{"id":"https://openalex.org/W7160887731","doi":"https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2605.09315","title":"Do Self-Evolving Agents Forget? Capability Degradation and Preservation in Lifelong LLM Agent Adaptation","display_name":"Do Self-Evolving Agents Forget? Capability Degradation and Preservation in Lifelong LLM Agent Adaptation","publication_year":2026,"publication_date":"2026-05-10","ids":{"openalex":"https://openalex.org/W7160887731","doi":"https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2605.09315"},"language":null,"primary_location":{"id":"doi:10.48550/arxiv.2605.09315","is_oa":true,"landing_page_url":"https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2605.09315","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":"cc-by","license_id":"https://openalex.org/licenses/cc-by","version":null,"is_accepted":false,"is_published":false,"raw_source_name":null,"raw_type":"Preprint"},"type":"preprint","indexed_in":["datacite"],"open_access":{"is_oa":true,"oa_status":"green","oa_url":"https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2605.09315","any_repository_has_fulltext":true},"authorships":[{"author_position":"first","author":{"id":"https://openalex.org/A5135976060","display_name":"Ye Yu","orcid":null},"institutions":[],"countries":[],"is_corresponding":false,"raw_author_name":"Yu, Ye","raw_affiliation_strings":[],"raw_orcid":null,"affiliations":[]},{"author_position":"middle","author":{"id":"https://openalex.org/A5135945748","display_name":"Xiaopeng Yuan","orcid":null},"institutions":[],"countries":[],"is_corresponding":false,"raw_author_name":"Yuan, Xiaopeng","raw_affiliation_strings":[],"raw_orcid":null,"affiliations":[]},{"author_position":"middle","author":{"id":"https://openalex.org/A5060972888","display_name":"Haibo Jin","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3893-4090"},"institutions":[],"countries":[],"is_corresponding":false,"raw_author_name":"Jin, Haibo","raw_affiliation_strings":[],"raw_orcid":null,"affiliations":[]},{"author_position":"middle","author":{"id":"https://openalex.org/A5135932392","display_name":"Heming Liu","orcid":null},"institutions":[],"countries":[],"is_corresponding":false,"raw_author_name":"Liu, Heming","raw_affiliation_strings":[],"raw_orcid":null,"affiliations":[]},{"author_position":"middle","author":{"id":"https://openalex.org/A5135987305","display_name":"Yaoning Yu","orcid":null},"institutions":[],"countries":[],"is_corresponding":false,"raw_author_name":"Yu, Yaoning","raw_affiliation_strings":[],"raw_orcid":null,"affiliations":[]},{"author_position":"last","author":{"id":"https://openalex.org/A5135994904","display_name":"Haohan Wang","orcid":null},"institutions":[],"countries":[],"is_corresponding":false,"raw_author_name":"Wang, Haohan","raw_affiliation_strings":[],"raw_orcid":null,"affiliations":[]}],"institutions":[],"countries_distinct_count":0,"institutions_distinct_count":0,"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/T10462","display_name":"Reinforcement Learning in Robotics","score":0.17579999566078186,"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"}},"topics":[{"id":"https://openalex.org/T10462","display_name":"Reinforcement Learning in Robotics","score":0.17579999566078186,"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"}},{"id":"https://openalex.org/T10883","display_name":"Ethics and Social Impacts of AI","score":0.07419999688863754,"subfield":{"id":"https://openalex.org/subfields/3311","display_name":"Safety Research"},"field":{"id":"https://openalex.org/fields/33","display_name":"Social Sciences"},"domain":{"id":"https://openalex.org/domains/2","display_name":"Social Sciences"}},{"id":"https://openalex.org/T11986","display_name":"Scientific Computing and Data Management","score":0.0632999986410141,"subfield":{"id":"https://openalex.org/subfields/1802","display_name":"Information Systems and Management"},"field":{"id":"https://openalex.org/fields/18","display_name":"Decision Sciences"},"domain":{"id":"https://openalex.org/domains/2","display_name":"Social Sciences"}}],"keywords":[{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/adaptation","display_name":"Adaptation (eye)","score":0.6607999801635742},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/task","display_name":"Task (project management)","score":0.6161999702453613},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/workflow","display_name":"Workflow","score":0.5351999998092651},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/stability","display_name":"Stability (learning theory)","score":0.4580000042915344},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/degradation","display_name":"Degradation (telecommunications)","score":0.3749000132083893},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/process","display_name":"Process (computing)","score":0.3521000146865845}],"concepts":[{"id":"https://openalex.org/C139807058","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q352374","display_name":"Adaptation (eye)","level":2,"score":0.6607999801635742},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C2780451532","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q759676","display_name":"Task (project management)","level":2,"score":0.6161999702453613},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C41008148","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q21198","display_name":"Computer