IntersectMBO/plutus

The evaluate-builtins optimization isn't conservative

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#6,167 opened on Jun 3, 2024

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Good first issueInternalPlutus IRbugoptimizationstatus: triagedtech debt

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Description

PlutusIR.Transform.EvaluateBuiltins turns ifThenElse True x y into x. That is not conservative: if y throws then the former term will throw and the latter one won't. So this is a bug that needs to be fixed. It wasn't discussed in the original PR.

More importantly, this looks like something that the proper property testing should catch. Look like a perfect opportunity for the PIR generators to show their power. So it'd be best to first write a failing property, then fix the bug.

Contributor guide

Research direction
Write a failing property based test for the evaluate builtins optimization, then fix the bug by making the optimization conservative.
Tech stack
None
Domain
blockchain
Issue type
Bug
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
3
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
1-3 hours
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
Active
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
Clear
Prerequisites
HaskellPlutusProperty testing
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
65