# SWE-NFI benchmark finds coding agents lag humans on non-functional software improvements

DevFeed: [SWE-NFI benchmark finds coding agents lag humans on non-functional software improvements](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/swe-nfi-the-benchmark-that-catches-what-coding-agents-miss-56322.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://www.developersdigest.tech/blog/swe-nfi-coding-agents-quality-benchmark>)

Author: Developers Digest

Published: 2026-07-31T00:00:00Z

Content type: article

Language: en

Sources: [Developers Digest](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/developers-digest.md>)

Topics: [Benchmark](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/benchmark.md>), [AI-assisted coding](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/ai-assisted-coding.md>), [Tech Debt](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/tech-debt.md>)

Tags: [agents](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/agents.md>), [ai-agents](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/ai-agents.md>), [benchmark](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/benchmark.md>), [code-quality](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/code-quality.md>), [coding](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/coding.md>), [coding-agents](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/coding-agents.md>), [news](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/news.md>), [quality](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/quality.md>), [research](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/research.md>), [tech-debt](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/tech-debt.md>)

## AI overview

The 188-task SWE-NFI benchmark evaluates coding agents on non-functional software improvements. Agents achieve 70% functional correctness but lag human developers on refactoring and structural changes, exposing a quality gap that can contribute to tech debt.

## Source excerpt

A new 188-task benchmark for non-functional improvements finds coding agents hit 70% on functional correctness but lag humans on refactors and structural changes - the quality gap that becomes tech debt.