The degenerate solution problem in agent evals: when writing an end-to-end policy wins
JoshPurtell · x · 2026-09-20
A technical discussion on agent eval design: if an environment allows harness self-modification, agents may find a "degenerate solution" — simply writing an end-to-end code policy and running it against the env is optimal, defeating the eval's purpose.
The author notes even interrupting code execution for only a few scenarios may not be the intended behavior, and asks what principled constraints could let researchers test meaningful live harness self-modification while avoiding the degenerate case.
Related event: NetHack eval debate: should agents be allowed to rewrite their harness?(7 posts)→
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