REVEAL: Reverse Engineering Agentic Latents from Frontier-Model Traces

Abstract:Frontier LLM agents perform complex interactive tasks, but their inference costs motivate transferring their experience to smaller open-source agents. Distillation and latent communication typically require target-model training or access to source-model internals. We study how textual frontier-model trajectories can provide reusable local controls for a frozen agent. Inspired by protocol reverse engineering, we introduce $\textit{Agentic Latents}$, comprising anchored states and dynamic profiles of feedback--response cycles elicited by replay in the target model. Our training-free framework, $\textbf{REVEAL}$ ($\textbf{REV}$erse $\textbf{E}$ngineering $\textbf{A}$gentic $\textbf{L}$atents), uses these profiles and trajectory outcomes to match and select local events from successful and failed rollouts of the same task and source model. Their response-transition contrasts yield a target-specific steering direction, applied before each response. Within-benchmark evaluations on Terminal-Bench 2.1 and Humanity's Last Exam with tools report higher accuracy than unmodified agents across three targets. Representation analyses and behavioral case studies support reusing frontier-model experience as local activation control.

Artificial Intelligence (cs.AI); Computation and Language (cs.CL)

arXiv:2610.16288 [cs.AI]

(or arXiv:2610.16288v2 [cs.AI] for this version)

https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2610.16288 Focus to learn more arXiv-issued DOI via DataCite

arXivLabs is a framework that allows collaborators to develop and share new arXiv features directly on our website.

Both individuals and organizations that work with arXivLabs have embraced and accepted our values of openness, community, excellence, and user data privacy. arXiv is committed to these values and only works with partners that adhere to them.

Have an idea for a project that will add value for arXiv's community? Learn more about arXivLabs.