In this section, we primarily analyze the motivations behind users’ feature requests, namely Motivation.
In our study, based on 809 feature requests, we classified the motivations underlying user needs into 11 categories to describe the most concerning issues developers encounter when using Agent Frameworks.
M1. Model Adaptation
The kind of motivation is driven by differences among LLM vendors. The goal is to make the framework compatible with more models.
For example:
In AutoGen3624, the issue aims to uniformly declare different LLM providers and model clients through a JSON configuration file, while also supporting the dynamic loading of new clients.
M2. Output Constraints
The kind of motivation targets the form of model outputs. The goal is to make outputs more parseable, verifiable, and reusable, thereby reducing downstream parsing cost and improving stability.
For example:
In CrewAI3052, the issue focuses on the uncontrollable and unparsable format of model outputs: users desire to obtain multiple generation results, logprobs/token information, as well as the content within tags such as `<thinking>`.
M3. Tool Ecosystem
The kind of motivation targets the tool system itself. The goal is to expand callable capabilities or improve tool mechanisms.
For example:
In LangChain33727, the focus is on the data injection mechanism between ToolRuntime and tool functions, aiming for tools to receive only a portion of the state, rather than the entire graph state.
M4. Retrieval Augmentation
The motivation targets the RAG pipeline. The goal is to improve knowledge acquisition and support more vector stores or retrieval backends.
For example:
In CrewAI1919, the objective is to extend the capabilities of RAG data sources, upgrading from “single-PDF vectorized retrieval” to “batch embedding of multiple PDFs combined with unified indexing in a vector database.”
M5. Memory Persistence
The kind of motivation targets memory or state persistence. The goal is to reuse context across steps, tasks, or runs, enabling continuity beyond a single execution.
For example:
In AutoGen4100, the goal is to enable the runtime state of an Agent/Team to be persistently saved via `save_state()` and restored via `load_state()` after re‑creating the instance, thereby achieving state recovery across process or service restarts.
M6. Orchestration Expressiveness
The kind of motivation targets workflow expression. The goal is to organize agents, tasks, and flows more flexibly.
For example:
The MetaGPT49 aspires to endow MetaGPT with iterative workflow orchestration capabilities (cycling through design → implementation → review → feedback → checkpoint saving → resumption from interruption), whereas the current system only supports linear, one-shot execution, lacking orchestration primitives such as loops, branches, and state persistence.
M7. Runtime Efficiency
The kind of motivation targets throughput, latency, or cost. The goal is to make execution faster and cheaper.
For example:
The CrewAI119 intends to apply RPM-based rate limiting to Agent requests, thereby preventing sudden traffic surges from overwhelming API quotas or incurring excess costs.
M8. Reliability and Security
The kind of motivation targets operational reliability or compliance. The goal is to reduce failures, improve usability in enterprise network environments, and lower security risks.
For example:
LangChain33515 aims to introduce configurable retry strategies (e.g., backoff and retry counts) for LLM invocations, so as to mitigate transient failures such as network jitter or rate limiting and thereby enhance operational reliability.
M9. Observable Diagnosis
The kind of motivation targets explainability and diagnostics. The goal is to make internal execution visible, enabling faster troubleshooting and analysis.
For example:
In LangGraph2559, users report that the error information provided by RemoteException is insufficient (only an InvalidUpdateError and fragmentary messages), making it impossible to pinpoint which specific state update failed.
M10. Development Delivery
The kind of motivation targets engineering enablement. The goal is to reduce onboarding and integration cost, and improve delivery efficiency.
For example:
In AutoGen3869, the README lacks a link to the complete documentation, thereby increasing the learning cost and onboarding barrier for novice users.
M11. Others
The kind of motivation in agent frameworks encompasses issues that do not fit into any of the previous ten categories.