mlsanityData to 14 Oct 2026

TDD Governance for Multi-Agent Code Generation via Prompt Engineering

arXiv 2604.26615 ↗First posted 29 Apr 2026cs.SE cs.AIcited by 2

On the map: LLM agents and tool use → Software engineering coding agents

Abstract (arXiv)

Large language models (LLMs) accelerate software development but often exhibit instability, non-determinism, and weak adherence to development discipline in unconstrained workflows. While test-driven development (TDD) provides a structured Red-Green-Refactor process, existing LLM-based approaches typically use tests as auxiliary inputs rather than enforceable process constraints. We present an AI-native TDD framework that operationalizes classical TDD principles as structured prompt-level and workflow-level governance mechanisms. Extracted principles are formalized in a machine-readable manifesto and distributed across planning, generation, repair, and validation stages within a layered architecture that separates model proposal from deterministic engine authority. The system enforces phase ordering, bounded repair loops, validation gates, and atomic mutation control to improve stability and reproducibility. We describe architecture and discuss encoding software engineering discipline directly into prompt orchestration, which we think offers a promising direction for reliable LLM-assisted development.

Key facts. Cited by 2 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 9 of its 21 references that are in the map. First posted on arXiv 29 Apr 2026.

Builds on

9 of 21 references.

Closest ancestors · 3

Same direction, newest first

  1. 2025AI-Generated Code Is Not Reproducible (Yet): An Empirical Study of Dependency Gaps in LLM-Based Coding Agents26 Dec
  2. 2025A Survey on Code Generation with LLM-based Agents31 Jul
  3. 2025Vibe Coding vs. Agentic Coding: Fundamentals and Practical Implications of Agentic AI26 May

Other references · 6

  1. 2023Structured Chain-of-Thought Prompting for Code Generationcited by 138
  2. 2024LLM Hallucinations in Practical Code Generation: Phenomena, Mechanism, and Mitigationcited by 93
  3. 2024Test-Driven Development for Code Generationcited by 34
  4. 2025Which Prompting Technique Should I Use? An Empirical Investigation of Prompting Techniques for Software Engineering Taskscited by 9
  5. 2025Measuring Determinism in Large Language Models for Software Code Reviewcited by 6
  6. 2025Tests as Prompt: A Test-Driven-Development Benchmark for LLM Code Generationcited by 5

Built on by

Cited by year (2026 to 14 Oct)

Citing papers per year: 2026: 2.

2 papers.

Similar, not cited

Close in wording, no citation either way

  1. 2026TDD-Agent: Test-Driven Reasoning for Code Generation
  2. 2025TENET: One Step Toward Test-Driven Development for Repository-Level Code Generation
  3. 2026Test-Driven AI Agent Definition (TDAD): Compiling Tool-Using Agents from Behavioral Specifications
  4. 2026SDAD: Spec-Driven Agentic Development for the AI-Native SDLC
  5. 2026AI-Generated Smells: An Analysis of Code and Architecture in LLM and Agent-Driven Development
  6. 2026From Runnable to Shippable: Multi-Agent Test-Driven Development for Generating Full-Stack Web Applications from Requirements
  7. 2026How Generation Architecture Shapes Code Complexity in Multi-Agent LLM Systems: A Paired Study on HumanEval
  8. 2026Rethinking the Value of Agent-Generated Tests for LLM-Based Software Engineering Agents