# AhaBench: Do Agents Turn Experience into Reusable Insights? A Long-Horizon Benchmark for Continual Learning

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.05435 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2609.05435/

## Key facts

- No citing papers in the map yet (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 54 of its 62 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 30 Jun 2026.

## Builds on (most cited first, 30 of 54)

- [Language Models are Few-Shot Learners](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2005.14165/) (2020)
- [Chain-of-Thought Prompting Elicits Reasoning in Large Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2201.11903/) (2022)
- [Training Verifiers to Solve Math Word Problems](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2110.14168/) (2021)
- [ReAct: Synergizing Reasoning and Acting in Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2210.03629/) (2022)
- [Evaluating Large Language Models Trained on Code](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2107.03374/) (2021)
- [Measuring Massive Multitask Language Understanding](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2009.03300/) (2020)
- [Self-Consistency Improves Chain of Thought Reasoning in Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2203.11171/) (2022)
- [Measuring Mathematical Problem Solving With the MATH Dataset](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2103.03874/) (2021)
- [Model-Agnostic Meta-Learning for Fast Adaptation of Deep Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1703.03400/) (2017)
- [Overcoming catastrophic forgetting in neural networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1612.00796/) (2016)
- [Reflexion: Language Agents with Verbal Reinforcement Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2303.11366/) (2023)
- [Toolformer: Language Models Can Teach Themselves to Use Tools](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2302.04761/) (2023)
- [Generative Agents: Interactive Simulacra of Human Behavior](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2304.03442/) (2023)
- [Self-Refine: Iterative Refinement with Self-Feedback](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2303.17651/) (2023)
- [SWE-bench: Can Language Models Resolve Real-World GitHub Issues?](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2310.06770/) (2023)
- [Tree of Thoughts: Deliberate Problem Solving with Large Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2305.10601/) (2023)
- [Prototypical Networks for Few-shot Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1703.05175/) (2017)
- [iCaRL: Incremental Classifier and Representation Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1611.07725/) (2016)
- [Matching Networks for One Shot Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1606.04080/) (2016)
- [WebArena: A Realistic Web Environment for Building Autonomous Agents](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2307.13854/) (2023)
- [Beyond the Imitation Game: Quantifying and extrapolating the capabilities of language models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2206.04615/) (2022)
- [ToolLLM: Facilitating Large Language Models to Master 16000+ Real-world APIs](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2307.16789/) (2023)
- [Gradient Episodic Memory for Continual Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1706.08840/) (2017)
- [Challenging BIG-Bench Tasks and Whether Chain-of-Thought Can Solve Them](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2210.09261/) (2022)
- [WebGPT: Browser-assisted question-answering with human feedback](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2112.09332/) (2021)
- [Rethinking the Role of Demonstrations: What Makes In-Context Learning Work?](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2202.12837/) (2022)
- [τ-bench: A Benchmark for Tool-Agent-User Interaction in Real-World Domains](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2406.12045/) (2024)
- [Solving Quantitative Reasoning Problems with Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2206.14858/) (2022)
- [MemGPT: Towards LLMs as Operating Systems](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2310.08560/) (2023)
- [Progressive Neural Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1606.04671/) (2016)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Can language agents continually learn from experience, turning earlier interactions into reusable capabilities? AhaBench evaluates this ability through exploration after solved hidden-state puzzles, computational transfer after mathematical teaching, and sustained business operation under delayed feedback. The benchmark is agnostic to how an agent learns; the evaluated agents use fixed model weights. Curriculum profiles, teaching contrasts, and daily trajectories reveal a common challenge: using explicit guidance is more reliable than generalizing beyond it or sustaining useful behavior. Across the Puzzle panel, the advantage over matched cold targets is 36.0-53.5 points greater with trace support than at the trace-free endpoint; Qwen 3.6 Plus nevertheless retains a +12.57-point post-curriculum gain. In Euler, worked procedures yield 80.0-100.0% held-out accuracy across models, while question-plus-answer teaching yields 0.0-73.9%. Vending trajectories separate sustained profit, late recovery, and incomplete operation: Doubao Seed 2.0 Pro finishes nominal operation at +495 but averages -10 over the year. Together, these results make continual learning an operational target: experience should yield capabilities that remain effective as guidance, inputs, and business states change. We release tasks, validators, a simulator, records, and analyses for developing agents that turn useful insights into lasting abilities.