ast-grep-cli
Structural Search and Rewrite code at large scale using precise AST pattern.
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes, if you need to search or refactor code at scale using syntax-aware patterns. The tool is actively maintained, has no known vulnerabilities, and solves a real problem that text-based grep cannot. Medium install friction (compiled binary) is typical for performance-critical tools. Verify Python version support before committing to a project dependency.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires a supported language (ts, js, python, etc.) to be specified via --lang flag; pattern syntax must match valid code structure for the target language.
- Medium install friction due to platform-specific wheels (compiled Rust binary).
- Actively maintained with recent releases; last commit 2026-08-14 and 15516 repository stars indicate solid ongoing support.
License · maintenance · safety
permissive license (permissive) — MIT license (permissive) means you can use, modify, and distribute this package freely with minimal restrictions.
last release 2026-08-07 (7 days) · last repo commit 2026-08-14 · 15,516 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 2,791,546 downloads/mo, #2,887 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install ast-grep-cli
ast-grep --pattern 'var code = $PATTERN' --rewrite 'let code = new $PATTERN' --lang ts- Whether the Python package wraps the compiled Rust binary or requires separate installation of the Rust tool.
- What Python versions are officially supported (requires_python is unspecified in metadata).
- Performance characteristics and scalability limits for very large codebases.
What it is and what it does
ast-grep-cli is a structural code search and rewrite tool built on tree-sitter parsing. Instead of matching text patterns like grep, it matches abstract syntax tree nodes, letting you write patterns as ordinary code with wildcards (like `$MATCH`) to find and replace code with identical syntactical structure across a codebase.
The tool is written in Rust for performance and supports multiple languages. It's designed for large-scale code manipulation tasks: library authors can use it to help users adopt breaking changes, teams can enforce code best practices, and security researchers can write detection rules. It can be driven from the command line with pattern and rewrite flags, or configured via YAML for custom linting rules.
Use it for
- Migrate code to use null coalescing operators or other modern syntax patterns across a large TypeScript codebase.
- Enforce team code standards by writing AST-based linting rules in YAML without writing custom ESLint plugins.
- Perform large-scale library API migrations by defining structural patterns that match the old API and rewrite them to the new one.
- Detect security anti-patterns or code smells by searching for specific AST structures across multiple files and languages.
- Refactor code idiomatically (e.g., replace callback patterns with async/await) by matching syntactic structure rather than text.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes, if you need to search or refactor code at scale using syntax-aware patterns.
The tool is actively maintained, has no known vulnerabilities, and solves a real problem that text-based grep cannot. Medium install friction (compiled binary) is typical for performance-critical tools. Verify Python version support before committing to a project dependency.
Install
ast-grep-cli on PyPI
Before you install
Medium install friction due to platform-specific wheels (compiled Rust binary). Actively maintained with recent releases; last commit 2026-08-14 and 15516 repository stars indicate solid ongoing support.
Requires a supported language (ts, js, python, etc.) to be specified via --lang flag; pattern syntax must match valid code structure for the target language.
License in practice
MIT license (permissive) means you can use, modify, and distribute this package freely with minimal restrictions.
Quickstart
pip install ast-grep-cli
ast-grep --pattern 'var code = $PATTERN' --rewrite 'let code = new $PATTERN' --lang tsVerify before relying
- Whether the Python package wraps the compiled Rust binary or requires separate installation of the Rust tool.
- What Python versions are officially supported (requires_python is unspecified in metadata).
- Performance characteristics and scalability limits for very large codebases.
Package facts
| License | permissive license permissive |
| Python support | Not specified |
| Install friction | Medium. Platform-specific wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | None |
| Maintenance | Actively maintained 7 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 2,791,546 / month, #2,887 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Development Status :: 3 - AlphaEnvironment :: ConsoleIntended Audience :: DevelopersLicense :: OSI Approved :: MIT LicenseOperating System :: OS IndependentProgramming Language :: RustTopic :: SecurityTopic :: Software DevelopmentTopic :: Software Development :: Quality AssuranceTopic :: Text Processing |
Evidence: ast_grep_cli-0.45.1-py3-none-macosx_10_12_x86_64.macosx_11_0_arm64.macosx_10_12_universal2.whl; ast_grep_cli-0.45.1-py3-none-macosx_10_12_x86_64.whl; ast_grep_cli-0.45.1-py3-none-manylinux_2_28_aarch64.whl; ast_grep_cli-0.45.1-py3-none-manylinux_2_28_x86_64.whl; ast_grep_cli-0.45.1-py3-none-win32.whl; ast_grep_cli-0.45.1-py3-none-win_amd64.whl; ast_grep_cli-0.45.1-py3-none-win_arm64.whl
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See also ast-grep-py · grep-ast · gritql · tensor-grep · gron · astatine · libcst · tree-sitter-rust · trailmark · ast-decompiler