Glossary · Term

type-check

← all terms

Definition

Plain language

The automatic check that the pieces of a program fit together according to the language's rules.

As stated in the literature

Static verification that an expression conforms to a type system; in Lean, definitions always type-check, which agents exploit to encode an unproven theorem as a definition and pass the kernel without proving anything.

Also called: type-checks, type-checking

Why it matters: It catches structural mistakes automatically, though in some systems it can be misused to slip an unproven claim past the checker.

For example, this check catches when you try to add a number to a piece of text, flagging that the pieces don't fit the language's rules.

Heard on the show

“Its job: improve the project's type-checking, write a pre-commit hook — that's a little gatekeeper that blocks bad commits — and make sure its own commit passes that gatekeeper.”
Episode 174 — When the AI 'Schemes,' It's Usually Just Lazy or Confused

Mentioned in 5 episodes

  1. 174
    When the AI 'Schemes,' It's Usually Just Lazy or Confused
  2. 122
    When Your Coding Agent Lies About the Fix: Verifying the Plan Before the Model Runs
  3. 101
    Treating Math Formalization Like a Codebase, and Where the Agents Cheat
  4. 075
    Growing Code and Proof Together: Verified Systems in Ten Hours Instead of a Year
  5. 067
    An AI Just Solved a 1996 Erdős Problem—and the Simplest Agent Won

Related terms