science","level":0,"score":0.5819000005722046},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C177212765","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q627335","display_name":"Workflow","level":2,"score":0.5351999998092651},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C112972136","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7595718","display_name":"Stability (learning theory)","level":2,"score":0.4580000042915344},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C2779679103","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5251805","display_name":"Degradation (telecommunications)","level":2,"score":0.3749000132083893},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C183696295","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2487696","display_name":"Biochemical engineering","level":1,"score":0.37450000643730164},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C98045186","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q205663","display_name":"Process (computing)","level":2,"score":0.3521000146865845},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C2780598303","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q65921492","display_name":"Flexibility (engineering)","level":2,"score":0.323199987411499},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C127413603","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q11023","display_name":"Engineering","level":0,"score":0.30970001220703125},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C154945302","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q11660","display_name":"Artificial intelligence","level":1,"score":0.3091000020503998},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C2776544517","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q189447","display_name":"Unexpected events","level":2,"score":0.3012999892234802},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C13687954","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4826847","display_name":"Autonomous agent","level":2,"score":0.2896000146865845},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C112930515","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4389547","display_name":"Risk analysis (engineering)","level":1,"score":0.28299999237060547},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C133731056","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4917288","display_name":"Control engineering","level":1,"score":0.27489998936653137}],"mesh":[],"locations_count":1,"locations":[{"id":"doi:10.48550/arxiv.2605.09315","is_oa":true,"landing_page_url":"https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2605.09315","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":"cc-by","license_id":"https://openalex.org/licenses/cc-by","version":null,"is_accepted":false,"is_published":null,"raw_source_name":null,"raw_type":"Preprint"}],"best_oa_location":{"id":"doi:10.48550/arxiv.2605.09315","is_oa":true,"landing_page_url":"https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2605.09315","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":"cc-by","license_id":"https://openalex.org/licenses/cc-by","version":null,"is_accepted":false,"is_published":false,"raw_source_name":null,"raw_type":"Preprint"},"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":{"Recent":[0],"advances":[1],"in":[2,107],"LLM":[3],"agents":[4,135],"enable":[5],"systems":[6],"that":[7,25,58,82,131],"autonomously":[8],"refine":[9],"workflows,":[10],"accumulate":[11],"reusable":[12],"skills,":[13],"self-train":[14],"their":[15],"underlying":[16],"models,":[17],"and":[18,56,66],"maintain":[19],"persistent":[20],"memory.":[21],"However,":[22],"we":[23,73],"show":[24,57],"such":[26],"self-evolution":[27],"is":[28],"often":[29],"non-monotonic:":[30],"adapting":[31],"to":[32,117],"new":[33,140],"task":[34],"distributions":[35],"can":[36],"progressively":[37],"degrade":[38],"previously":[39,146],"acquired":[40],"capabilities":[41],"across":[42,62],"all":[43,91],"major":[44],"evolution":[45,93],"channels.":[46],"We":[47],"identify":[48],"this":[49,71],"phenomenon":[50],"as":[51],"\\emph{capability":[52],"erosion":[53],"under":[54,119],"self-evolution}":[55],"it":[59],"consistently":[60,96],"emerges":[61],"workflow,":[63],"skill,":[64],"model,":[65],"memory":[67],"evolution.":[68],"To":[69],"mitigate":[70],"issue,":[72],"propose":[74],"\\emph{Capability-Preserving":[75],"Evolution}":[76],"(CPE),":[77],"a":[78],"general":[79],"stabilization":[80],"principle":[81],"constrains":[83],"destructive":[84],"capability":[85,99],"drift":[86],"during":[87,149],"continual":[88,150],"adaptation.":[89,127,151],"Across":[90],"four":[92],"dimensions,":[94],"CPE":[95,110],"improves":[97,111],"retained":[98,112],"stability":[100],"while":[101,122],"preserving":[102,145],"adaptation":[103],"performance.":[104],"For":[105],"example,":[106],"workflow":[108],"evolution,":[109],"simple-task":[113],"performance":[114],"from":[115],"41.8\\%":[116],"52.8\\%":[118],"GPT-5.1":[120],"optimization":[121],"simultaneously":[123],"achieving":[124],"stronger":[125],"complex-task":[126],"Our":[128],"findings":[129],"suggest":[130],"stable":[132],"long-horizon":[133],"self-evolving":[134],"require":[136],"not":[137],"only":[138],"acquiring":[139],"capabilities,":[141],"but":[142],"also":[143],"explicitly":[144],"learned":[147],"ones":[148]},"counts_by_year":[],"updated_date":"2026-07-01T06:00:48.157686","created_date":"2026-05-13T00:00:00"}
