{
  "type": "failure-mode",
  "name": "Underestimating the recursion threshold",
  "slug": "underestimating-the-recursion-threshold",
  "section": {
    "id": "proof-systems",
    "number": "01",
    "title": "Choosing a proof system",
    "url": "https://zkpick.com/proof-systems/"
  },
  "url": "https://zkpick.com/proof-systems/failure-modes/underestimating-the-recursion-threshold/",
  "markdown": "https://zkpick.com/md/proof-systems/failure-modes/underestimating-the-recursion-threshold.md",
  "detail": "Recursion is assumed to be available, then the in-circuit verifier turns out to be large enough that the minimum useful step size exceeds the actual workload — so recursion costs more than it saves.",
  "mitigation": "Get the concrete size of the in-circuit verifier circuit before designing around recursion, and check whether it requires non-native field arithmetic, which typically dominates.",
  "relatedOptions": [],
  "updated": "2026-09-12",
  "version": "1.3",
  "canonical": "https://zkpick.com/proof-systems/failure-modes/underestimating-the-recursion-threshold/",
  "license": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "authors": [
    "MarketComp"
  ]
}