# ShapeX: Shapelet-Driven Post Hoc Explanations for Time Series Classification Models

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.20084 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2510.20084/

## Key facts

- Cited by 3 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 34 of its 61 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 23 Oct 2025.

## Builds on (most cited first, 30 of 34)

- [Attention Is All You Need](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1706.03762/) (2017)
- [Grad-CAM: Visual Explanations from Deep Networks via Gradient-based Localization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1610.02391/) (2016)
- [A Unified Approach to Interpreting Model Predictions](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1705.07874/) (2017)
- ["Why Should I Trust You?": Explaining the Predictions of Any Classifier](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1602.04938/) (2016)
- [Axiomatic Attribution for Deep Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1703.01365/) (2017)
- [A Time Series is Worth 64 Words: Long-term Forecasting with Transformers](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2211.14730/) (2022)
- [Shortcut Learning in Deep Neural Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2004.07780/) (2020)
- [Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI): Concepts, Taxonomies, Opportunities and Challenges toward Responsible AI](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1910.10045/) (2019)
- [This Looks Like That: Deep Learning for Interpretable Image Recognition](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1806.10574/) (2018)
- [Towards Robust Interpretability with Self-Explaining Neural Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1806.07538/) (2018)
- [Deep Neural Networks and Tabular Data: A Survey](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2110.01889/) (2021)
- [The UCR Time Series Archive](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1810.07758/) (2018)
- [D2-Net: A Trainable CNN for Joint Detection and Description of Local Features](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1905.03561/) (2019)
- [Benchmarking Deep Learning Interpretability in Time Series Predictions](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2010.13924/) (2020)
- [Attention in Natural Language Processing](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1902.02181/) (2019)
- [Multi-Scale Convolutional Neural Networks for Time Series Classification](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1603.06995/) (2016)
- [MultiRocket: Multiple pooling operators and transformations for fast and effective time series classification](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2102.00457/) (2021)
- [U-Time: A Fully Convolutional Network for Time Series Segmentation Applied to Sleep Staging](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1910.11162/) (2019)
- [Explaining Time Series Predictions with Dynamic Masks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2106.05303/) (2021)
- [Improving Deep Learning Interpretability by Saliency Guided Training](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2111.14338/) (2021)
- [Deep Learning for Time Series Classification and Extrinsic Regression: A Current Survey](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2302.02515/) (2023)
- [Interpretable Image Recognition with Hierarchical Prototypes](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1906.10651/) (2019)
- [Encoding Time-Series Explanations through Self-Supervised Model Behavior Consistency](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2306.02109/) (2023)
- [TimeX++: Learning Time-Series Explanations with Information Bottleneck](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2405.09308/) (2024)
- [Temporal Dependencies in Feature Importance for Time Series Predictions](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2107.14317/) (2021)
- [WindowSHAP: An Efficient Framework for Explaining Time-series Classifiers based on Shapley Values](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2211.06507/) (2022)
- [Shap-CAM: Visual Explanations for Convolutional Neural Networks based on Shapley Value](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2208.03608/) (2022)
- [Inherently Interpretable Time Series Classification via Multiple Instance Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2311.10049/) (2023)
- [Explaining Time Series via Contrastive and Locally Sparse Perturbations](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2401.08552/) (2024)
- [CoRTX: Contrastive Framework for Real-time Explanation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2303.02794/) (2023)

## Built on by (most cited first, 3 of 3)

- [TimeOmni-VL: Unified Models for Time Series Understanding and Generation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2602.17149/) (2026)
- [Time Series Reasoning via Process-Verifiable Thinking Data Synthesis and Scheduling for Tailored LLM Reasoning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2602.07830/) (2026)
- [Exposing Vulnerabilities in Explanation for Time Series Classifiers via Dual-Target Attacks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2602.02763/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Explaining time series classification models is crucial, particularly in high-stakes applications such as healthcare and finance, where transparency and trust play a critical role. Although numerous time series classification methods have identified key subsequences, known as shapelets, as core features for achieving state-of-the-art performance and validating their pivotal role in classification outcomes, existing post-hoc time series explanation (PHTSE) methods primarily focus on timestep-level feature attribution. These explanation methods overlook the fundamental prior that classification outcomes are predominantly driven by key shapelets. To bridge this gap, we present ShapeX, an innovative framework that segments time series into meaningful shapelet-driven segments and employs Shapley values to assess their saliency. At the core of ShapeX lies the Shapelet Describe-and-Detect (SDD) framework, which effectively learns a diverse set of shapelets essential for classification. We further demonstrate that ShapeX produces explanations which reveal causal relationships instead of just correlations, owing to the atomicity properties of shapelets. Experimental results on both synthetic and real-world datasets demonstrate that ShapeX outperforms existing methods in identifying the most relevant subsequences, enhancing both the precision and causal fidelity of time series explanations.