# Auto-RecSys: Harnessing Autonomous Research Agents for Industry-Scale Recommender System

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.10922 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2609.10922/

## Key facts

- Cited by 1 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Placed in Agentic recommender systems, one of 16 directions in LLM agents and tool use.
- Builds on 19 of its 21 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 10 Sep 2026.

## Placed in

- LLM agents and tool use / [Agentic recommender systems](https://mlsanity.com/agents/agentic-recommender-systems/)

## Builds on (most cited first, 19 of 19)

- [ReAct: Synergizing Reasoning and Acting in Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2210.03629/) (2022)
- [Reflexion: Language Agents with Verbal Reinforcement Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2303.11366/) (2023)
- [Voyager: An Open-Ended Embodied Agent with Large Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2305.16291/) (2023)
- [SWE-agent: Agent-Computer Interfaces Enable Automated Software Engineering](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2405.15793/) (2024)
- [MemGPT: Towards LLMs as Operating Systems](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2310.08560/) (2023)
- [The AI Scientist: Towards Fully Automated Open-Ended Scientific Discovery](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2408.06292/) (2024)
- [DSPy: Compiling Declarative Language Model Calls into Self-Improving Pipelines](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2310.03714/) (2023)
- [GEPA: Reflective Prompt Evolution Can Outperform Reinforcement Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2507.19457/) (2025)
- [Automated Design of Agentic Systems](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2408.08435/) (2024)
- [Agent Workflow Memory](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2409.07429/) (2024)
- [SkillsBench: Benchmarking How Well Agent Skills Work Across Diverse Tasks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2602.12670/) (2026)
- [Meta-Harness: End-to-End Optimization of Model Harnesses](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2603.28052/) (2026)
- [Trace2Skill: Distill Trajectory-Local Lessons into Transferable Agent Skills](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2603.25158/) (2026)
- [SkillOpt: Executive Strategy for Self-Evolving Agent Skills](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2605.23904/) (2026)
- [Evo-Memory: Benchmarking LLM Agent Test-time Learning with Self-Evolving Memory](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2511.20857/) (2025)
- [SoK: Agentic Skills -- Beyond Tool Use in LLM Agents](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2602.20867/) (2026)
- [EvoSkill: Automated Skill Discovery for Multi-Agent Systems](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2603.02766/) (2026)
- [AI4Research: A Survey of Artificial Intelligence for Scientific Research](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2507.01903/) (2025)
- [EvoScientist: Towards Multi-Agent Evolving AI Scientists for End-to-End Scientific Discovery](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2603.08127/) (2026)

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

- [Advancing Model Research in AgentX: Long-Horizon Autonomy for Industrial Recommender Systems](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2609.30001/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Auto-research agents have shown the potential to automate hypothesis generation, experiment execution, and iterative refinement. However, scaling this paradigm to industry-scale recommendation models introduces two challenges: (1) long feedback loops, where model training can take days, making serial iteration prohibitively slow and requiring parallel exploration across multiple research directions; and (2) system complexity, where large configurations, fragile infrastructure dependencies, and multi-day GPU jobs require robust and recoverable execution. We present Auto-RecSys, an autonomous research system for long-horizon experimentation on industry-scale recommendation models. Auto-RecSys addresses these challenges through three harness designs: (1) distributed asynchronous execution for running multiple experiments in parallel across servers, (2) centralized cross-server memory for persistent and recoverable execution across sessions and failures, and (3) cognitive-procedural separation, where natural-language skill files guide LLM reasoning while deterministic scripts enforce operational correctness. Auto-RecSys further employs a dual-loop self-evolving architecture: an Execution Evolution Loop in which model-specific playbooks accumulate operational knowledge by recording failed attempts and crystallizing successful pipelines, and an Idea Evolution Loop in which experimental outcomes inform subsequent ideation. Evaluated on recommendation models, Auto-RecSys significantly reduces the human time required per experiment cycle and improves execution reliability as its playbooks mature.