Prompt Sensitivity in Tool-Augmented Model Comparisons

arXiv:2610.31148v1 Announce Type: cross Abstract: Language models are compared on question-answering benchmarks that pose each question in one wording, and a reworded question can change which of two models scores higher. We ask whether giving the models tools makes such comparisons more stable. An accuracy gain cannot answer this, because tools change several steps between the question and the scored answer at once. We propose a matched protocol that separates those steps: the answer readout, reasoning, the decision to call, the tool's answer, and the report supplied without a call. We apply it to six open models in five domains under five wordings. We find that tools raise accuracy where a program answers the question and widen the wording sensitivity of many pairwise comparisons. The widening follows how often a model calls, and call frequency follows the wording for some models and not others. It also depends on the interface and the instructions: a native tool-calling interface and a second tool description leave no detected widening in molecules, and sensitivity persists where tools return intermediate results. These findings show that deterministic reports do not guarantee stable comparisons. We recommend reporting call frequency and comparison stability under several wordings beside accuracy.