Discussion
Loading...

#Tag

Log in
  • About
  • Code of conduct
  • Privacy
  • Users
  • Instances
  • About Bonfire
Hacker News
Hacker News
@h4ckernews@mastodon.social  ·  activity timestamp 3 days ago

Designing Predictable LLM-Verifier Systems for Formal Method Guarantee

https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.02080

#HackerNews #Designing #Predictable #LLM-Verifier #Systems #for #Formal #Method #Guarantee #LLMVerifier #FormalMethods #AIResearch #Predictability #arXiv

arXiv.org

The 4/$δ$ Bound: Designing Predictable LLM-Verifier Systems for Formal Method Guarantee

The integration of Formal Verification tools with Large Language Models (LLMs) offers a path to scale software verification beyond manual workflows. However, current methods remain unreliable: without a solid theoretical footing, the refinement process acts as a black box that may oscillate, loop, or diverge. This work bridges this critical gap by developing an LLM-Verifier Convergence Theorem, providing the first formal framework with provable guarantees for termination in multi-stage verification pipelines. We model the interaction not as a generic loop, but as a sequential absorbing Markov Chain comprising four essential engineering stages: \texttt{CodeGen}, \texttt{Compilation}, \texttt{InvariantSynth}, and \texttt{SMTSolving}. We prove that for any non-zero stage success probability ($δ> 0$), the system reaches the \texttt{Verified} state almost surely. Furthermore, because of the sequential nature of the pipeline, we derive a precise latency bound of $\mathbb{E}[n] \leq 4/δ$. We stress-tested this prediction in an extensive empirical campaign comprising over 90,000 trials. The results match the theory with striking consistency: every run reached verification, and the empirical convergence factor clustered tightly around $C_f\approx 1.0$, confirming that the $4/δ$ bound accurately mirrors system behavior rather than serving as a loose buffer. Based on this data, we identify three distinct operating zones -- marginal, practical, and high-performance -- and propose a dynamic calibration strategy to handle parameter drift in real-world environments. Together, these contributions replace heuristic guesswork with a rigorous architectural foundation, enabling predictable resource planning and performance budgeting for safety-critical software.
  • Copy link
  • Flag this post
  • Block

bonfire.cafe

A space for Bonfire maintainers and contributors to communicate

bonfire.cafe: About · Code of conduct · Privacy · Users · Instances
Bonfire social · 1.0.1-alpha.41 no JS en
Automatic federation enabled
Log in
  • Explore
  • About
  • Members
  • Code of Conduct