diff --git a/src/_table_generation/make_tables.nr b/src/_table_generation/make_tables.nr
index 4f96265..5c3ebc5 100644
--- a/src/_table_generation/make_tables.nr
+++ b/src/_table_generation/make_tables.nr
@@ -65,27 +65,27 @@ unconstrained fn make_token_validation_table() -> [Field; NUM_TOKENS * NUM_TOKEN
     // output is layer type
     // 11 tokens , 3 layers = 11 * 11 * 3 = 121 * 3 = 343
     // object contexts
-    let no_change = ValidationFlags { push_layer: 0, push_layer_type_of_root: 0, pop_layer: 0 };
-    let error_flags =
-        ValidationFlags { push_layer: 0x1000000, push_layer_type_of_root: 0, pop_layer: 0 };
+    let no_change =
+        ValidationFlags { push_layer: false, push_layer_type_of_root: false, pop_layer: false };
+    let error_flags_field = 0x1000000;
     let begin_new_object_flags = ValidationFlags {
-        push_layer: 1,
-        push_layer_type_of_root: OBJECT_LAYER as Field,
-        pop_layer: 0,
+        push_layer: true,
+        push_layer_type_of_root: OBJECT_LAYER != 0,
+        pop_layer: false,
     };
     let begin_new_array_flags = ValidationFlags {
-        push_layer: 1,
-        push_layer_type_of_root: ARRAY_LAYER as Field,
-        pop_layer: 0,
+        push_layer: true,
+        push_layer_type_of_root: ARRAY_LAYER != 0,
+        pop_layer: false,
     };
     let end_object_or_array_flags: ValidationFlags =
-        ValidationFlags { push_layer: 0, push_layer_type_of_root: 0, pop_layer: 1 };
+        ValidationFlags { push_layer: false, push_layer_type_of_root: false, pop_layer: true };
 
     let token_ids: [u32; NUM_TOKENS] = [0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10];
 
-    let error_token_outcomes: [Field; NUM_TOKENS] = token_ids.map(|_| error_flags.to_field());
+    let error_token_outcomes: [Field; NUM_TOKENS] = token_ids.map(|_| error_flags_field);
     let object_layer_begin_object_token_outcomes: [Field; NUM_TOKENS] = token_ids.map(|token| {
-        let mut result = error_flags.to_field();
+        let mut result = error_flags_field;
         if (token == KEY_TOKEN) {
             result = no_change.to_field();
         }
@@ -98,13 +98,13 @@ unconstrained fn make_token_validation_table() -> [Field; NUM_TOKENS * NUM_TOKEN
     let object_layer_key_token_outcomes: [Field; NUM_TOKENS] = token_ids.map(|token| {
         let mut result = no_change.to_field();
         if (token != KEY_SEPARATOR_TOKEN) {
-            result = error_flags.to_field();
+            result = error_flags_field;
         }
         result
     });
 
     let object_layer_key_separator_token_outcomes: [Field; NUM_TOKENS] = token_ids.map(|token| {
-        let mut result = error_flags.to_field();
+        let mut result = error_flags_field;
         if (token == STRING_TOKEN) | (token == LITERAL_TOKEN) | (token == NUMERIC_TOKEN) {
             result = no_change.to_field();
         }
@@ -118,7 +118,7 @@ unconstrained fn make_token_validation_table() -> [Field; NUM_TOKENS * NUM_TOKEN
     });
 
     let object_layer_value_token_outcomes: [Field; NUM_TOKENS] = token_ids.map(|token| {
-        let mut result = error_flags.to_field();
+        let mut result = error_flags_field;
         if (token == VALUE_SEPARATOR_TOKEN) {
             result = no_change.to_field();
         }
@@ -129,7 +129,7 @@ unconstrained fn make_token_validation_table() -> [Field; NUM_TOKENS * NUM_TOKEN
     });
 
     let object_layer_end_object_outcomes: [Field; NUM_TOKENS] = token_ids.map(|token| {
-        let mut result = error_flags.to_field();
+        let mut result = error_flags_field;
         if (token == VALUE_SEPARATOR_TOKEN) {
             result = no_change.to_field();
         }
@@ -144,7 +144,7 @@ unconstrained fn make_token_validation_table() -> [Field; NUM_TOKENS * NUM_TOKEN
     });
 
