Circom Development

Expert guidance for designing, implementing, and testing zero-knowledge proof circuits using circom.

Overview

This skill provides comprehensive support for circom circuit development:

• Circuit Implementation: Design and write optimized arithmetic circuits
• Constraint Verification: Ensure circuits are properly constrained and secure
• Witness Generation: Create and test witness calculators
• Testing: Comprehensive testing patterns for circuits
• Best Practices: Security guidelines and optimization techniques

Quick Start

1. Project Setup

Initialize a new circom project with required dependencies:

# Copy package.json template
cp assets/package.json ./package.json

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Create project structure
mkdir -p circuits build scripts

2. Create Circuit

Use the circuit template as a starting point:

cp assets/template_circuit.circom circuits/your_circuit.circom

Edit the circuit with your logic:

pragma circom 2.0.0;
include "node_modules/circomlib/circuits/poseidon.circom";

template YourCircuit() {
    signal input in;
    signal output out;

    component hasher = Poseidon(1);
    hasher.inputs[0] <== in;
    out <== hasher.out;
}

component main = YourCircuit();

3. Compile Circuit

Use the compilation script:

bash scripts/compile_circuit.sh circuits/your_circuit.circom

This generates:

• build/your_circuit_js/your_circuit.wasm - Witness calculator
• build/your_circuit.r1cs - Constraint system
• build/your_circuit.sym - Symbol mapping

4. Setup Proving Keys

Generate zkey and verification key:

bash scripts/setup_keys.sh build/your_circuit.r1cs

This generates:

• build/zkey/your_circuit.zkey - Proving key
• build/zkey/verification_key.json - Verification key
• build/zkey/your_circuit_verifier.sol - Solidity verifier

5. Create Test

Use the test template:

cp assets/template_test.js test.js

Update test inputs and run:

node test.js

Workflow Decision Tree

┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│ What do you need to do?             │
└──────────────┬──────────────────────┘
               │
       ┌───────┴────────┐
       │                │
   New Circuit    Modify Existing
       │                │
       ▼                ▼
  Start from      Read existing
   template        circuit first
       │                │
       ▼                ▼
  Implement       Understand
  constraints     constraints
       │                │
       ▼                ▼
   Compile         Make changes
       │                │
       ▼                ▼
  Setup keys      Recompile
       │                │
       ▼                ▼
  Write tests     Update tests
       │                │
       └────────┬───────┘
                ▼
          Run & verify
                │
        ┌───────┴────────┐
        │                │
    Success         Failure
        │                │
        ▼                ▼
    Complete      Debug & fix
                        │
                        └──> Repeat

Circuit Design Guidelines

1. Define Requirements

Before writing code, clarify:

• Private inputs: What information must remain secret?
• Public inputs: What can be revealed to the verifier?
• Outputs: What statement are you proving?
• Constraints: What rules must be enforced?

Example: Password authentication

• Private: password
• Public: passwordHash
• Statement: "I know a password that hashes to passwordHash"

2. Choose Components

Consult circomlib_components.md for standard components:

• Hashing: Poseidon, MiMC
• Comparisons: IsZero, LessThan, IsEqual
• Merkle Trees: SMTVerifier
• Signatures: EdDSA

3. Write Constraints

Follow these principles:

Use <== for most operations (assigns AND constrains):

output <== input1 * input2;

Use === for explicit constraints:

component.out === expectedValue;

NEVER use <-- alone (no constraint):

// DANGEROUS - prover can cheat!
temp <-- unconstrained_value;

4. Validate Inputs

Always constrain input ranges:

// Ensure value is less than maximum
component check = LessThan(32);
check.in[0] <== value;
check.in[1] <== maxValue;
check.out === 1;

See best_practices.md for security guidelines.

Common Circuit Patterns

Consult circuit_patterns.md for complete implementations:

Authentication

• Password proof: Prove knowledge of password without revealing it
• Credential verification: Prove possession of valid credentials

Merkle Trees

• Membership proof: Prove element is in a set without revealing which
• Tree update: Prove correct update of Merkle tree

Range Proofs

• Value in range: Prove value is within bounds (e.g., age > 18)
• Balance sufficiency: Prove sufficient balance without revealing amount

Voting

• Anonymous voting: Vote without revealing identity
• Weighted voting: Vote with weight based on holdings

Privacy

• Private transfer: Transfer funds without revealing sender/receiver/amount
• Nullifier pattern: Prevent double-spending

Testing Workflow

1. Unit Test Components

Test individual templates in isolation:

const circuit = await wasm_tester("circuits/component.circom");

// Test valid input
const input = { in: 10 };
const witness = await circuit.calculateWitness(input);
await circuit.checkConstraints(witness);

// Test expected output
await circuit.assertOut(witness, { out: 100 });

2. Test Edge Cases

Always test:

• Zero values: { in: 0 }
• Maximum values: Near field prime
• Boundary conditions: Min/max range values
• Invalid inputs: Should fail constraint checks

3. Integration Testing

Test full proof generation and verification:

const { proof, publicSignals } = await snarkjs.groth16.fullProve(
  input,
  wasmPath,
  zkeyPath
);

const vKey = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(vkeyPath));
const isValid = await snarkjs.groth16.verify(vKey, publicSignals, proof);
assert(isValid);

Use scripts/verify_proof.js for standalone verification:

node scripts/verify_proof.js -p proof.json -s public.json -v verification_key.json

Optimization Techniques

1. Minimize Constraints

Fewer constraints = faster proving time.

