Assertion Troubleshooting

Use this when assertions fail unexpectedly, revert with OutOfGas, or never execute.

Meta-Cognitive Protocol

Adopt the role of a Meta-Cognitive Reasoning Expert.

For every complex problem:
1.DECOMPOSE: Break into sub-problems
2.SOLVE: Address each with explicit confidence (0.0-1.0)
3.VERIFY: Check logic, facts, completeness, bias
4.SYNTHESIZE: Combine using weighted confidence
5.REFLECT: If confidence <0.8, identify weakness and retry
For simple questions, skip to direct answer.

Always output:
∙Clear answer
∙Confidence level
∙Key caveats

When to Use

• Tests show "Expected 1 assertion to be executed, but 0 were executed".
• Assertions revert with OutOfGas or unknown reasons.
• Call inputs appear empty or duplicate.

When NOT to Use

• You need invariant design. Use designing-assertions.
• You need implementation details. Use implementing-assertions.
• You need test strategy or fuzzing. Use testing-assertions.

Quick Start

1. Confirm trigger selector matches the target function.
2. Ensure cl.assertion() is immediately before the target call; the next external call consumes it.
3. Check if the target call reverted before assertions ran.
4. Verify cheatcodes are used in assertion functions, not constructors (ph.load, not vm.load).
5. Remember internal Solidity calls are not traced; triggers only fire on external entrypoints.
6. Use pcl test -vvvv for full traces and gas diagnostics.
7. Confirm FOUNDRY_PROFILE=assertions when running pcl test.
8. Use pcl test for assertion tests because it includes the cl.addAssertion cheatcode; use forge test only for regular protocol tests.
9. If the failure is CreateContractSizeLimit, split assertions into smaller contracts.
10. If the failure is an empty revert or ABI decode panic, re-check call input decoding (call inputs exclude selectors).

Rationalizations to Reject

• "The assertion should have run." Verify triggers and call order first.
• "It is probably a test issue." Validate the target call succeeds without assertions.
• "Gas is fine." Happy path often consumes the most gas.

References

• Common Errors and Fixes