FSE 2025
Mon 23 - Fri 27 June 2025 Trondheim, Norway
co-located with ISSTA 2025
Wed 25 Jun 2025 14:00 - 14:20 at Vega - Dependency Chair(s): Alexandre Bartel

Breaking changes in dependencies are a common challenge in software development, requiring manual intervention to resolve. This study examines how well Large Language Models (LLMs) automate the repair of breaking changes caused by dependency updates in Java projects. Although earlier methods have mostly concentrated on detecting breaking changes or investigating their impact, they have not been able to completely automate the repair process. We introduce and compare two new approaches: an agentic system that combines automated tool usage with LLMs, and a recursive zero-shot approach, employing iterative prompt refinement. Our experimental framework assesses the repair success of both approaches, using the BUMP dataset of curated breaking changes. We also investigate the impact of variables such as dependency popularity and prompt configuration on repair outcomes. Our results demonstrate a substantial difference in test suite success rates, with the agentic approach achieving a repair success rate of up to 23%, while the zero-shot prompting approach achieved a repair success rate of up to 19%. We show that automated program repair of breaking dependencies with LLMs is feasible and can be optimised to achieve better repair outcomes.

Wed 25 Jun

Displayed time zone: Amsterdam, Berlin, Bern, Rome, Stockholm, Vienna change

14:00 - 15:30
DependencyResearch Papers / Journal First / Demonstrations at Vega
Chair(s): Alexandre Bartel Umeå University
14:00
20m
Talk
Automatically fixing dependency breaking changes
Research Papers
Lukas Fruntke University College London, Jens Krinke University College London
DOI
14:20
10m
Talk
AutoPyDep: A Recommendation System for Python Dependency Management Utilizing Graph-Based Analytics
Demonstrations
Dibyendu Brinto Bose Virginia Tech, USA , Travis Chan Virginia Tech, Matthew Trimble Virginia Tech, Chris Brown Virginia Tech
14:30
20m
Talk
Pinning Is Futile: You Need More Than Local Dependency Versioning to Defend Against Supply Chain Attacks
Research Papers
Hao He Carnegie Mellon University, Bogdan Vasilescu Carnegie Mellon University, Christian Kästner Carnegie Mellon University
DOI
14:50
20m
Talk
Towards Better Comprehension of Breaking Changes in the NPM Ecosystem
Journal First
Dezhen Kong Zhejiang University, Jiakun Liu Singapore Management University, Lingfeng Bao Zhejiang University, David Lo Singapore Management University
15:10
20m
Talk
On the Characteristics and Impacts of Protestware Libraries
Research Papers
Tanner Finken University of Arizona, Jesse Chen University of Arizona, Sazzadur Rahaman University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
DOI

Information for Participants
Wed 25 Jun 2025 14:00 - 15:30 at Vega - Dependency Chair(s): Alexandre Bartel
Info for room Vega:

Vega is close to the registration desk.

Facing the registration desk, its entrance is on the left, close to the hotel side entrance.

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