ast-grep-outline

Original：🇺🇸 English

Translated

Use when exploring or modifying a codebase and you need a cheap structural map of files, directories, imports, exports, or direct members before reading full source.

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Sourceast-grep/agent-skill

Added on2026-08-13

NPX Install

npx skill4agent add ast-grep/agent-skill ast-grep-outline

SKILL.md Content

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Use ast-grep outline

ast-grep outline

prints a compact structural map of source code with line numbers: top-level items (imports, functions, classes, structs, interfaces, modules, enums) and their direct members (fields, methods, constructors, enum variants). It is a local, syntax-only view — cheap enough to run before any full file read.

Read code in stages: find candidate files with search or file names, outline them, then open only the source range the outline points to. Defaults adapt to input: a file shows its local structure with member digests; a directory shows only its exported surface as grouped names.

When To Use It

Understand a file before editing. Get a table of contents, dependencies, and public entry points before reading implementation details:

shell

ast-grep outline <file>
ast-grep outline <file> --items imports
ast-grep outline <file> --items exports

Map an unfamiliar directory. Scan the public surface of a subtree, then narrow by symbol type when you know what you are looking for:

shell

ast-grep outline <dir> --items exports
ast-grep outline <dir> --type struct,enum,function

Zoom into a known symbol. After search finds a likely name, list its members with line numbers instead of reading the whole body:

shell

ast-grep outline <file> --match <symbol> --type class --view expanded

Trace dependency direction. Find which files import a package or module to decide where a change belongs:

shell

ast-grep outline <dir> --items imports --view signatures

Review changed files after editing. Git tells you what changed; outline summarizes the resulting structure and public surface:

shell

ast-grep outline $(git diff --name-only HEAD) --items exports

Argument Guide

```
--items <KIND>
```
selects top-level items:
```
structure
```
for local declarations (file default),
```
exports
```
for public API (directory default),
```
imports
```
for dependencies,
```
all
```
when import/export edges matter together.
```
--view <VIEW>
```
controls detail, from least to most:
```
names
```
for directory scans,
```
signatures
```
for one line per item,
```
digest
```
for signatures plus member names,
```
expanded
```
for one line per member with its line number.
```
--match <REGEX>
```
filters top-level items by name or signature. Rust regex, case-sensitive; it never matches members.
```
--type <TYPE[,TYPE...]>
```
keeps only some top-level symbol types, such as
```
--type class,function
```
. Member types like
```
method,field
```
never match top-level items.
```
--pub-members
```
hides private members when the view prints members.
```
--json=stream
```
emits one JSON object per file with precise ranges. Use it only to pipe or post-process entries; prefer text for navigation.

Limits

outline

shows local syntax structure. It does not resolve references, infer types, follow re-export chains, or build a call graph. Use

ast-grep run

,

rg

, or compiler-backed tools for those questions, then outline the candidate files they surface.

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ast-grep-outline

NPX Install

Tags

SKILL.md Content

Use ast-grep outline

When To Use It

Argument Guide

Limits