Deductive verification with Dafny and Why3
Contract
| Field |
Bound contract |
| Trigger |
The task is to prove the pre-conditions, post-conditions, and loop invariants of imperative code with an SMT-backed prover: Dafny for annotate-then-verify on executable code, Why3 for multi-prover goals over WhyML. Methodology stays with proof-driven. |
| Authority |
Reversible local: writes only Dafny and WhyML source files, prover configuration, and session files under the project; rollback is version control. No remote mutation. |
| Side effect |
Local writes to annotated sources, the Why3 user configuration, and .why3session.xml proof sessions. No remote mutation. |
| Done |
The module verifies with no unproved obligations: dafny verify reports zero errors, or every Why3 goal is Valid and why3 replay re-confirms the session. |
Inputs
- Code to verify: Dafny sources (
.dfy) or WhyML sources (.mlw), new or existing.
- The property set: pre-conditions, post-conditions, loop invariants, and termination measures.
- Dafny 4.11 (current release 4.11.0, 2026-08-25), installed per dafny.org with
dotnet tool install --global dafny, Homebrew, or the binary archive; the release bundles its own Z3. Reference: DafnyRef at dafny.org.
- Why3 1.8.2, installed with
opam install why3 (add why3-ide for the GUI), with at least one prover detected. Manual at why3.org/doc.
- Pipeline fact: Dafny verification lowers to Boogie, which encodes to Z3.
Procedure
- Install and detect provers. Install Dafny or Why3, then confirm a solver exists. Dafny carries a bundled Z3, so its CLI runs directly. Why3 needs
why3 config detect to find provers (Alt-Ergo, CVC4, CVC5, Z3) and record them in the user configuration. Done when: dafny verify runs on a trivial file, or why3 config detect lists at least one prover.
- Write the contracts first. State
requires and ensures on every method or function, modifies where a method touches the heap, and a decreases measure on recursion. Give every while loop an invariant set, because Dafny verifies loops through their specifications. In WhyML, write requires, ensures, and a variant termination measure on each let rec. Done when: every property is in the source and the first verification run names unproved goals instead of failing on structure.
- Clear failures one obligation at a time. Read the error span, state the missing intermediate fact as an
assert, and re-verify. Strengthen a loop invariant before touching the post-condition. A calc chain decomposes an arithmetic gap in Dafny. Cap noisy output with --verification-error-limit:<n> (default 5; 0 reports all). Done when: the targeted obligation passes and no new obligation appeared.
- Drive Why3 goals across provers. Run
why3 prove file.mlw for a batch summary of Valid, Unknown, or Timeout per goal. Open why3 ide file.mlw to run one goal under alternate provers and apply transformations such as split. Save the session, then re-check it in batch with why3 replay <project-directory>, which reruns every proof stored in the directory's why3session.xml. Done when: every goal is Valid under a prover recorded in the session and why3 replay confirms it.
- Gate the result. Delivered code has zero verification errors and no weakened contract: never drop a
requires or ensures to make a goal pass, and make an inferred loop invariant explicit when the proof depends on it. Run dafny run for an executable check, or dafny translate cs|java|go|py (js also exists; cpp has limited support) when a build target is set. Done when: verification is clean, the executable check or translation target succeeds, and the contracts in the diff match the stated properties.
Failure and recovery
Post-condition fails on a loop: add the invariant that states what the completed iterations have established, and re-verify. Verification times out: split the method or the goal, with intermediate asserts or calc steps in Dafny and the split transformation in Why3, before raising any time budget. Why3 session drifts: why3 replay reports a status change, so re-run the affected goal in why3 ide instead of trusting the stored result. No prover detected: install a solver and run why3 config detect again; a missing Dafny Z3 is fixed by reinstalling Dafny. A property that cannot be established: factor it into a lemma (Dafny) or a helper function (WhyML) and prove it separately; do not weaken the contract. Scope creep: stop and roll back to the last verified state.
Output
Sources whose contracts verify: dafny verify clean, or a Why3 session whose every goal is Valid and which why3 replay re-confirms. Where a build target applies, the translated or runnable output of the verified module.
