# EPOCH: An Agentic Protocol for Multi-Round System Optimization

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.09049 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2603.09049/

## Key facts

- Cited by 1 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 10 of its 14 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 10 Mar 2026.

## Placed in

- LLM agents and tool use / [General LLM agent frameworks and benchmarks](https://mlsanity.com/agents/general-llm-agent-frameworks-and-benchmarks/)

## Builds on (most cited first, 10 of 10)

- [MobileNetV2: Inverted Residuals and Linear Bottlenecks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1801.04381/) (2018)
- [SWE-agent: Agent-Computer Interfaces Enable Automated Software Engineering](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2405.15793/) (2024)
- [DSPy: Compiling Declarative Language Model Calls into Self-Improving Pipelines](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2310.03714/) (2023)
- [Plan-and-Solve Prompting: Improving Zero-Shot Chain-of-Thought Reasoning by Large Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2305.04091/) (2023)
- [Promptbreeder: Self-Referential Self-Improvement Via Prompt Evolution](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2309.16797/) (2023)
- [GEPA: Reflective Prompt Evolution Can Outperform Reinforcement Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2507.19457/) (2025)
- [RepairAgent: An Autonomous, LLM-Based Agent for Program Repair](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2403.17134/) (2024)
- [Large Language Model Agent for Hyper-Parameter Optimization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2402.01881/) (2024)
- [Production Machine Learning Pipelines: Empirical Analysis and Optimization Opportunities](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2103.16007/) (2021)
- [More Rigorous Software Engineering Would Improve Reproducibility in Machine Learning Research](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2502.00902/) (2025)

## Built on by (most cited first, 1 of 1)

- [Think Before You Grid-Search: Floor-First Triage for LLM Serving](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2607.05876/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Autonomous agents are increasingly used to improve prompts, code, and machine learning systems through iterative execution and feedback. Yet existing approaches are usually designed as task-specific optimization loops rather than as a unified protocol for establishing baselines and managing tracked multi-round self-improvement. We introduce EPOCH, an engineering protocol for multi-round system optimization in heterogeneous environments. EPOCH organizes optimization into two phases: baseline construction and iterative self-improvement. It further structures each round through role-constrained stages that separate planning, implementation, and evaluation, and standardizes execution through canonical command interfaces and round-level tracking. This design enables coordinated optimization across prompts, model configurations, code, and rule-based components while preserving stability, reproducibility, traceability, and integrity of evaluation. Empirical studies in various tasks illustrate the practicality of EPOCH for production-oriented autonomous improvement workflows.