2025 IJCAI IJCAI 2025

MIRROR: Multi-agent Intra- and Inter-Reflection for Optimized Reasoning in Tool Learning

Abstract

Complex tasks involving tool integration pose significant challenges for Large Language Models (LLMs), leading to the emergence of multi-agent workflows as a promising solution. Reflection has emerged as an effective strategy for correcting erroneous trajectories in agentic workflows. However, existing approaches only exploit such capability in the post-action stage, where the agent observes the execution outcomes. We argue that, like humans, LLMs can also engage in reflection before action execution: the agent can anticipate undesirable outcomes from its own decisions, which not only provides a necessarily complementary perspective to evaluate the decision but also prevents the propagation of errors throughout the trajectory. In this paper, we propose MIRROR, a framework that consists of both intra-reflection, which critically assesses intended actions before execution, and inter-reflection, which further adjusts the trajectory based on observations. This design systematically leverages LLM reflection capabilities to eliminate and rectify erroneous actions on a more comprehensive scope. Evaluations on both the StableToolBench and TravelPlanner benchmarks demonstrate MIRROR's superior performance, achieving state-of-the-art results compared to existing approaches.

🌉 Interdisciplinary Bridge — Artificial Intelligence and Natural Language Processing
🧭 Keyword Pioneer — reflection mechanism
🐝 Cross-Pollinator — Artificial Intelligence, Computer Science, Computer Vision, Deep Learning, Healthcare & Medicine, Interdisciplinary, Knowledge & Reasoning, Machine Learning, Mathematics & Optimization, Natural Language Processing, Reinforcement Learning, Robotics, Speech & Audio