What Is a ‘Specification’ in the Context of Formal Verification?

A specification is a precise, unambiguous mathematical description of what a smart contract is intended to do and, crucially, what it must never do. It defines the required properties, such as "the total supply of tokens must never increase beyond the initial amount" (an invariant).

The formal verification process then uses mathematical proofs to check if the contract's code logic adheres to this specification under all possible conditions. It serves as the definitive blueprint for the contract's correct and secure financial behavior.