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DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.LICS.2026.27

Eliminating Reversals from Cubical Type Theories

Authors: Evan Cavallo and Christian Sattler

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 380, 41st Annual Symposium on Logic in Computer Science (LICS 2026)

Abstract

Cubical type theories are designed around an abstract unit interval from which types of paths, used to represent equalities, are defined. Varying the operations available on this interval yields different type theories. A reversal is an involutive operator on the interval that swaps its two endpoints. We show that for cubical type theories with self-dual interval theories, such as the minimal theory of two endpoints or the theory of a bounded distributive lattice, the extension of the theory with a reversal that internalizes the duality is a conservative extension. The key tool is a "twist construction": the product of an interval and its dual is again an interval with a reversal given by swapping coordinates. Our conservativity result applies to "opaque" cubical type theories, without strict equations reducing the filling operator at concrete type formers or eliminators from higher inductive types at path constructors. Using the same twist construction, we also construct models of strict cubical type theory with reversals in categories of cubical sets without reversals. We thereby give the first model of a theory with reversals whose homotopy theory corresponds to that of topological spaces.

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Evan Cavallo and Christian Sattler. Eliminating Reversals from Cubical Type Theories. In 41st Annual Symposium on Logic in Computer Science (LICS 2026). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 380, pp. 27:1-27:27, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2026)

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@InProceedings{cavallo_et_al:LIPIcs.LICS.2026.27,
  author =	{Cavallo, Evan and Sattler, Christian},
  title =	{{Eliminating Reversals from Cubical Type Theories}},
  booktitle =	{41st Annual Symposium on Logic in Computer Science (LICS 2026)},
  pages =	{27:1--27:27},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-434-5},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2026},
  volume =	{380},
  editor =	{Faggian, Claudia and Katoen, Joost-Pieter},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.LICS.2026.27},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-268148},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.LICS.2026.27},
  annote =	{Keywords: Dependent type theory, univalence, cubical type theory}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.FSCD.2024.22

Automating Boundary Filling in Cubical Agda

Authors: Maximilian Doré, Evan Cavallo, and Anders Mörtberg

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 299, 9th International Conference on Formal Structures for Computation and Deduction (FSCD 2024)

Abstract

When working in a proof assistant, automation is key to discharging routine proof goals such as equations between algebraic expressions. Homotopy Type Theory allows the user to reason about higher structures, such as topological spaces, using higher inductive types (HITs) and univalence. Cubical Agda is an extension of Agda with computational support for HITs and univalence. A difficulty when working in Cubical Agda is dealing with the complex combinatorics of higher structures, an infinite-dimensional generalisation of equational reasoning. To solve these higher-dimensional equations consists in constructing cubes with specified boundaries. We develop a simplified cubical language in which we isolate and study two automation problems: contortion solving, where we attempt to "contort" a cube to fit a given boundary, and the more general Kan solving, where we search for solutions that involve pasting multiple cubes together. Both problems are difficult in the general case - Kan solving is even undecidable - so we focus on heuristics that perform well on practical examples. We provide a solver for the contortion problem using a reformulation of contortions in terms of poset maps, while we solve Kan problems using constraint satisfaction programming. We have implemented our algorithms in an experimental Haskell solver that can be used to automatically solve goals presented by Cubical Agda. We illustrate this with a case study establishing the Eckmann-Hilton theorem using our solver, as well as various benchmarks - providing the ground for further study of proof automation in cubical type theories.

