YAIFS: Yet (not) Another Intelligent Fog Simulator: A Framework for Agent-Driven Computing Continuum Modeling & Simulation

TL;DR

YAIFS is an interactive, service-oriented fog simulation framework that enables dynamic agent interaction and control through a standardized protocol, facilitating AI-driven experimentation in distributed systems.

Contribution

It introduces a layered architecture with a unified API and the Model Context Protocol for flexible, agent-driven simulation control and interaction.

Findings

Enables natural language control of simulations via LLMs.

Supports runtime adaptation of system placement decisions.

Transforms simulation into an interactive, programmable environment.

Abstract

Simulation plays a key role in the design and evaluation of distributed systems, yet it is often treated as a static tool with limited interaction capabilities. In this work, we present Yet (not) Another Intelligent Fog Simulator (YAIFS), and evolution of YAFS that redefines simulation as an interactive, service-oriented environment. YAIFS introduce a layered architecture that exposes the simulation through a unified API and service interface, enabling external entities to observe, control, and modify its execution. A central contribution is the integration of the Model Context Protocol (MCP) as a standardized interaction layer between agents and the simulation. Through MCP, heterogeneous agents can access state, invoke actions and coordinate behavior using a common set of tools, decoupling agent experimentation workflows. We illustrate these capabilities through two scenarios: an LLM-based assistant that enable natural language control of simulations, and a multi-agent setting where agents monitor system conditions and adapt placement decisions at runtime. These scenarios demonstrate how MCP structures agent-simulation interaction and enable adaptive behavior under dynamic workloads. The proposed approach transforms simulation into an interactive and programmable environment, opening new directions for AI-driven experimentation in cloud-edge systems. The implementation is publicly available at: http://github.com/acsicuib/YAIFS