{"id":"https://openalex.org/W7165734311","doi":"https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2606.24551","title":"GUI vs. CLI: Execution Bottlenecks in Screen-Only and Skill-Mediated Computer-Use Agents","display_name":"GUI vs. CLI: Execution Bottlenecks in Screen-Only and Skill-Mediated Computer-Use Agents","publication_year":2026,"publication_date":"2026-06-22","ids":{"openalex":"https://openalex.org/W7165734311","doi":"https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2606.24551"},"language":null,"primary_location":{"id":"doi:10.48550/arxiv.2606.24551","is_oa":true,"landing_page_url":"https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2606.24551","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.2606.24551","any_repository_has_fulltext":true},"authorships":[{"author_position":"first","author":{"id":"https://openalex.org/A5113903386","display_name":"X J Zhou","orcid":null},"institutions":[],"countries":[],"is_corresponding":false,"raw_author_name":"Zhou, Xiao","raw_affiliation_strings":[],"raw_orcid":null,"affiliations":[]},{"author_position":"middle","author":{"id":"https://openalex.org/A5101897994","display_name":"Siyue Zhang","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3033-8892"},"institutions":[],"countries":[],"is_corresponding":false,"raw_author_name":"Zhang, Siyue","raw_affiliation_strings":[],"raw_orcid":null,"affiliations":[]},{"author_position":"middle","author":{"id":"https://openalex.org/A5139228177","display_name":"Yilun Zhao","orcid":null},"institutions":[],"countries":[],"is_corresponding":false,"raw_author_name":"Zhao, Yilun","raw_affiliation_strings":[],"raw_orcid":null,"affiliations":[]},{"author_position":"middle","author":{"id":"https://openalex.org/A5125489091","display_name":"Jinbiao Wei","orcid":null},"institutions":[],"countries":[],"is_corresponding":false,"raw_author_name":"Wei, Jinbiao","raw_affiliation_strings":[],"raw_orcid":null,"affiliations":[]},{"author_position":"middle","author":{"id":"https://openalex.org/A5139296638","display_name":"Tingyu Song","orcid":null},"institutions":[],"countries":[],"is_corresponding":false,"raw_author_name":"Song, Tingyu","raw_affiliation_strings":[],"raw_orcid":null,"affiliations":[]},{"author_position":"middle","author":{"id":"https://openalex.org/A5139303558","display_name":"Arman Cohan","orcid":null},"institutions":[],"countries":[],"is_corresponding":false,"raw_author_name":"Cohan, Arman","raw_affiliation_strings":[],"raw_orcid":null,"affiliations":[]},{"author_position":"last","author":{"id":"https://openalex.org/A5139262690","display_name":"Chen Zhao","orcid":null},"institutions":[],"countries":[],"is_corresponding":false,"raw_author_name":"Zhao, Chen","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/T12607","display_name":"Personal Information Management and User Behavior","score":0.19030000269412994,"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"}},"topics":[{"id":"https://openalex.org/T12607","display_name":"Personal Information Management and User Behavior","score":0.19030000269412994,"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"}},{"id":"https://openalex.org/T10639","display_name":"Advanced Software Engineering Methodologies","score":0.1850000023841858,"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/T11424","display_name":"Security and Verification in Computing","score":0.054999999701976776,"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/workflow","display_name":"Workflow","score":0.7310000061988831},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/scalability","display_name":"Scalability","score":0.564300000667572},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/graphical-user-interface","display_name":"Graphical user interface","score":0.5185999870300293},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/software","display_name":"Software","score":0.5091000199317932},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/benchmark","display_name":"Benchmark (surveying)","score":0.5041999816894531},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/component","display_name":"Component (thermodynamics)","score":0.30889999866485596}],"concepts":[{"id":"https://openalex.org/C41008148","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q21198","display_name":"Computer science","level":0,"score":0.7817999720573425},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C177212765","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q627335","display_name":"Workflow","level":2,"score":0.7310000061988831},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C48044578","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q727490","display_name":"Scalability","level":2,"score":0.564300000667572},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C37789001","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q782543","display_name":"Graphical