From Evaluation to Enhancement: Large Language Models for Zero-Knowledge Proof Code Generation

Abstract

Zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs) are increasingly deployed in domains such as privacy-preserving authentication, verifiable computation, and secure finance. However, authoring ZK programs remains challenging: unlike conventional software development, ZK programming manifests a fundamental paradigm shift from \textit{imperative computation} to \textit{declarative verification}. This process requires rigorous reasoning about finite field arithmetic and complex constraint systems (which is rare in common imperative languages), making it knowledge-intensive and error-prone. While large language models (LLMs) have demonstrated strong code generation capabilities in general-purpose languages, their effectiveness for ZK programming, where correctness hinges on both language mastery and constraint-level reasoning, remains unexplored. To address this gap, we propose \textsc{ZK-Eval}, a domain-specific evaluation pipeline that probes LLM capabilities on ZK programming at three levels: language knowledge, algebraic primitive competence, and end-to-end program generation. Our evaluation of four state-of-the-art LLMs reveals that while models demonstrate strong proficiency in language syntax, they struggle when implementing and composing algebraic primitives to specify correct constraint systems, frequently producing incorrect programs. Based on these insights, we introduce \textsc{ZK-Coder}, an agentic framework that augments LLMs with constraint sketching, guided retrieval, and interactive repair. Experiments with GPT-o3 on Circom and Noir show substantial gains, with success rates improving from 20.29\% to 87.85\% and from 28.38\% to 97.79\%, respectively. With \textsc{ZK-Eval} and \textsc{ZK-Coder}, we establish a new basis for systematically measuring and augmenting LLMs in ZK code generation to lower barriers for practitioners and advance privacy computing.