crytic/slither

Improve 1346 to make it more efficient

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#1,570 opened on Jan 9, 2023

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 (5 comments) (0 reactions) (0 assignees)Python (4,769 stars) (886 forks)batch import
enhancementhelp wanted

Description

https://github.com/crytic/slither/pull/1346 is a nice addition, which gives us fundamental features to do structure packing optimisations.

However it has a couple of drawback. For example packing storage variables might lead to more costly execution because of the additional opcode cost.

We could improve the detector to add a couple of heuristics. One example that comes to mind is to use https://eips.ethereum.org/EIPS/eip-2929#sstore-changes, and to pack together variables that are read within the same transaction.

We could make it a tool instead of a detector, and propose different scenario as a result, ie:

  • To optimize the run of contract.function1 pack together ..
  • To optimize the run of contract.function2 pack together ..

Having a tool would allow us additional fine tuning and flags.

Contributor guide

Tech stack
python
Domain
toolingperformance
Issue type
feature
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
4
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
3-5 days
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.
mostly clear
Prerequisites
Solidity storage layoutSlither detector frameworkEIP 2929
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
25
Research direction
Examine the existing detector from PR #1346 to understand its current behavior and limitations. Study EIP 2929 to design heuristics for packing storage variables that are read in the same transaction. Propose converting the detector into a tool that outputs optimization scenarios for specific functions. Identify the relevant module files in the Slither codebase (e.g., under 'slither/detectors/') and outline a plan for implementation.