Check constraint count:

npx snarkjs r1cs info build/circuit.r1cs

Optimization tips:

• Reuse components when possible
• Minimize hash operations (expensive)
• Use assert for compile-time checks (no runtime cost)
• Combine operations where possible

2. Choose Efficient Components

• Poseidon > MiMC: Poseidon is optimized for zkSNARKs
• Bit operations: Use Num2Bits/Bits2Num for bit manipulation
• Range checks: Use SafeLessThan for range-checked comparisons

3. Profile Circuit

Monitor statistics:

npx snarkjs r1cs info circuit.r1cs

Output shows:

• Number of constraints
• Number of public inputs/outputs
• Number of private inputs
• Number of wires

Security Checklist

Before deploying, verify:

• All signals properly constrained (no <-- without verification)
• Input ranges validated
• Division operations properly constrained (with remainder check)
• Public/private signals correctly specified
• Edge cases tested (0, max values, boundaries)
• No under-constrained circuits (verify constraint count)
• Code reviewed
• Static analysis tools run (Circomspect, PICUS if available)

See best_practices.md for detailed security guidelines.

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

"Constraint doesn't match"

• Check all signals are properly constrained with <== or ===
• Verify arithmetic is correct
• Look for signals using <-- without corresponding constraints

"Not enough values"

• Ensure all inputs are provided in test
• Check array sizes match template parameters

"Scalar size exceeds field size"

• Input value is too large for the field
• Use range constraints to validate inputs

High constraint count

• Review circuit for optimization opportunities
• Consider refactoring complex logic
• Check for unnecessary component instantiations

Debugging Tips

1. Add debug signals: Create intermediate signals to inspect values in witness
2. Use circom logger: Add log() statements in circuit
3. Test incrementally: Build circuit piece by piece, testing each addition
4. Verify constraint count: Monitor constraint growth as you add logic

Scripts Reference

compile_circuit.sh

Compile circom circuits to WASM and R1CS.

./scripts/compile_circuit.sh <circuit_file> [options]

Options:
  -o, --output DIR    Output directory (default: build)
  -h, --help         Show help

setup_keys.sh

Generate proving and verification keys.

./scripts/setup_keys.sh <r1cs_file> [options]

Options:
  -s, --size N        Circuit size (default: 12)
  -o, --output DIR    Output directory (default: build/zkey)
  -p, --ptau DIR      ptau directory (default: ptau)
  -h, --help         Show help

verify_proof.js

Verify a zero-knowledge proof.

node scripts/verify_proof.js [options]

Options:
  -p, --proof FILE     Proof JSON file
  -s, --signals FILE   Public signals JSON file
  -v, --vkey FILE      Verification key file
  -h, --help          Show help

References

This skill includes detailed reference documentation:

circomlib_components.md

Standard library component reference:

• Hash functions (Poseidon, MiMC)
• Comparators (IsZero, LessThan, IsEqual)
• Multiplexers (Mux1, Mux3)
• Bitwise operations (Num2Bits, Bits2Num)
• Merkle trees (SMTVerifier)
• Signatures (EdDSA)

best_practices.md

Security and optimization guidelines:

• Constraint writing best practices
• Security considerations
• Optimization techniques
• Testing and debugging
• Common pitfalls and how to avoid them

circuit_patterns.md

Implementation patterns for common use cases:

• Authentication patterns
• Merkle tree patterns
• Range proof patterns
• Voting patterns
• Privacy-preserving patterns

Example: Complete Workflow

Here's a complete example of implementing a password authentication circuit:

// 1. Create circuit: circuits/password_auth.circom
pragma circom 2.0.0;
include "node_modules/circomlib/circuits/poseidon.circom";

template PasswordAuth() {
    signal input password;
    signal input passwordHash;

    component hasher = Poseidon(1);
    hasher.inputs[0] <== password;
    passwordHash === hasher.out;
}

component main {public [passwordHash]} = PasswordAuth();

# 2. Compile
bash scripts/compile_circuit.sh circuits/password_auth.circom

# 3. Setup keys
bash scripts/setup_keys.sh build/password_auth.r1cs

// 4. Create test: test_password.js
const snarkjs = require("snarkjs");
const circomlibjs = require("circomlibjs");

async function test() {
  // Calculate expected hash
  const password = 12345;
  const poseidon = await circomlibjs.buildPoseidon();
  const passwordHash = poseidon.F.toString(poseidon([password]));

  // Generate proof
  const { proof, publicSignals } = await snarkjs.groth16.fullProve(
    { password, passwordHash },
    "build/password_auth_js/password_auth.wasm",
    "build/zkey/password_auth.zkey"
  );

  // Verify
  const vKey = require("./build/zkey/verification_key.json");
  const isValid = await snarkjs.groth16.verify(vKey, publicSignals, proof);
  console.log("Valid:", isValid);
}

test();

# 5. Run test
node test_password.js

Additional Resources

• Circom Documentation: https://docs.circom.io/
• circomlib Repository: https://github.com/iden3/circomlib
• snarkjs: https://github.com/iden3/snarkjs
• 0xPARC Learning: https://learn.0xparc.org/
• ZK Whiteboard Sessions: https://zkhack.dev/whiteboard/