     let object_layer_value_separator_token_outcomes: [Field; NUM_TOKENS] = token_ids.map(|token| {
-        let mut result = error_flags.to_field();
+        let mut result = error_flags_field;
         if (token == KEY_TOKEN) {
             result = no_change.to_field();
         }
@@ -157,7 +157,7 @@ unconstrained fn make_token_validation_table() -> [Field; NUM_TOKENS * NUM_TOKEN
         [[0; NUM_TOKENS]; NUM_TOKENS];
 
     let no_token_outcomes: [Field; NUM_TOKENS] = token_ids.map(|token| {
-        let mut result = error_flags.to_field();
+        let mut result = error_flags_field;
         if (token == NO_TOKEN) {
             result = no_change.to_field();
         }
@@ -177,7 +177,7 @@ unconstrained fn make_token_validation_table() -> [Field; NUM_TOKENS * NUM_TOKEN
     object_layer_flags[KEY_TOKEN] = object_layer_key_token_outcomes;
 
     let array_layer_begin_array_token_outcomes: [Field; NUM_TOKENS] = token_ids.map(|token: u32| {
-        let mut result = error_flags.to_field();
+        let mut result = error_flags_field;
         if (token == STRING_TOKEN) | (token == LITERAL_TOKEN) | (token == NUMERIC_TOKEN) {
             result = no_change.to_field();
         }
@@ -194,7 +194,7 @@ unconstrained fn make_token_validation_table() -> [Field; NUM_TOKENS * NUM_TOKEN
     });
 
     let array_layer_value_token_outcomes: [Field; NUM_TOKENS] = token_ids.map(|token| {
-        let mut result = error_flags.to_field();
+        let mut result = error_flags_field;
         if (token == VALUE_SEPARATOR_TOKEN) {
             result = no_change.to_field();
         }
@@ -205,7 +205,7 @@ unconstrained fn make_token_validation_table() -> [Field; NUM_TOKENS * NUM_TOKEN
     });
 
     let array_layer_value_separator_token_outcomes: [Field; NUM_TOKENS] = token_ids.map(|token| {
-        let mut result = error_flags.to_field();
+        let mut result = error_flags_field;
         if (token == STRING_TOKEN) | (token == LITERAL_TOKEN) | (token == NUMERIC_TOKEN) {
             result = no_change.to_field();
         }
@@ -219,7 +219,7 @@ unconstrained fn make_token_validation_table() -> [Field; NUM_TOKENS * NUM_TOKEN
     });
 
     let array_layer_value_token_outcomes: [Field; NUM_TOKENS] = token_ids.map(|token| {
-        let mut result = error_flags.to_field();
+        let mut result = error_flags_field;
         if (token == VALUE_SEPARATOR_TOKEN) {
             result = no_change.to_field();
         }
@@ -229,7 +229,7 @@ unconstrained fn make_token_validation_table() -> [Field; NUM_TOKENS * NUM_TOKEN
         result
     });
     let array_layer_end_array_outcomes: [Field; NUM_TOKENS] = token_ids.map(|token| {
-        let mut result = error_flags.to_field();
+        let mut result = error_flags_field;
         if (token == VALUE_SEPARATOR_TOKEN) {
             result = no_change.to_field();
         }
@@ -243,7 +243,7 @@ unconstrained fn make_token_validation_table() -> [Field; NUM_TOKENS * NUM_TOKEN
         result
     });
     let array_layer_end_object_outcomes: [Field; NUM_TOKENS] = token_ids.map(|token| {
-        let mut result = error_flags.to_field();
+        let mut result = error_flags_field;
         if (token == VALUE_SEPARATOR_TOKEN) {
             result = no_change.to_field();
         }
@@ -266,7 +266,7 @@ unconstrained fn make_token_validation_table() -> [Field; NUM_TOKENS * NUM_TOKEN
     array_layer_flags[KEY_TOKEN] = error_token_outcomes;
 
     let single_value_layer_value_token_outcomes: [Field; NUM_TOKENS] = token_ids.map(|token| {
-        let mut result = error_flags.to_field();
+        let mut result = error_flags_field;
         // we have reached the end of json
         if (token == NO_TOKEN) {
             result = no_change.to_field();
diff --git a/src/json.nr b/src/json.nr
index a39b7b7..6fa56f3 100644
--- a/src/json.nr
+++ b/src/json.nr
@@ -207,17 +207,17 @@ impl<let NumBytes: u32, let NumPackedFields: u32, let MaxNumTokens: u32, let Max
 
             // 1 gate
             // we encode an error flag into `push_layer` by making its value such that `depth` will exceed the size of `parent_layer_stack`
-            depth += push_layer - pop_layer;
+            depth += push_layer as Field - pop_layer as Field;
             std::as_witness(depth);
 