user interface","level":2,"score":0.5185999870300293},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C2777904410","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7397","display_name":"Software","level":2,"score":0.5091000199317932},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C185798385","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1161707","display_name":"Benchmark (surveying)","level":2,"score":0.5041999816894531},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C107457646","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q207434","display_name":"Human\u2013computer interaction","level":1,"score":0.48179998993873596},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C115903868","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q80993","display_name":"Software engineering","level":1,"score":0.40779998898506165},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C199360897","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q9143","display_name":"Programming language","level":1,"score":0.33820000290870667},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C111919701","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q9135","display_name":"Operating system","level":1,"score":0.31200000643730164},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C168167062","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1117970","display_name":"Component (thermodynamics)","level":2,"score":0.30889999866485596},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C2780226545","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6888030","display_name":"Modality (human\u2013computer interaction)","level":2,"score":0.302700012922287},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C5894958","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2297769","display_name":"Software agent","level":2,"score":0.2919999957084656},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C2984968299","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1077784","display_name":"Software tool","level":3,"score":0.2653000056743622}],"mesh":[],"locations_count":1,"locations":[{"id":"doi:10.48550/arxiv.2606.24551","is_oa":true,"landing_page_url":"https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2606.24551","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.2606.24551","is_oa":true,"landing_page_url":"https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2606.24551","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":[{"display_name":"Quality Education","score":0.5237503051757812,"id":"https://metadata.un.org/sdg/4"}],"awards":[],"funders":[],"has_content":{"grobid_xml":false,"pdf":false},"content_urls":null,"referenced_works_count":0,"referenced_works":[],"related_works":[],"abstract_inverted_index":{"Computer-use":[0],"agents":[1,50,54,128,140],"can":[2],"execute":[3],"software":[4],"tasks":[5,39],"through":[6],"either":[7],"graphical":[8],"interfaces":[9],"or":[10],"programmatic":[11],"command":[12],"interfaces,":[13],"but":[14],"existing":[15],"evaluations":[16],"confound":[17],"interaction":[18,134],"modality":[19],"with":[20],"differences":[21],"in":[22],"tasks,":[23],"initial":[24],"states,":[25,58],"verifiers,":[26],"and":[27,43,51,59,121,146],"permitted":[28],"actions.":[29,67],"We":[30],"introduce":[31],"a":[32,77],"matched":[33],"execution-layer":[34],"benchmark":[35],"of":[36,102,148],"440":[37],"desktop":[38],"across":[40],"18":[41],"applications":[42],"12":[44],"workflow":[45],"categories,":[46],"where":[47],"screen-only":[48],"GUI":[49,74,120,127],"skill-mediated":[52],"CLI":[53,86,95,104,122,139],"receive":[55],"identical":[56],"goals,":[57],"final-state":[60],"verifiers":[61],"while":[62],"being":[63],"restricted":[64],"to":[65,97],"modality-native":[66],"In":[68],"this":[69],"controlled":[70],"setting,":[71],"the":[72,83,103,144],"strongest":[73,84],"agent":[75,87],"reaches":[76],"59.1%":[78],"full":[79],"pass":[80],"rate,":[81],"outperforming":[82],"original-skill":[85],"at":[88],"48.2%;":[89],"however,":[90],"verifier-guided":[91],"skill":[92,109,150],"augmentation":[93],"raises":[94],"success":[96],"69.3%,":[98],"showing":[99],"that":[100,119],"much":[101],"deficit":[105],"comes":[106],"from":[107],"incomplete":[108],"coverage":[110,145],"rather":[111],"than":[112],"model":[113],"capability":[114],"alone.":[115],"These":[116],"results":[117],"suggest":[118],"expose":[123],"different":[124],"execution":[125],"bottlenecks:":[126],"are":[129,141],"limited":[130,142],"by":[131,143],"reliable":[132],"grounded":[133],"over":[135],"long-horizon":[136],"workflows,":[137],"whereas":[138],"scalability":[147],"their":[149],"interfaces.":[151]},"counts_by_year":[],"updated_date":"2026-07-01T06:00:48.157686","created_date":"2026-06-25T00:00:00"}
