A Reusable Isabelle/HOL Framework for Propositional Labelled Natural Deduction

Arthur Freitas Ramos 📧, David Barros Hulak 📧 and Ruy Jose Guerra Barretto de Queiroz 📧

May 27, 2026

Abstract

A reusable Isabelle/HOL framework showing that labelled natural deduction can be treated as a conservative refinement of ordinary natural deduction, with generic structural metatheory and several concrete label interpretations. We define ordinary intuitionistic propositional natural deduction and a parametric labelled refinement. We prove erasure soundness, namely that labelled derivations become ordinary derivations after erasing labels, and a controlled lifting theorem, namely that ordinary derivations admit some labelling. We instantiate the framework with unit labels, recovering ordinary natural deduction as a special case via conservativity; provenance labels, giving a sound over-approximation of assumption dependencies; and a small possible-world modal example, including a derivation of the modal K axiom. Standard structural metatheory, including weakening, exchange, substitution, and cut admissibility, is proved for both the ordinary and labelled systems. The modal fragment is presented as an example instantiation, not as a full labelled modal proof theory. The development is fully constructive, contains no unfinished proof commands or oracle invocations, and is intended as a foundation that other entries can cite.

License

BSD License

Note

Codex with gpt 5.5 on xhigh reasoning was used to help with proof engineering

Topics

Session Gabbay_Labelled_Natural_Deduction