Merkle tree auditor

Skill Yue-Zhou1/zkcrypto-audit/plugins/crypto-primitive-auditors/skills/merkle-tree-auditor

Audit Merkle tree implementations for second-preimage attacks, leaf-node domain separation, sparse tree edge cases, and proof verification soundness.From its SKILL.md

Install

npx -y skills add Yue-Zhou1/zkcrypto-audit --skill merkle-tree-auditor

Assembled from the repository path, not quoted from the project. Check it against their README if it does not work.

One thing to look at

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SKILL.md

2.3 KB, 454 tokens by cl100k_base, as published. Nobody here has run it

merkle-tree-auditor

Domain auditor for Merkle tree construction and proof verification logic.

When to Use

Reviewing Merkle inclusion/exclusion proof verification code
Auditing leaf/internal hashing separation and root construction
Checking sparse Merkle defaults and update semantics
Reviewing multi-proof batching and path validation logic

When NOT to Use

Hash primitive parameter tuning without Merkle tree usage context
Commitment opening systems not based on Merkle authentication paths
Marking suspected Merkle issues as confirmed without verification gates

Core Review Areas

Second-preimage resistance through strict node typing
Leaf-node domain separation and canonical encoding
Sparse tree default values and edge-case handling
Proof length/path validation and index binding
Root update safety and state transition checks

Workflow

Phase 1: Tree model and encoding inventory

Read references/merkle-checklist.md
Identify leaf format, node format, and hash domain tags
Map index-bit ordering and path-direction handling

Phase 2: Proof verification review

Execute workflows/proof-review.md
Verify path length/depth checks, left-right ordering, and root comparison
Check sparse defaults and empty-path handling are fail-closed

Phase 3: Pattern hunt

Read references/finding-patterns.md
Prioritize domain-separation gaps, empty-path acceptance, and unbound multiproof reuse

Phase 4: Handoff

Send surviving findings to crypto-fp-check
Use zkbugs-index only after verification succeeds

Output Contract

Produce a Merkle-audit handoff that includes:

The tree variant and proof path under review
The exact node-typing, path-validation, or root-binding gap
Whether the issue affects soundness, replay/update integrity, or completeness
The next verification or reporting route

Reference Index

What ships with it: 4 files

3.3 KB alongside SKILL.md