{"id":"https://openalex.org/W7139953076","doi":"https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2603.18388","title":"Reflection in the Dark: Exposing and Escaping the Black Box in Reflective Prompt Optimization","display_name":"Reflection in the Dark: Exposing and Escaping the Black Box in Reflective Prompt Optimization","publication_year":2026,"publication_date":"2026-03-19","ids":{"openalex":"https://openalex.org/W7139953076","doi":"https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2603.18388"},"language":null,"primary_location":{"id":"doi:10.48550/arxiv.2603.18388","is_oa":true,"landing_page_url":"https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2603.18388","pdf_url":null,"source":{"id":"https://openalex.org/S4306400194","display_name":"arXiv (Cornell University)","issn_l":null,"issn":null,"is_oa":true,"is_in_doaj":false,"is_core":false,"host_organization":"https://openalex.org/I205783295","host_organization_name":"Cornell University","host_organization_lineage":["https://openalex.org/I205783295"],"host_organization_lineage_names":[],"type":"repository"},"license":null,"license_id":null,"version":null,"is_accepted":false,"is_published":false,"raw_source_name":null,"raw_type":"article"},"type":"preprint","indexed_in":["datacite"],"open_access":{"is_oa":true,"oa_status":"green","oa_url":"https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2603.18388","any_repository_has_fulltext":true},"authorships":[{"author_position":"first","author":{"id":"https://openalex.org/A5130250929","display_name":"Shiyan Liu","orcid":null},"institutions":[],"countries":[],"is_corresponding":false,"raw_author_name":"Liu, Shiyan","raw_affiliation_strings":[],"raw_orcid":null,"affiliations":[]},{"author_position":"middle","author":{"id":"https://openalex.org/A5101216542","display_name":"Qifeng Xia","orcid":null},"institutions":[],"countries":[],"is_corresponding":false,"raw_author_name":"Xia, Qifeng","raw_affiliation_strings":[],"raw_orcid":null,"affiliations":[]},{"author_position":"middle","author":{"id":"https://openalex.org/A5049581502","display_name":"Qiyun Xia","orcid":null},"institutions":[],"countries":[],"is_corresponding":false,"raw_author_name":"Xia, Qiyun","raw_affiliation_strings":[],"raw_orcid":null,"affiliations":[]},{"author_position":"middle","author":{"id":"https://openalex.org/A5130246143","display_name":"Yisheng Liu","orcid":null},"institutions":[],"countries":[],"is_corresponding":false,"raw_author_name":"Liu, Yisheng","raw_affiliation_strings":[],"raw_orcid":null,"affiliations":[]},{"author_position":"middle","author":{"id":"https://openalex.org/A5130222181","display_name":"Xinyu Yu","orcid":null},"institutions":[],"countries":[],"is_corresponding":false,"raw_author_name":"Yu, Xinyu","raw_affiliation_strings":[],"raw_orcid":null,"affiliations":[]},{"author_position":"last","author":{"id":"https://openalex.org/A5130224862","display_name":"Rui Qu","orcid":null},"institutions":[],"countries":[],"is_corresponding":false,"raw_author_name":"Qu, Rui","raw_affiliation_strings":[],"raw_orcid":null,"affiliations":[]}],"institutions":[],"countries_distinct_count":0,"institutions_distinct_count":6,"corresponding_author_ids":[],"corresponding_institution_ids":[],"apc_list":null,"apc_paid":null,"fwci":null,"has_fulltext":false,"cited_by_count":0,"citation_normalized_percentile":null,"cited_by_percentile_year":null,"biblio":{"volume":null,"issue":null,"first_page":null,"last_page":null},"is_retracted":false,"is_paratext":false,"is_xpac":false,"primary_topic":{"id":"https://openalex.org/T12127","display_name":"Software System Performance and Reliability","score":0.14910000562667847,"subfield":{"id":"https://openalex.org/subfields/1705","display_name":"Computer Networks and Communications"},"field":{"id":"https://openalex.org/fields/17","display_name":"Computer Science"},"domain":{"id":"https://openalex.org/domains/3","display_name":"Physical Sciences"}},"topics":[{"id":"https://openalex.org/T12127","display_name":"Software System Performance and Reliability","score":0.14910000562667847,"subfield":{"id":"https://openalex.org/subfields/1705","display_name":"Computer Networks and Communications"},"field":{"id":"https://openalex.org/fields/17","display_name":"Computer Science"},"domain":{"id":"https://openalex.org/domains/3","display_name":"Physical Sciences"}},{"id":"https://openalex.org/T10743","display_name":"Software Testing and Debugging Techniques","score":0.1356000006198883,"subfield":{"id":"https://openalex.org/subfields/1712","display_name":"Software"},"field":{"id":"https://openalex.org/fields/17","display_name":"Computer Science"},"domain":{"id":"https://openalex.org/domains/3","display_name":"Physical Sciences"}},{"id":"https://openalex.org/T11689","display_name":"Adversarial Robustness in Machine Learning","score":0.10209999978542328,"subfield":{"id":"https://openalex.org/subfields/1702","display_name":"Artificial Intelligence"},"field":{"id":"https://openalex.org/fields/17","display_name":"Computer Science"},"domain":{"id":"https://openalex.org/domains/3","display_name":"Physical Sciences"}}],"keywords":[{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/reflection","display_name":"Reflection (computer programming)","score":0.7437999844551086},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/process","display_name":"Process (computing)","score":0.6574000120162964},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/black-box","display_name":"Black box","score":0.4982999861240387},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/mechanism","display_name":"Mechanism (biology)","score":0.4943999946117401},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/sampling","display_name":"Sampling (signal processing)","score":0.42980000376701355},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/optimization-problem","display_name":"Optimization problem","score":0.421999990940094}],"concepts":[{"id":"https://openalex.org/C65682993","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1056451","display_name":"Reflection (computer programming)","level":2,"score":0.7437999844551086},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C98045186","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q205663","display_name":"Process (computing)","level":2,"score":0.6574000120162964},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C41008148","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q21198","display_name":"Computer science","level":0,"score":0.613099992275238},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C94966114","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q29256","display_name":"Black box","level":2,"score":0.4982999861240387},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C89611455","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6804646","display_name":"Mechanism (biology)","level":2,"score":0.4943999946117401},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C154945302","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q11660","display_name":"Artificial intelligence","level":1,"score":0.45829999446868896},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C140779682","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q210868","display_name":"Sampling (signal processing)","level":3,"score":0.42980000376701355},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C137836250","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q984063","display_name":"Optimization problem","level":2,"score":0.421999990940094},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C2778049539","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q17002908","display_name":"Bayesian optimization","level":2,"score":0.37549999356269836},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C11413529","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q8366","display_name":"Algorithm","level":1,"score":0.3684000074863434},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C2987595161","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q141495","display_name":"Optimization algorithm","level":2,"score":0.35260000824928284},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C119857082","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2539","display_name":"Machine learning","level":1,"score":0.32899999618530273},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C31972630","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q844240","display_name":"Computer vision","level":1,"score":0.29190000891685486},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C153180895","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7148389","display_name":"Pattern recognition (psychology)","level":2,"score":0.2892000079154968},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C2779662365","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5416694","display_name":"Event (particle physics)","level":2,"score":0.26249998807907104},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C124101348","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q172491","display_name":"Data mining","level":1,"score":0.26080000400543213}],"mesh":[],"locations_count":1,"locations":[{"id":"doi:10.48550/arxiv.2603.18388","is_oa":true,"landing_page_url":"https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2603.18388","pdf_url":null,"source":{"id":"https://openalex.org/S4306400194","display_name":"arXiv (Cornell University)","issn_l":null,"issn":null,"is_oa":true,"is_in_doaj":false,"is_core":false,"host_organization":"https://openalex.org/I205783295","host_organization_name":"Cornell University","host_organization_lineage":["https://openalex.org/I205783295"],"host_organization_lineage_names":[],"type":"repository"},"license":null,"license_id":null,"version":null,"is_accepted":false,"is_published":null,"raw_source_name":null,"raw_type":"article"}],"best_oa_location":{"id":"doi:10.48550/arxiv.2603.18388","is_oa":true,"landing_page_url":"https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2603.18388","pdf_url":null,"source":{"id":"https://openalex.org/S4306400194","display_name":"arXiv (Cornell University)","issn_l":null,"issn":null,"is_oa":true,"is_in_doaj":false,"is_core":false,"host_organization":"https://openalex.org/I205783295","host_organization_name":"Cornell University","host_organization_lineage":["https://openalex.org/I205783295"],"host_organization_lineage_names":[],"type":"repository"},"license":null,"license_id":null,"version":null,"is_accepted":false,"is_published":false,"raw_source_name":null,"raw_type":"article"},"sustainable_development_goals":[],"awards":[],"funders":[],"has_content":{"grobid_xml":false,"pdf":false},"content_urls":null,"referenced_works_count":0,"referenced_works":[],"related_works":[],"abstract_inverted_index":{"Automatic":[0],"prompt":[1,16,78],"optimization":[2,33,89],"(APO)":[3],"has":[4],"emerged":[5],"as":[6,22],"a":[7,56,69],"powerful":[8],"paradigm":[9],"for":[10],"improving":[11],"LLM":[12],"performance":[13],"without":[14],"manual":[15],"engineering.":[17],"Reflective":[18],"APO":[19,71],"methods":[20],"such":[21],"GEPA":[23,59],"iteratively":[24],"refine":[25],"prompts":[26],"by":[27],"diagnosing":[28],"failure":[29],"cases,":[30],"but":[31],"the":[32,111],"process":[34],"remains":[35],"black-box":[36],"and":[37,43,48,87,98,115,124],"label-free,":[38],"leading":[39],"to":[40,64,108],"uninterpretable":[41],"trajectories":[42],"systematic":[44],"failure.":[45],"We":[46,66],"identify":[47],"empirically":[49],"demonstrate":[50],"four":[51],"limitations:":[52],"on":[53,110,122],"GSM8K":[54,123],"with":[55],"defective":[57,113],"seed,":[58],"degrades":[60],"accuracy":[61,107],"from":[62,77],"23.81%":[63],"13.50%.":[65],"propose":[67],"VISTA,":[68],"multi-agent":[70],"framework":[72],"that":[73],"decouples":[74],"hypothesis":[75],"generation":[76],"rewriting,":[79],"enabling":[80],"semantically":[81],"labeled":[82],"hypotheses,":[83],"parallel":[84],"minibatch":[85],"verification,":[86],"interpretable":[88],"trace.":[90],"A":[91],"two-layer":[92],"explore-exploit":[93],"mechanism":[94],"combining":[95],"random":[96],"restart":[97],"epsilon-greedy":[99],"sampling":[100],"further":[101],"escapes":[102],"local":[103],"optima.":[104],"VISTA":[105],"recovers":[106],"87.57%":[109],"same":[112],"seed":[114],"consistently":[116],"outperforms":[117],"baselines":[118],"across":[119],"all":[120],"conditions":[121],"AIME2025.":[125]},"counts_by_year":[],"updated_date":"2026-06-11T09:08:48.828518","created_date":"2026-03-21T00:00:00"}
