# Toward Agentic Software Engineering Beyond Code: Framing Vision, Values, and Vocabulary

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.19692 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2510.19692/

## Key facts

- Cited by 4 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Placed in Software engineering coding agents, one of 16 directions in LLM agents and tool use.
- Builds on 11 of its 34 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 22 Oct 2025.

## Placed in

- LLM agents and tool use / [Software engineering coding agents](https://mlsanity.com/agents/software-engineering-coding-agents/)

## Builds on (most cited first, 11 of 11)

- [Large Language Models for Software Engineering: A Systematic Literature Review](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2308.10620/) (2023)
- [AI Agents vs. Agentic AI: A Conceptual Taxonomy, Applications and Challenges](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2505.10468/) (2025)
- [LLM-Based Multi-Agent Systems for Software Engineering: Literature Review, Vision and the Road Ahead](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2404.04834/) (2024)
- [Agents in Software Engineering: Survey, Landscape, and Vision](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2409.09030/) (2024)
- [Agentic Software Engineering: Foundational Pillars and a Research Roadmap](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2509.06216/) (2025)
- [Unified Software Engineering Agent as AI Software Engineer](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2506.14683/) (2025)
- [Empowering Agile-Based Generative Software Development through Human-AI Teamwork](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2407.15568/) (2024)
- [Agentic AI for Software: thoughts from Software Engineering community](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2508.17343/) (2025)
- [Software Engineering for Responsible AI: An Empirical Study and Operationalised Patterns](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2111.09478/) (2021)
- [Beyond the Personal Assistant: How Expectations for Enterprise AI in Teamwork Diverged as Generative AI Took Shape, 2023-2025](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2509.10956/) (2025)
- [Guiding Principles for Using Mixed Methods Research in Software Engineering](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2404.06011/) (2024)

## Built on by (most cited first, 4 of 4)

- [Security in the Age of AI Teammates: An Empirical Study of Agentic Pull Requests on GitHub](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2601.00477/) (2026)
- [Toward Agentic Software Project Management: A Vision and Roadmap](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2601.16392/) (2026)
- [Govern the Repository, Not the Agent: Measuring Ecosystem-Level Risk in AI-Native Software](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2606.28235/) (2026)
- [Spec-Driven Development for Agentic Software Engineering: Harnessing Human-Agent Teamwork](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2609.00252/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Agentic AI is poised to usher in a seismic paradigm shift in Software Engineering (SE). As technologists rush head-along to make agentic AI a reality, SE researchers are driven to establish agentic SE as a research area. While early visions of agentic SE are primarily focused on code-related activities, early empirical evidence calls for a consideration of a wider range of socio-technical activities and concerns to make it work in practice. This paper contributes to the emerging visions by: (a) recommending an expansion of its scope beyond code, toward a 'whole of process' vision, grounding it in SE foundations and evolution and emerging agentic SE frameworks, (b) proposing a preliminary set of values and principles to guide community efforts, and (c) sharing guidance on designing and using well-defined vocabulary for agentic SE. It is hoped that these ideas will encourage collaborations and steer the SE community toward laying strong foundations of agentic SE so it is not limited to enabling coding acceleration but becomes the next process-level paradigm shift.