zkGolf – Competitive optimization of formally verified circuits

In plain words

zkGolf is a tool for optimizing zero-knowledge proof circuits by combining formal verification with LLM-assisted circuit generation. Instead of manually hand-optimizing polynomial constraint systems, users write formal specifications and have language models produce the corresponding circuits while proving correctness. The approach targets reducing constraint costs for both provers and verifiers in zero-knowledge applications.

written from the facts on this page · September 2026

From the sources

zkGolf is a competition to build the cheapest zero-knowledge circuits, proven correct in Lean 4. Pick a challenge, write a leaner circuit, and prove it stays correct against the spec.

In the maker’s words, at launch

Zero-Knowledge Proofs (ZKPs) let an untrusted proved show that computation was executed correctly without revealing the inputs to the verifier. However to prove anything, the computation first has to be expressed as a circuit: a system of polynomial equations (constraints) over a finite field. Circuits are the…

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