1---2name: deductive-verification-with-dafny-and-why33description: Use when an imperative program needs pre-conditions, post-conditions, and loop invariants proved automatically by SMT in Dafny or Why3, short of a tactic prover.4---56# Deductive verification with Dafny and Why378## Contract910| Field | Bound contract |11|---|---|12| Trigger | The task is to prove the pre-conditions, post-conditions, and loop invariants of imperative code with an SMT-backed prover: Dafny for annotate-then-verify on executable code, Why3 for multi-prover goals over WhyML. Methodology stays with proof-driven. |13| Authority | Reversible local: writes only Dafny and WhyML source files, prover configuration, and session files under the project; rollback is version control. No remote mutation. |14| Side effect | Local writes to annotated sources, the Why3 user configuration, and `.why3session.xml` proof sessions. No remote mutation. |15| Done | The module verifies with no unproved obligations: `dafny verify` reports zero errors, or every Why3 goal is Valid and `why3 replay` re-confirms the session. |1617## Inputs1819- Code to verify: Dafny sources (`.dfy`) or WhyML sources (`.mlw`), new or existing.20- The property set: pre-conditions, post-conditions, loop invariants, and termination measures.21- Dafny 4.11 (current release 4.11.0, 2026-08-25), installed per dafny.org with `dotnet tool install --global dafny`, Homebrew, or the binary archive; the release bundles its own Z3. Reference: DafnyRef at dafny.org.22- Why3 1.8.2, installed with `opam install why3` (add `why3-ide` for the GUI), with at least one prover detected. Manual at why3.org/doc.23- Pipeline fact: Dafny verification lowers to Boogie, which encodes to Z3.2425## Procedure26271. **Install and detect provers.** Install Dafny or Why3, then confirm a solver exists. Dafny carries a bundled Z3, so its CLI runs directly. Why3 needs `why3 config detect` to find provers (Alt-Ergo, CVC4, CVC5, Z3) and record them in the user configuration. Done when: `dafny verify` runs on a trivial file, or `why3 config detect` lists at least one prover.282. **Write the contracts first.** State `requires` and `ensures` on every method or function, `modifies` where a method touches the heap, and a `decreases` measure on recursion. Give every `while` loop an `invariant` set, because Dafny verifies loops through their specifications. In WhyML, write `requires`, `ensures`, and a `variant` termination measure on each `let rec`. Done when: every property is in the source and the first verification run names unproved goals instead of failing on structure.293. **Clear failures one obligation at a time.** Read the error span, state the missing intermediate fact as an `assert`, and re-verify. Strengthen a loop invariant before touching the post-condition. A `calc` chain decomposes an arithmetic gap in Dafny. Cap noisy output with `--verification-error-limit:<n>` (default 5; 0 reports all). Done when: the targeted obligation passes and no new obligation appeared.304. **Drive Why3 goals across provers.** Run `why3 prove file.mlw` for a batch summary of Valid, Unknown, or Timeout per goal. Open `why3 ide file.mlw` to run one goal under alternate provers and apply transformations such as split. Save the session, then re-check it in batch with `why3 replay <project-directory>`, which reruns every proof stored in the directory's `why3session.xml`. Done when: every goal is Valid under a prover recorded in the session and `why3 replay` confirms it.315. **Gate the result.** Delivered code has zero verification errors and no weakened contract: never drop a `requires` or `ensures` to make a goal pass, and make an inferred loop invariant explicit when the proof depends on it. Run `dafny run` for an executable check, or `dafny translate cs|java|go|py` (js also exists; cpp has limited support) when a build target is set. Done when: verification is clean, the executable check or translation target succeeds, and the contracts in the diff match the stated properties.3233## Failure and recovery3435Post-condition fails on a loop: add the invariant that states what the completed iterations have established, and re-verify. Verification times out: split the method or the goal, with intermediate asserts or `calc` steps in Dafny and the split transformation in Why3, before raising any time budget. Why3 session drifts: `why3 replay` reports a status change, so re-run the affected goal in `why3 ide` instead of trusting the stored result. No prover detected: install a solver and run `why3 config detect` again; a missing Dafny Z3 is fixed by reinstalling Dafny. A property that cannot be established: factor it into a `lemma` (Dafny) or a helper function (WhyML) and prove it separately; do not weaken the contract. Scope creep: stop and roll back to the last verified state.3637## Output3839Sources whose contracts verify: `dafny verify` clean, or a Why3 session whose every goal is Valid and which `why3 replay` re-confirms. Where a build target applies, the translated or runnable output of the verified module.
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