# Pomona: Continuous Code Quality Improvement via Small, Agentic Pull Requests at Bloomberg

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2606.06752 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2606.06752/

## Key facts

- No citing papers in the map yet (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Placed in Software engineering coding agents, one of 16 directions in LLM agents and tool use.
- Builds on 14 of its 19 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 4 Jun 2026.

## Placed in

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

## Builds on (most cited first, 14 of 14)

- [SWE-agent: Agent-Computer Interfaces Enable Automated Software Engineering](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2405.15793/) (2024)
- [OpenHands: An Open Platform for AI Software Developers as Generalist Agents](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2407.16741/) (2024)
- [SkillsBench: Benchmarking How Well Agent Skills Work Across Diverse Tasks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2602.12670/) (2026)
- [The Impact of AI on Developer Productivity: Evidence from GitHub Copilot](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2302.06590/) (2023)
- [EvoSkill: Automated Skill Discovery for Multi-Agent Systems](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2603.02766/) (2026)
- [Agent Skills in the Wild: An Empirical Study of Security Vulnerabilities at Scale](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2601.10338/) (2026)
- [Measuring the Impact of Early-2025 AI on Experienced Open-Source Developer Productivity](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2507.09089/) (2025)
- [SWE-Skills-Bench: Do Agent Skills Actually Help in Real-World Software Engineering?](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2603.15401/) (2026)
- [SpecRover: Code Intent Extraction via LLMs](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2408.02232/) (2024)
- [SkillNet: Create, Evaluate, and Connect AI Skills](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2603.04448/) (2026)
- ["Do Not Mention This to the User": Detecting and Understanding Malicious Agent Skills in the Wild](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2602.06547/) (2026)
- [Speed at the Cost of Quality: How Cursor AI Increases Short-Term Velocity and Long-Term Complexity in Open-Source Projects](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2511.04427/) (2025)
- [SkillMOO: Multi-Objective Optimization of Agent Skills for Software Engineering](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2604.09297/) (2026)
- [User-Centric Deployment of Automated Program Repair at Bloomberg](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2311.10516/) (2023)

## Abstract (arXiv)

In this industrial experience paper, we present Pomona, a lightweight agentic tool that utilises agent skills for continuous code quality improvement. Inspired by the Kaizen (TM) philosophy, Pomona automates a cycle of discovery and incremental repair: a Scanning skill identifies tasks and prioritises them in a backlog, while a Repair skill generates small, easily reviewable pull requests (PRs). This design enables frequent, low-risk improvements while maintaining engineer trust and reducing technical debt. We evaluated Pomona at Bloomberg through a three-month team deployment and a questionnaire distributed to senior engineers. The results are promising: 32/39 PRs (82.1%) were merged with a median time-to-close of just over two hours. Moreover, 10/12 surveyed engineers expressed a desire to adopt Pomona, praising its small diff sizes and focus on code quality. Since our evaluation, another team has adopted Pomona. We conclude with actionable insights for deploying agents in industry.