Abstract
Multi-agent language-model systems increasingly route local interactions, yet the runtime interaction graph is often treated as an implementation detail. We study convention formation in open-weight LM populations spanning 1.1B-32B parameters with a naming-game protocol. Restricted first-token scores over tokenizer-safe labels let us measure prompt-conditioned score-state distributions, construct state-similarity graphs, and separate sampled-label agreement from latent state-space consensus.
Across controlled interventions, in the main open-weight repair grids, retained partner-label evidence is necessary but not sufficient: homophilous threshold-similarity routing deletes cross-basin exposure and amplifies fragmentation, while bridge-seeking routing often repairs fragmentation when memory is available. In a three-seed mixed four-model grid, threshold-similarity produces no final behavioral or state consensus in 189 setting-seed runs, whereas state-component and label-disagreement bridges recover final behavioral consensus in 18 retained-memory runs.
Across homogeneous model populations, retained history generally shifts fragmented dynamics toward consensus; the clearest case is Qwen2.5-32B, which reaches stable behavioral and final state consensus in all 18 retained-history well-mixed settings, while threshold-similarity reaches neither form of consensus in 189 settings. Robustness over state thresholds, population size, and vocabulary size preserves the qualitative ordering, and early-window graph-energy features provide useful within-grid diagnostics.
Blogger's Review: This paper explores how graph feedback mechanisms influence consensus formation in open-weight language models, highlighting the significance of internal interactions within models. Through precise experimental design, it reveals how different routing strategies affect model behavior, offering important theoretical and practical implications. Understanding these mechanisms can enhance collaboration and efficiency in multi-agent systems.