Ex-OpenAI formal methods lead ships Code Contracts: agentic, non-formal code verification
TacoCohen · x · 2026-09-11
spolu, who spent years on formal methods at OpenAI, argues that while automated proving is now free, we won't formally verify all code — reality is too messy, and you only understand a system if you can maintain it. He proposes an efficient middle ground between fully informal and fully formal extremes: an open format called Code Contracts.
- Agentic verification: structured invariants and specifications written as free text via @cc directives, colocated with code (e.g., 'insufficient funds must fail the payment and leave balance unchanged')
- Metadata (owner/notify/label) enables discovery of all relevant contracts for any given line and ongoing automated verification with notifications on violations
- Co-location prevents spec drift over time; explicit contracts reduce scarce human review effort and give coding agents clear assumptions and verification signals
The format offers a pragmatic alternative between prompt-driven development and full formal verification for agent-driven software work.
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