Type optimization

Purpose

Identify variable declarations and arithmetic expressions where type choices add masking overhead or consume unnecessary storage slots. The EVM operates natively on 256-bit words; types smaller than 256 bits add AND masking opcodes in computation contexts and waste storage slots when used as standalone state variables.

When to Use

• Writing or reviewing state variable declarations
• Reviewing function signatures with small integer types
• Reviewing arithmetic-heavy functions or loop bodies
• Pre-audit cleanup of variable declarations

When NOT to Use

• Variables inside packed storage structs: smaller types ARE the optimization in that context (they reduce slot count). TY-001 and SL-001 apply in opposite contexts.
• When a smaller type is required for interface compatibility (e.g., ERC-20 decimals() returns uint8, ERC-2981 royaltyInfo returns uint96)
• When semantic range enforcement is the intent (a value that must wrap at 255)

Platform Detection

Trigger on any .sol file containing:

• uint8, uint16, uint32, or uint64 local variables, parameters, or return types used in computation outside of a packed struct (TY-001)
• string state variable assigned a short literal or fixed value (TY-002)
• Three or more standalone bool state variable declarations (TY-003)
• An explicit downcast immediately followed by widening in arithmetic (TY-004)

Quick Reference

Context	Pattern	Fix
Local variable / return / param NOT in packed struct	uint8/uint16/uint32/uint64 in arithmetic	uint256 (no masking)
Short fixed string (≤31 bytes) as state var	string public symbol	bytes32 (one slot, no length)
3+ standalone bool state vars	bool a; bool b; bool c;	uint256 bitmap
Downcast then widen in same expression	uint128(x) * uint256(y)	uint256(x) * uint256(y)
Bool in packed struct alongside address	OK — keeps slot full	No change needed

Workflow

1. Scan state variables: standalone bools (TY-003) and string-as-bytes32 (TY-002). List all state variable declarations at the contract level. Count consecutive or standalone bool declarations not inside a struct. If three or more exist, flag for TY-003 bitmap conversion. For each string state variable, check its assigned value: is it a short identifier (symbol, name, version string) of ≤31 bytes? If so, flag for TY-002 replacement with bytes32.

2. Scan function signatures and local vars: small types in computation contexts (TY-001). For each function, check parameter types and local variable declarations. Identify any uint8, uint16, uint32, or uint64 values that are used in arithmetic operations and are NOT being stored in a packed struct field. These incur AND masking opcodes on every arithmetic operation. Flag for TY-001 upgrade to uint256.

3. Scan hot-path arithmetic: unnecessary downcasts followed by widening (TY-004). In functions marked as hot paths (called frequently, inside loops, or performance-critical), search for explicit downcast expressions of the form uint128(x) or uint64(x) where the cast result is immediately used in an expression that widens back to uint256. This cast pays an AND masking cost with no benefit. Flag for TY-004 removal of the intermediate cast.

Output Format

Report each finding with: pattern ID, variable name or expression, file and line reference, gas estimate, and the exact change required.

Example finding (TY-003 — bitmap for 4 bool state vars):

TY-003 | GovernanceToken.sol:8–11 | 4 standalone bool state variables
  Severity : high
  Gas saved : 3 storage slots eliminated
              Cold write savings: 3 × 22,100 = 66,300 gas
              Cold read savings : 3 × 2,100  = 6,300 gas per co-access

  Before:
    bool public paused;          // slot 0
    bool public mintEnabled;     // slot 1
    bool public burnEnabled;     // slot 2
    bool public transferLocked;  // slot 3

  After:
    uint256 private constant FLAG_PAUSED         = 1;   // bit 0
    uint256 private constant FLAG_MINT_ENABLED   = 2;   // bit 1
    uint256 private constant FLAG_BURN_ENABLED   = 4;   // bit 2
    uint256 private constant FLAG_TRANSFER_LOCK  = 8;   // bit 3

    uint256 private _flags;   // single storage slot for all 4 flags

    function isPaused() external view returns (bool) {
        return _flags & FLAG_PAUSED != 0;
    }
    function pause() external onlyOwner {
        _flags |= FLAG_PAUSED;
    }

  Verify:
    forge inspect GovernanceToken storageLayout --json  # 1 slot not 4
    forge snapshot --diff

Example finding (TY-002 — bytes32 for string symbol):

TY-002 | ERC20Token.sol:6 | string public symbol
  Severity : medium
  Gas saved : ~22,100 gas deployment (slot eliminated) + ~500 gas per write

  Before:
    string public symbol;
    constructor() { symbol = "USDC"; }

  After:
    bytes32 public constant SYMBOL = "USDC";
    // ERC-20 interface: return string from bytes32 in getter if needed
    function symbol() external pure returns (string memory) {
        return string(abi.encodePacked(SYMBOL));
    }

  Reason: "USDC" is 4 bytes — fits in bytes32 with no truncation risk.
  As constant, the compiler inlines the value: zero storage slots, zero
  SLOADs per read.

Supporting Docs

Only read these files when explicitly needed — do not load all three by default:

File	Read only when…
resources/PATTERNS.md	You need TY-004 (redundant downcast) edge cases or a TY-003 bitmap encoding example beyond what's shown above
resources/CHECKLIST.md	Producing a formal /decipher-gas-optimizoor:analyze report and confirming all type patterns were checked
resources/EXAMPLE_FINDING.md	Generating a report and needing the exact output format for a multi-type finding
docs/evm-gas-reference.md	You need slot packing rules or SSTORE costs to back a TY-002/TY-003 storage slot estimate

Example finding (TY-001 — uint256 for loop counter):

TY-001 | BatchProcessor.sol:34 | uint8 i in loop
  Severity : low
  Gas saved : ~10–22 gas per loop iteration (AND 0xFF masking eliminated)

  Before:
    for (uint8 i = 0; i < items.length; ++i) {

  After:
    for (uint256 i = 0; i < items.length; ++i) {

  Reason: i is used only as a counter and index — never stored in a packed
  struct. uint8 triggers AND 0xFF masking after each ++i. uint256 is the
  EVM native word size; no masking needed.