Visual Circuit Editor for Noir: A Graphical Interface for ZKP Development

[0xKarl98]

Summary

This proposal aims to develop a visual circuit editor for Noir that bridges the gap between graphical programming and zero-knowledge proof development. The tool will provide both high-level circuit design capabilities and low-level ACIR visualization, enabling developers to design, optimize, and understand ZK circuits through an intuitive graphical interface. By visualizing the relationship between code and circuits, the editor will help developers optimize gate counts, understand data flow, and identify inefficient patterns. The implementation will be a web-based application or Visual Studio Code extension that supports bidirectional conversion between visual representations and Noir code, making ZKP development more accessible to both beginners and experienced developers.

Motivation

Zero-knowledge proof development requires a deep understanding of circuit design principles and optimization techniques. Current Noir developers face several challenges:

• Steep Learning Curve: Understanding how high-level code translates to arithmetic circuits requires specialized knowledge that creates barriers for new developers.

• Optimization Difficulties: Optimizing gate counts in Noir programs is challenging without visual feedback on how code changes affect the underlying circuit structure.

• Abstraction Gap: There's a significant gap between the Noir code developers write and the ACIR representation that determines performance.

• Debugging Complexity: Identifying inefficient patterns or bugs in circuit design is difficult without visualizing data flow and operation dependencies.

A visual circuit editor would address these issues by providing immediate visual feedback on circuit structure, enabling developers to understand the relationship between code and performance. This aligns with Noir's vision of making ZKPs more accessible and easier to develop.

Methodology

The development approach will consist of the following components:

1. Architecture Design

Create a modular architecture with clear separation between:

• Circuit visualization engine
• Noir code parser and generator
• ACIR interpreter
• User interface components

2. Circuit Visualization

Implement a directed graph visualization system with:

• Interactive node-edge representation
• Zoom and pan capabilities
• Collapsible composite nodes for managing complexity
• Color coding for different operation types and optimization opportunities

3. Noir Integration

Develop bidirectional conversion between Noir code and visual representation:

• Parse Noir code to generate visual circuits
• Generate optimized Noir code from visual circuit designs
• Maintain synchronization between code and visual representation

4. ACIR Visualization

Create a visualization layer for ACIR:

• Represent ACIR opcodes as nodes
• Show witness relationships and dependencies
• Provide metrics on gate counts and circuit complexity
• Highlight optimization opportunities

5. Optimization Feedback

Implement real-time feedback mechanisms:

• Gate count estimation for circuit components
• Highlighting of inefficient patterns
• Suggestions for optimizations based on Noir best practices
• Comparative views showing before/after optimization effects

6. User Interface

Design an intuitive interface with:

• Drag-and-drop circuit design capabilities
• Split views showing code and visual representation side-by-side
• Property panels for configuring node properties
• Library of common ZKP patterns and components

7.Comparison against existing visualizers

ZKFlow (ETHGlobal):

• Generic visual programming interface for ZK circuits
• Drag-and-drop circuit construction
• Limited to basic arithmetic operations
• No source code integration

R1CS Circuit Visualizer :

• Post-compilation R1CS constraint visualization
• Static analysis of existing circuits
• Good for understanding R1CS structure

My native noir Visual Circuit Editor :

• Native integration with Noir's compilation pipeline
• Real-time bidirectional code-circuit synchronization
• ACIR-specific optimization insights based on Noir's constraint model

Detailed Mock-up Specifications

1. Function-Level Circuit Graph View

Layout & Structure

• Canvas-based rendering with infinite scroll and zoom (10%-500% range)
• Hierarchical node layout using force-directed graph algorithms
• Each function rendered as a rounded rectangle node (120px width minimum)
• Node headers display function signature with parameter types
• Expandable/collapsible sub-nodes for internal operations

Node Visual Elements:

• Header Section: Function name, input/output parameter count, visibility modifiers
• Metrics Panel: Real-time constraint count, witness usage, estimated proving time
• Status Indicators: Color-coded borders (green: <100 constraints, yellow: 100-1000, red: >1000)
• Connection Points: Input/output ports with type-specific shapes (circles for Field, squares for arrays)

Interactive Features:

• Hover tooltips showing detailed metrics from ACIR analysis
• Right-click context menus for optimization suggestions
• Drag-and-drop for circuit reorganization
• Multi-select for batch operations

2. ACIR Opcode-Level Visualization

Technical Implementation:

• Renders individual ACIR opcodes as distinct node types based on the constraint model
• Each opcode node displays: operation type, witness indices, constraint weight
• Witness connections shown as directed edges with data flow arrows

Node Categories:

• Arithmetic Nodes: Addition, multiplication, division (blue color scheme)
• Logic Nodes: AND, OR, XOR operations (green color scheme)
• Memory Nodes: Array access, struct field access (purple color scheme)
• Black-box Nodes: Hash functions, signature verification (orange color scheme)

Performance Visualization:

• Edge thickness proportional to witness data size
• Node size reflects computational complexity
• Critical path highlighting for bottleneck identification
• Real-time constraint count updates during code modifications

3. Synchronized Code-Circuit Interface
   Layout Design:

• 50/50 split-pane layout with resizable divider
• Left pane: Monaco editor with Noir syntax highlighting
• Right pane: Interactive circuit visualization
• Bottom panel: Performance metrics dashboard (collapsible)

Synchronization Features:

• Bidirectional Selection: Clicking code line highlights corresponding circuit nodes
• Real-time Updates: Circuit updates within 200ms of code changes
• Error Visualization: Compilation errors shown as red nodes in circuit view
• Optimization Hints: Inline suggestions in code editor with circuit impact preview

Integration Points:

• Leverages Noir's language server for real-time analysis
• Uses compilation pipeline for AST to ACIR mapping

4.Performance Analytics Dashboard
Metrics Display:

• Primary Metrics: Total constraints, witness count, proving time estimation
• Breakdown Charts: Pie chart showing constraint distribution by operation type
• Trend Analysis: Line graphs showing metrics evolution during development
• Comparison Views: Side-by-side before/after optimization analysis

5. Technical Architecture Details
   WebAssembly Integration:

• Noir compiler compiled to WASM for client-side circuit analysis
• Web workers for background processing of large circuits (>10k constraints)
• Virtualized rendering for circuits exceeding browser memory limits
• Progressive loading with lazy evaluation for complex dependency graphs

Performance Targets:

• Initial render: <500ms for circuits up to 5k constraints
• Real-time updates: <200ms response time for code changes
• Memory usage: <100MB for typical development sessions
• Scalability: Support circuits up to 50k constraints with pagination

(Optional)Business Model

Currently this is optional , our main focus would be implementation itself . To ensure sustainable funding for ongoing development and maintenance:

1. Open Core Model:

• Core functionality will be open-source and free
• Premium features for enterprise users (advanced analytics, team collaboration, custom component libraries)

2. Support Services:

• Paid support packages for enterprise users
• Training and workshops for teams adopting the tool

3. Community Building:

• Build a community of contributors to extend the tool
• Create a marketplace for custom components and templates

4. Strategic Partnerships:

• Partner with ZKP platforms and protocols to provide specialized tooling
• Collaborate with educational institutions for research and development

Timeline and Deliverables

Month 1-2: Foundation and Basic Visualization

• Complete architecture design and technology selection
• Implement basic circuit visualization engine
• Develop Noir code parser for simple programs
• Create initial UI prototype with basic interaction

Month 3-4: Core Functionality

• Implement bidirectional conversion between Noir code and visual representation
• Develop ACIR visualization capabilities
• Create library of basic circuit components
• Implement drag-and-drop circuit design

Month 5-6: Optimization and Refinement

• Add real-time gate count estimation
• Implement optimization suggestions
• Develop pattern recognition for inefficient code
• Create comprehensive documentation and tutorials
• Release beta version for community testing

Final Deliverables

• Open-source visual circuit editor for Noir
• Comprehensive documentation and user guides
• Tutorial videos and example projects
• Community forum for support and feature requests

Team

Karl https://github.com/0xKarl98
qpzm https://github.com/qpzm
Brian https://github.com/KyoungWan
teddav https://github.com/teddav

Start Date

June.2025

[Savio-Sou]

Hi @0xKarl98, thank you for submitting the proposal!

It'd be great if you could elaborate further on how you imagine the visualization to be; a few mock-ups perhaps would be very helpful!