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AutoCodeRover: The Future of Program Improvement and

GitHub Issue Resolution

Introduction

The journey towards autonomous software improvement has been

fraught with challenges that have historically impeded progress.
Traditional approaches to software development have relied heavily on
human expertise for tasks such as issue summarization, bug
reproduction, fault localization, and program repair. These tasks are
complex and multifaceted, often requiring a nuanced understanding of
both the codebase and the problem domain.

Enter AutoCodeRover, a cutting-edge system designed to tackle these

historical difficulties head-on. AutoCodeRover represents a paradigm
shift in program modification and patching. It offers a glimpse into a
future where software can self-improve, reducing the reliance on human
intervention and accelerating the development cycle.

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The development of AutoCodeRover has been propelled by the

dedicated efforts of researchers from the National University of
Singapore. Their contributions have been pivotal in advancing the field of
autonomous software engineering. With a motto and vision centered on
enabling autonomous software engineering, AutoCodeRover aims to
elevate the efficacy of AI in software development. It seeks to bridge the
gap between the potential of AI and its practical application, ultimately
fostering an ecosystem where software not only supports but also
enhances human creativity and efficiency.

What is AutoCodeRover?

AutoCodeRover represents a fully automated method designed to

address GitHub issues. This includes correcting errors and introducing
new features. It utilizes advanced Large Language Models (LLMs) along
with comprehensive code search technology to produce modifications or
updates to programs.

Key Features of AutoCodeRover

AutoCodeRover boasts several unique features:

● Boasts a 22% success rate on the SWE Bench Lite Benchmark.

● Surpasses competitors SWE Agent in performance on the SWE-
Bench Lite Benchmark.

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source -
https://github.com/nus-apr/auto-code-rover

● Incorporates code search APIs that are aware of program

structure.
● Uses an abstract syntax tree to understand code elements like
methods and classes.
● Utilizes Spectrum-based Fault Localization to identify potential
errors by analyzing test results.

Capabilities/Use Cases of AutoCodeRover

● Skilled in addressing GitHub issues by automating debugging,

generating code, and adding new features.
● Proven success in fixing a specific Django issue, referenced as
#32347.
● Provides personalized consulting services to foster business
development and AI integration.
● Improves the likelihood of fixing errors by using statistical analysis
of test case results.
● Enables several attempts to create the right fixes by testing the
modified programs with all test cases.

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How does AutoCodeRover work?

AutoCodeRover is designed to automate software engineering tasks,

with a focus on program repair and feature addition. It uses Large
Language Models (LLMs) and advanced code search capabilities to
autonomously modify programs or generate patches. The framework is
engineered to tackle real-world GitHub issues by iteratively navigating
the codebase and enhancing the LLM’s understanding of specific issues.

The framework operates in two stages: context retrieval and patch

generation. During context retrieval, the LLM analyzes the issue
description, extracts keywords, and employs a stratified search process
to iteratively retrieve code context. The context is continuously refined,
with the LLM agent deciding which code search APIs to use in each
iteration. Once enough project context is gathered, the patch generation
stage commences. Here, another LLM agent extracts precise code
snippets from the retrieved context and crafts a patch.

source - https://arxiv.org/pdf/2404.05427.pdf

The framework also integrates spectrum-based fault localization (SBFL)

analysis to enhance the workflow. SBFL identifies software fault
locations by analyzing control-flow differences in passing and failing test
executions and assigning suspiciousness scores to different program
locations. These SBFL-identified locations augment the search process,

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improving the accuracy and effectiveness of both context retrieval and

patch generation stages.

The document also presents a taxonomy of challenges in the

SWE-bench-lite benchmark, offering insights into the practical hurdles in
achieving fully automated software improvement. It categorizes task
instances into groups such as 'Success,' 'Wrong patch,' 'Wrong location
in correct file,' 'Wrong file,' and 'No patch,' providing a distribution of the
300 task instances and the framework’s effectiveness in resolving
GitHub issues.

As depicted in figure above, the AI program improvement framework

illustrates the iterative process of context retrieval, patch generation, and
the integration of SBFL analysis. This visual representation provides a
detailed and graphical depiction of the framework’s workflow and the
interactions between the different components and stages.

Performance Evaluation with Other Models

The performance of AutoCodeRover (ACR) is evaluated against other

models, namely Swe-agent and Magis, using the SWE-bench lite
benchmark. This benchmark includes 300 real-life GitHub issues from 11
popular repositories. The evaluation metrics encompass the percentage
of resolved instances, average time cost, and average token cost,
providing a measure of effectiveness, time efficiency, and economic
efficacy.