             // 6.5 gates
             let parent_layer = parent_layer_stack[cast_num_to_u32(depth)];
-            let mut updated_layer = (1 - pop_layer - push_layer);
+            let mut updated_layer = (1 - pop_layer as Field - push_layer as Field);
             std::as_witness(updated_layer);
             updated_layer =
                 updated_layer * current_layer as Field + push_layer_type_of_root as Field;
             std::as_witness(updated_layer);
-            updated_layer = updated_layer + parent_layer * pop_layer;
+            updated_layer = updated_layer + parent_layer as Field * pop_layer as Field;
             std::as_witness(updated_layer);
             current_layer = cast_num_to_u32(updated_layer);
 
diff --git a/src/transcript_entry.nr b/src/transcript_entry.nr
index 41e497e..189386e 100644
--- a/src/transcript_entry.nr
+++ b/src/transcript_entry.nr
@@ -2,21 +2,23 @@ use crate::json_tables::ASCII_TO_TOKEN_TABLE;
 use crate::utils::cast_num_to_u32;
 
 pub(crate) struct ValidationFlags {
-    pub(crate) push_layer: Field,
-    pub(crate) push_layer_type_of_root: Field,
-    pub(crate) pop_layer: Field,
+    pub(crate) push_layer: bool,
+    pub(crate) push_layer_type_of_root: bool,
+    pub(crate) pop_layer: bool,
 }
 
 impl ValidationFlags {
     pub(crate) fn to_field(self) -> Field {
-        self.push_layer + self.push_layer_type_of_root * 0x100 + self.pop_layer * 0x10000
+        self.push_layer as Field
+            + self.push_layer_type_of_root as Field * 0x100
+            + self.pop_layer as Field * 0x10000
     }
 
     unconstrained fn __from_field(f: Field) -> Self {
         let bytes: [u8; 4] = f.to_be_bytes();
-        let mut push_layer = bytes[3] as Field;
-        let push_layer_type_of_root = bytes[2] as Field;
-        let pop_layer = bytes[1] as Field;
+        let mut push_layer = bytes[3] != 0;
+        let push_layer_type_of_root = bytes[2] != 0;
+        let pop_layer = bytes[1] != 0;
         let error = bytes[0] as Field;
 
         assert(error == 0, "ValidationFlags: grammar error");
@@ -28,7 +30,6 @@ impl ValidationFlags {
         // an out of bounds error will be triggered
         // n.b. reason for doing this is that by only having 3 flags stored in our lookup table,
         // we can extract them all with 1 add gate. combined with 2 bool checks = 3 gates instead of 5/6 gates if we had 4 flags
-        push_layer = push_layer + error * 0x1000000;
         ValidationFlags { push_layer, push_layer_type_of_root, pop_layer }
     }
 
@@ -36,12 +37,8 @@ impl ValidationFlags {
     pub(crate) fn from_field(f: Field) -> Self {
         // Safety: check the comments below
         let r = unsafe { ValidationFlags::__from_field(f) };
-        // checks pop_layer is a valid boolean
-        assert(r.pop_layer * r.pop_layer == r.pop_layer);
-        // checks push_layer_type_of_root is a valid boolean
-        assert(r.push_layer_type_of_root * r.push_layer_type_of_root == r.push_layer_type_of_root);
-        // checks the input field is a valid combination of the outputs of the decomposition
-        assert(r.pop_layer * 0x10000 + r.push_layer_type_of_root * 0x100 + r.push_layer == f);
+        // checks the input field is a valid combination of the outputs of the decomposition d dddddd
+        assert_eq(r.to_field(), f);
         r
     }
 }
@@ -78,8 +75,7 @@ impl RawTranscriptEntry {
         result.length.assert_max_bit_size::<16>();
         result.index.assert_max_bit_size::<16>();
         result.encoded_ascii.assert_max_bit_size::<14>();
-
-        assert(result.encoded_ascii + result.index * 0x10000 + result.length * 0x100000000 == felt);
+        assert_eq(result.to_field(), felt);
         result
     }
 
@@ -195,7 +191,7 @@ impl TranscriptEntry {
         // checks that token is in range
         result.token.assert_max_bit_size::<8>();
         // checks that the input is a valid combination of the outputs of the decomposition
-        assert(result.token + result.index * 0x100 + result.length * 0x1000000 == felt);
+        assert_eq(result.to_field(), felt);
         result
     }