SPI: Similar Patch Identifier for Automated Program Repair

Sechang Jang, Seongbin Kim, Junhyeok Choi, Jindae Kim, Jaechang Nam

http://doi.org/10.5626/JOK.2025.52.2.152

The primary challenge in Automated Program Repair (APR) techniques is the size of search space. In this study, we introduce a novel approach called Similar Patch Identifier (SPI), which reduces the search space by leveraging the similarities among bug-introducing changes and suggesting suitable repair operators. We evaluate this approach using the existing context-based APR tool, ConFix, and the Java defect benchmark, Defects4J. Our experiments revealed that, although SPI narrowed the search space to 10 candidate bug-fixing commits for each defect, it successfully generated meaningful patches for four bugs that ConFix was unable to repair.