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arXiv · 2508.00414

Cognitive Kernel-Pro: A Framework for Deep Research Agents and Agent Foundation Models Training

Tianqing Fang·Zhisong Zhang·Xiaoyang Wang·Rui Wang·Can Qin·Yuxuan Wan·Jun-Yu Ma·Ce Zhang·Jiaqi Chen·Xiyun Li·Yonglin Wang·Jingchen Ni·Tianshi Zheng·Chun Chen·Wenhao Yu·Zhenwen Liang·Hongming Zhang·Haitao Mi·Dong Yu
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Abstract

General AI Agents are increasingly recognized as foundational frameworks for the next generation of artificial intelligence, enabling complex reasoning, web interaction, coding, and autonomous research capabilities. However, current agent systems are either closed-source or heavily reliant on a variety of paid APIs and proprietary tools, limiting accessibility and reproducibility for the research community. In this work, we present \textbf{Cognitive Kernel-Pro}, a fully open-source and (to the maximum extent) free multi-module agent framework designed to democratize the development and evaluation of advanced AI agents. Within Cognitive Kernel-Pro, we systematically investigate the curation of high-quality training data for Agent Foundation Models, focusing on the construction of queries, trajectories, and verifiable answers across four key domains: web, file, code, and general reasoning. Furthermore, we explore novel strategies for agent test-time reflection and voting to enhance agent robustness and performance. We evaluate Cognitive Kernel-Pro on GAIA, achieving state-of-the-art results among open-source and free agents. Notably, our 8B-parameter open-source model surpasses previous leading systems such as WebDancer and WebSailor, establishing a new performance standard for accessible, high-capability AI agents. Code is available at https://github.com/Tencent/CognitiveKernel-Pro

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Tianqing Fang, Zhisong Zhang, Xiaoyang Wang, Rui Wang, Can Qin, Yuxuan Wan, Jun-Yu Ma, Ce Zhang, Jiaqi Chen, Xiyun Li, Yonglin Wang, Jingchen Ni, Tianshi Zheng, Chun Chen, Wenhao Yu, Zhenwen Liang, Hongming Zhang, Haitao Mi, Dong Yu. 2025-08-01. Cognitive Kernel-Pro: A Framework for Deep Research Agents and Agent Foundation Models Training. https://arxiv.org/abs/2508.00414

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