The evaluation process involves repeating the experiments three times

to account for the inherent randomness of Large Language Models
(LLMs). The results, reported as the average and total number of
resolved instances across the repetitions, demonstrate
AutoCodeRover’s superior performance in resolving real-life software
issues.

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https://arxiv.org/pdf/2404.05427.pdf

Above table provides a detailed comparison of the results. It shows that

AutoCodeRover outperforms Swe-agent in resolving task instances,
achieving a resolution rate of 16.11% on average and up to 22.33%
across all resolved tasks in the three runs. This highlights
AutoCodeRover’s effectiveness and potential impact in the field of
autonomous software engineering.

Potential threats to the validity of the approach and experiments, such as

the randomness of LLMs, the operating system environment, and the
correctness of generated patches, are carefully considered and
mitigated to ensure the reliability and robustness of the evaluation
results.

Overall, the evaluation offers insights into its effectiveness, efficiency,

and economic efficacy in resolving real-world GitHub issues.

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Evolving Landscape of AI in Software Issue Resolution

The evolution of issue resolution in software engineering is being

significantly influenced by advancements in AI technology. Three
models, AutoCodeRover, MAGIS, and SWE-agent, each contribute
uniquely to this progression.

AutoCodeRover is revolutionizing software development and

maintenance. It integrates Large Language Models with advanced code
search capabilities, autonomously navigating through code complexities
to pinpoint and resolve issues. By delving deep into the program’s
structure and utilizing classes and methods, it streamlines the search for
context and solutions.

On the other hand, MAGIS embodies the collaborative spirit of GitHub’s

issue resolution journey. It emphasizes the synergy between diverse
roles such as Managers, Repository Custodians, Developers, and QA
Engineers. This model underscores the importance of teamwork in AI,
demonstrating adaptability and flexibility in forming teams to address a
variety of issues.

SWE-agent, while harnessing the power of LLMs like GPT-4, focuses on

providing a user-friendly interface for interacting with repositories. It
simplifies the process of bug fixing and issue resolution.

As GitHub project issue resolution advances, AutoCodeRover is at the

forefront, driving progress with its innovative capabilities. Its methodical
approach to understanding and solving issues represents a significant
leap forward in automated program improvement. Meanwhile, MAGIS
exemplifies the power of teamwork in AI-driven environments. Together,
these models are shaping a future where AI not only complements but
enhances human expertise in software development.

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How to Access and Use this Model?

AutoCodeRover is an open-source model. It is hosted on GitHub and is

available for commercial use under the GPL-3.0 license. To utilize this
model, one can follow the setup instructions detailed in its GitHub
repository.

Demonstrative videos are available that illustrate AutoCodeRover’s

proficiency in addressing practical challenges on GitHub. These
demonstrations reveal the process by which AutoCodeRover interprets a
GitHub issue and generates a corresponding patch that effectively
rectifies the issue.

If you are interested to learn more about this AI model, all relevant links
are provided under the 'source' section at the end of this article.

Limitations and Future Work

● The performance of AutoCodeRover depends on the quality and

extent of the tests available for the code it’s fixing.
● It relies on Large Language Models (LLMs) to create patches,
which could lead to inconsistent outcomes.
● The ability of AutoCodeRover to solve GitHub issues successfully
might differ based on the issue’s complexity.
● Solely depending on LLMs for making decisions might not be
enough, suggesting the need for a system that allows human
developers to step in when necessary.
● The unpredictability of LLMs in giving varied results each time
could affect how reliable AutoCodeRover’s performance is.

Future work could focus on enhancing its capabilities and addressing

these limitations, such as integrating human involvement in the

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decision-making processes and designing LLM agents for generating

bug reproduction tests.

Conclusion

AutoCodeRover represents a significant advancement in autonomous

software improvement. By streamlining developer tasks and enhancing
issue resolution on GitHub, it demonstrates remarkable capabilities.
Despite its limitations, its potential impact on the future of software
engineering and AI is promising.

Source
research paper : https://arxiv.org/abs/2404.05427
research document : https://arxiv.org/pdf/2404.05427.pdf
GitHub Repo: https://github.com/nus-apr/auto-code-rover
SWE-Bench lite: https://www.swebench.com/lite.html

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