Leiden Drops a Free 472-Page Textbook on Agentic LLMs
Four Leiden University researchers released a 472-page open textbook covering how large language models reason, act, and interact as autonomous agents.
- Four Leiden University researchers released Agentic Large Language Models, a 472-page textbook on arXiv.
- Organised around three pillars: reasoning, acting, and interacting, with seven parts total.
- Serves as the primary text for a new graduate LIACS course taught by the authors.
- Early chapters cover transformers, training pipelines, and scaling laws from scratch.
- Builds on the authors' earlier JAIR survey of the agentic LLM literature.
- Released under CC0 public domain, aimed at graduate students and researchers.
Leiden researchers release a 472-page textbook on agentic LLMs
Four Leiden University researchers have posted a 472-page textbook on arXiv. Agentic Large Language Models, written by Max van Duijn, Michiel van der Meer, Aske Plaat, and Niki van Stein, develops a curriculum around language models that reason, act, and interact. Its CC0 public-domain dedication allows readers to copy, adapt, and redistribute the material without seeking permission.
The book serves as the primary reading material for a new graduate course at Leiden University’s LIACS, taught by the four authors. Their definition of an agentic LLM covers systems that use model outputs to choose steps, retrieve information, call tools, affect an environment, or coordinate with other agents.
Three verbs define the field
An earlier survey, published in the Journal of Artificial Intelligence Research, established the book’s taxonomy. The authors organize agentic systems around three capabilities: reasoning, acting, and interacting.
| Pillar | Topics | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Reasoning | Reflection, retrieval, planning, and multi-step inference | Improve how a model selects and revises decisions |
| Acting | Tool use, action models, software interfaces, and robotics |
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