mlsanityData to 7 Oct 2026

From Trainee to Trainer: LLM-Designed Training Environment for RL with Multi-Agent Reasoning

arXiv 2606.17682 ↗First posted 16 Jun 2026cs.CLcited by 5

On the map: LLM reasoning → Reinforcement learning for reasoning

also in 1 more
Abstract (arXiv)

Reinforcement learning pipelines for Large Language Model (LLM) training often rely on manually redesigned environments between stages, requiring practitioners to heuristically infer which configuration will best improve the current policy. To automate this process, we propose the LLM-as-Environment-Engineer framework in which the current policy model analyzes failure trajectories together with contextual information and proposes modifications to the next-stage training environment configuration. We also introduce MAPF-FrozenLake, a controllable testbed whose generator exposes multi-dimensional environment configurations, making it suitable for studying and benchmarking environment redesign. On this testbed, we condition the environment engineer on structured summaries of policy behavior, failure cases, and environment statistics, from which it produces the configuration for the next training stage. With Qwen3-4B as the backbone, our framework achieves the strongest aggregate performance on our benchmarks, outperforming larger proprietary LLMs (e.g., GPT, Gemini) and fixed-environment training baselines. We further analyze which forms of context are most effective, finding that successful environment updates rely on failure evidence and preserve configurations that already work. Interestingly, the current RL checkpoint serves as a better environment engineer than the original base model, suggesting that policy learning improves the model's ability to diagnose its remaining weaknesses.

Key facts. Cited by 5 papers in the map (data through 7 Oct 2026). Placed in Reinforcement learning for reasoning, one of 17 directions in LLM reasoning. Builds on 24 of its 27 references that are in the map. First posted on arXiv 16 Jun 2026.

Builds on

24 of 27 references.

Closest ancestors · 6

Same direction, newest first

  1. 2025Beyond Pass@1: Self-Play with Variational Problem Synthesis Sustains RLVR19 Aug
  2. 2025SeRL: Self-Play Reinforcement Learning for Large Language Models with Limited Data25 May
  3. 2025Online Difficulty Filtering for Reasoning Oriented Reinforcement Learning4 Apr
  4. 2025SimpleRL-Zoo: Investigating and Taming Zero Reinforcement Learning for Open Base Models in the Wild24 Mar
  5. 2025Logic-RL: Unleashing LLM Reasoning with Rule-Based Reinforcement Learning20 Feb
  6. 2025Kimi k1.5: Scaling Reinforcement Learning with LLMs22 Jan

Other references · 18

  1. 2025Qwen3 Technical Reportcited by 8,195
  2. 2023WebArena: A Realistic Web Environment for Building Autonomous Agentscited by 1,908
  3. 2020ALFWorld: Aligning Text and Embodied Environments for Interactive Learningcited by 1,143
  4. 2025OpenAI GPT-5 System Cardcited by 910
  5. 2024Self-Rewarding Language Modelscited by 654
  6. 2026Kimi K2.5: Visual Agentic Intelligencecited by 449
  7. 2017Automatic Goal Generation for Reinforcement Learning Agentscited by 252
  8. 2017Automated Curriculum Learning for Neural Networkscited by 251
  9. 2025R-Zero: Self-Evolving Reasoning LLM from Zero Datacited by 210
  10. 2020Automatic Curriculum Learning through Value Disagreementcited by 86
  11. 2025Self-Challenging Language Model Agentscited by 56
  12. 2025Self-Questioning Language Modelscited by 47
6 more
  1. 2022Curriculum Reinforcement Learning using Optimal Transport via Gradual Domain Adaptationcited by 28
  2. 2022CLUTR: Curriculum Learning via Unsupervised Task Representation Learningcited by 19
  3. 2025AutoEnv: Automated Environments for Measuring Cross-Environment Agent Learningcited by 18
  4. 2022Understanding the Complexity Gains of Single-Task RL with a Curriculumcited by 16
  5. 2023Variational Curriculum Reinforcement Learning for Unsupervised Discovery of Skillscited by 8
  6. 2025Mutual-Taught for Co-adapting Policy and Reward Modelscited by 3

Built on by

Cited by year (2026 to 7 Oct)

Citing papers per year: 2026: 5.

5 papers.

Similar, not cited

Close in wording, no citation either way

  1. 2025RLVE: Scaling Up Reinforcement Learning for Language Models with Adaptive Verifiable Environments
  2. 2023Large Language Model as a Policy Teacher for Training Reinforcement Learning Agents
  3. 2026State2State: Environment-Derived Mid-Training for LLM Agents
  4. 2026Connect the Dots: Training LLMs for Long-Lifecycle Agents with Cross-Domain Generalization Via Reinforcement Learning
  5. 2026Generate, Filter, Control, Replay: A Comprehensive Survey of Rollout Strategies for LLM Reinforcement Learning
  6. 2025Test-Time Adaptation for LLM Agents via Environment Interaction
  7. 2024EnvGen: Generating and Adapting Environments via LLMs for Training Embodied Agents
  8. 2025Feedback-Driven Tool-Use Improvements in Large Language Models via Automated Build Environments