Examples for GPT-3?cited by 1,195
  9. 2024OSWorld: Benchmarking Multimodal Agents for Open-Ended Tasks in Real Computer Environmentscited by 1,195
  10. 2021Fantastically Ordered Prompts and Where to Find Them: Overcoming Few-Shot Prompt Order Sensitivitycited by 1,135
  11. 2023GAIA: a benchmark for General AI Assistantscited by 1,128
  12. 2022Large Language Models Are Human-Level Prompt Engineerscited by 1,045
27 more
  1. 2023DSPy: Compiling Declarative Language Model Calls into Self-Improving Pipelinescited by 832
  2. 2022A Survey on In-context Learningcited by 721
  3. 2024LongMemEval: Benchmarking Chat Assistants on Long-Term Interactive Memorycited by 707
  4. 2023Automatic Prompt Optimization with "Gradient Descent" and Beam Searchcited by 653
  5. 2024A Survey on the Memory Mechanism of Large Language Model based Agentscited by 634
  6. 2021MetaICL: Learning to Learn In Contextcited by 454
  7. 2024LongBench v2: Towards Deeper Understanding and Reasoning on Realistic Long-context Multitaskscited by 379
  8. 2024∞Bench: Extending Long Context Evaluation Beyond 100K Tokenscited by 367
  9. 2023Hard Prompts Made Easy: Gradient-Based Discrete Optimization for Prompt Tuning and Discoverycited by 336
  10. 2024Training Software Engineering Agents and Verifiers with SWE-Gymcited by 336
  11. 2023Large Language Models as Tool Makerscited by 303
  12. 2024Optimizing Instructions and Demonstrations for Multi-Stage Language Model Programscited by 291
  13. 2024Long-context LLMs Struggle with Long In-context Learningcited by 286
  14. 2025GUI-R1 : A Generalist R1-Style Vision-Language Action Model For GUI Agentscited by 244
  15. 2022Selective Annotation Makes Language Models Better Few-Shot Learnerscited by 243
  16. 2022Self-Adaptive In-Context Learning: An Information Compression Perspective for In-Context Example Selection and Orderingcited by 161
  17. 2023Self-Taught Optimizer (STOP): Recursively Self-Improving Code Generationcited by 148
  18. 2024InfiAgent-DABench: Evaluating Agents on Data Analysis Taskscited by 140
  19. 2025Mobile-Agent-E: Self-Evolving Mobile Assistant for Complex Taskscited by 131
  20. 2023CRAFT: Customizing LLMs by Creating and Retrieving from Specialized Toolsetscited by 129
  21. 2023Black-Box Prompt Optimization: Aligning Large Language Models without Model Trainingcited by 122
  22. 2023CREATOR: Tool Creation for Disentangling Abstract and Concrete Reasoning of Large Language Modelscited by 93
  23. 2024Agent-E: From Autonomous Web Navigation to Foundational Design Principles in Agentic Systemscited by 81
  24. 2024TroVE: Inducing Verifiable and Efficient Toolboxes for Solving Programmatic Taskscited by 75
  25. 2024Trace is the Next AutoDiff: Generative Optimization with Rich Feedback, Execution Traces, and LLMscited by 69
  26. 2024StateFlow: Enhancing LLM Task-Solving through State-Driven Workflowscited by 65
  27. 2024XL2Bench: A Benchmark for Extremely Long Context Understanding with Long-range Dependenciescited by 14

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Cited by year

Citing papers per year: 2025: 3.

3 papers.

Similar, not cited

Close in wording, no citation either way

  1. 2025A Survey on the Optimization of Large Language Model-based Agents
  2. 2025OPT-BENCH: Evaluating LLM Agent on Large-Scale Search Spaces Optimization Problems
  3. 2026FrontierOR: Benchmarking LLMs' Capacity for Efficient Algorithm Design in Large-Scale Optimization
  4. 2026MAS-PromptBench: When Does Prompt Optimization Improve Multi-Agent LLM Systems?
  5. 2026AlphaLab: Autonomous Multi-Agent Research Across Optimization Domains with Frontier LLMs
  6. 2026AgentHPOBench: A Benchmark For Evaluating LLM Agents as Sequential Hyperparameter Optimizers
  7. 2025ASAP: an Agentic Solution to Auto-optimize Performance of Large-Scale LLM Training
  8. 2026Learning to Construct Practical Agentic Systems