K Control Flow Graph (KCFG)
Investigating a failed test and understanding the KCFG output
We need to investigate and identify the reason for the failed symbolic test. To do this, we can use the following command:
Note: the tag --version 1 indicates that you want to view the KCFG for version 1 of the proof CounterTest.testSetNumber(uint256,bool)
If you would like to view the first proof you will run:
For more information check out the page on Proof Management.
This command launches an interactive visualizer that generates a KCFG (K Control Flow Graph). You can click on individual nodes in the KCFG to inspect them.
The KCFG view might seem crowded. Let's break it into individual sections. Each section can be hidden using the hotkeys displayed at the bottom of the UI. Let's start with the left side.
The screenshots provided may not match your local KCFG exactly. It is normal for the node numbers to be different from the ones shown here. This section aims to provide context for understanding the KCFG output.
Left section of KCFG
The section on the left represents the KCFG of the execution in a minimal way, where nodes are linked together. Each node displays a summary of the state of the execution at that point. You can select a node by clicking on it, and the entire state will be displayed on the right. Once a node is selected, you can hide it from the KCFG using the hotkey H.
You can display all hidden nodes using the hotkey H. We’ll discuss that shortly. For now, let’s understand how to read a node. Notice the node highlighted in yellow. The first row (61 steps) represents the number of steps the prover has executed since the previous node.
The 9 (split) indicates the node id, 9, and the node type (split). The main node types are:
init- The initial node, or the rootleaf- A node that has no children or successorssplit- A node that branches
Nodes can also be:
expanded- A node that the node has been visited and processedtarget- A node representing the final state the prover aims to achieveterminal- A node that finished the execution of aterminal rulefrontier- A node that has been discovered but not yet executed
Following the node id, there is a summary of the node:
k: JUMPI 151 bool2Word …- represents the contents of the<k>cell and the point of execution at which the prover is in that node.pc: 143- represents the current value of the EVM program countercallDepth: 1- represents the current call stack depth (more information here).statusCode: STATUSCODE:StatusCode- shows the current status code. Here,STATUSCODEis the name of the symbolic variable, and:StatusCodeshows the sort of the variable.src: lib/forge-std/src/StdError.sol:16:16- nodes can point to the Solidity source file, line, and column to which they belong.
A branching always follows a split node. In KCFG's, branches are represented using nesting. In the highlighted node, the k field holds the value k: JUMPI 151 bool2Word ( ( notBool VV0_x_114b9705:Int ==Int 12648430 ) ). This indicates that the prover has identified a branching point. Here, JUMPI is an EVM opcode. 151 represents a jump destination, and bool2Word ( notBool ( VV0_n_114b9705:Int ==Int 12648430 ) ) represents an equality check between the symbolic variable VV0_n_114b9705 of sort Int and value 12648430 (the decimal value of 0xC0FFEE from our setNumber function). The prover does not know if the VV0 variable equals 12648430, so it will branch and explore each possibility.
Below the highlighted section, you will see the following:
The constraint keyword highlights the path the prover continues the execution. Nodes will be linked on this path as the exploration proceeds until either:
The execution of the branch is completed, and the
leafunifies with the target node.The execution of the branch halts.
Right section of KCFG
You will see the status section at the top of the right section.
This section displays the selected node and any enabled or disabled options. You can show or hide views using the hotkeys displayed at the bottom of the screen. To exit the KCFG, you can use Ctrl + C.
The term view
This section displays the entire state of the Ethereum virtual machine in the current node as a K configuration, with each property depicted in a cell. For example, the current hard fork will be displayed as <schedule> SHANGHAI </schedule> (more about the configuration can be found here). Using the hotkey M, you can minimize the term by hiding some cells in the configuration.
The constraint view
This section shows all the constraints that apply to the symbolic variables in the execution. In the unminimized term view, you can see that the cell <caller> contains the symbolic variable CALLER_ID:Int.
When selecting the first node after the branching (8), a new constraint is added, indicating that VV0_n_114b9705 is not equal on this branch to 12648430.
The constraint view can be enabled or disabled using the hotkey c.
The custom view
This section displays the Solidity source code, highlighting the currently executing lines. If data is not available, a message will be displayed.
The custom view can be enabled or disabled using the hotkey V.
Investigating the failed proof
Now, let’s find out why the proof is failing. At the top of the term view, highlighted in yellow, we can see the #halt production in the <k> cell, indicating that the test execution has finished. Additionally, highlighted in red, the status code as EVMC_REVERT, meaning that the transaction has been reverted. At this point, we can look in the constraint view and identify that our function arguments, highlighted in orange, are exactly the ones required to trigger the revert in setFunction.
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