The original title is "Reading an Audit Contest Scope Like an Auditor: Invariants First, Code Second"

Short summary

A methodology guide for auditing smart contracts by starting with invariants—properties that must always hold—before reading any code. The author explains how to identify externally reachable functions, map them against invariants, and hunt for violations at trust boundaries like oracles, admin roles, and cross-contract calls. The approach prioritizes understanding what the protocol promises over how it's implemented.

• •Start audits by writing down invariants (what must always be true) before reading code
• •Map external functions against invariants to find intersection points where bugs live
• •Focus on trust boundaries: oracles, admin roles, cross-contract calls, and token assumptions

Generated with AI, which can make mistakes.