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Maximilian Doré, Evan Cavallo, and Anders Mörtberg. Automating Boundary Filling in Cubical Agda. In 9th International Conference on Formal Structures for Computation and Deduction (FSCD 2024). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 299, pp. 22:1-22:18, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2024)

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@InProceedings{dore_et_al:LIPIcs.FSCD.2024.22,
  author =	{Dor\'{e}, Maximilian and Cavallo, Evan and M\"{o}rtberg, Anders},
  title =	{{Automating Boundary Filling in Cubical Agda}},
  booktitle =	{9th International Conference on Formal Structures for Computation and Deduction (FSCD 2024)},
  pages =	{22:1--22:18},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-323-2},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2024},
  volume =	{299},
  editor =	{Rehof, Jakob},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.FSCD.2024.22},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-203514},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.FSCD.2024.22},
  annote =	{Keywords: Cubical Agda, Automated Reasoning, Constraint Satisfaction Programming}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.CSL.2020.13

Internal Parametricity for Cubical Type Theory

Authors: Evan Cavallo and Robert Harper

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 152, 28th EACSL Annual Conference on Computer Science Logic (CSL 2020)

Abstract

We define a computational type theory combining the contentful equality structure of cartesian cubical type theory with internal parametricity primitives. The combined theory supports both univalence and its relational equivalent, which we call relativity. We demonstrate the use of the theory by analyzing polymorphic functions between higher inductive types, and we give an account of the identity extension lemma for internal parametricity.

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Evan Cavallo and Robert Harper. Internal Parametricity for Cubical Type Theory. In 28th EACSL Annual Conference on Computer Science Logic (CSL 2020). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 152, pp. 13:1-13:17, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2020)

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@InProceedings{cavallo_et_al:LIPIcs.CSL.2020.13,
  author =	{Cavallo, Evan and Harper, Robert},
  title =	{{Internal Parametricity for Cubical Type Theory}},
  booktitle =	{28th EACSL Annual Conference on Computer Science Logic (CSL 2020)},
  pages =	{13:1--13:17},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-132-0},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2020},
  volume =	{152},
  editor =	{Fern\'{a}ndez, Maribel and Muscholl, Anca},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.CSL.2020.13},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-116564},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.CSL.2020.13},
  annote =	{Keywords: parametricity, cubical type theory, higher inductive types}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.CSL.2020.14

Unifying Cubical Models of Univalent Type Theory

Authors: Evan Cavallo, Anders Mörtberg, and Andrew W Swan

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 152, 28th EACSL Annual Conference on Computer Science Logic (CSL 2020)

Abstract

We present a new constructive model of univalent type theory based on cubical sets. Unlike prior work on cubical models, ours depends neither on diagonal cofibrations nor connections. This is made possible by weakening the notion of fibration from the cartesian cubical set model, so that it is not necessary to assume that the diagonal on the interval is a cofibration. We have formally verified in Agda that these fibrations are closed under the type formers of cubical type theory and that the model satisfies the univalence axiom. By applying the construction in the presence of diagonal cofibrations or connections and reversals, we recover the existing cartesian and De Morgan cubical set models as special cases. Generalizing earlier work of Sattler for cubical sets with connections, we also obtain a Quillen model structure.

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Evan Cavallo, Anders Mörtberg, and Andrew W Swan. Unifying Cubical Models of Univalent Type Theory. In 28th EACSL Annual Conference on Computer Science Logic (CSL 2020). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 152, pp. 14:1-14:17, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2020)

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@InProceedings{cavallo_et_al:LIPIcs.CSL.2020.14,
  author =	{Cavallo, Evan and M\"{o}rtberg, Anders and Swan, Andrew W},
  title =	{{Unifying Cubical Models of Univalent Type Theory}},
  booktitle =	{28th EACSL Annual Conference on Computer Science Logic (CSL 2020)},
  pages =	{14:1--14:17},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-132-0},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2020},
  volume =	{152},
  editor =	{Fern\'{a}ndez, Maribel and Muscholl, Anca},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.CSL.2020.14},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-116578},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.CSL.2020.14},
  annote =	{Keywords: Cubical Set Models, Cubical Type Theory, Homotopy Type Theory, Univalent Foundations}
}

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Documents authored by Cavallo, Evan

Eliminating Reversals from Cubical Type Theories

Abstract

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Automating Boundary Filling in Cubical Agda

Abstract

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Internal Parametricity for Cubical Type Theory

Abstract

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Unifying Cubical Models of Univalent Type Theory

Abstract

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