Code Analysis Tools

Code Analysis Tools

Use graceful degradation for code search and structural analysis.

Tool Priority

1. ast-grep (sg) - Structural pattern-based search
2. ripgrep (rg) - Fast context-aware text search
3. grep - Standard text search (always available)

Detection

Check tool availability before use:

# Check for ast-grep
if command -v sg >/dev/null 2>&1; then
  # Use ast-grep for structural search
elif command -v rg >/dev/null 2>&1; then
  # Fall back to ripgrep
else
  # Use standard grep as final fallback
fi

Usage Examples

Finding function definitions:

# ast-grep (best - structural)
sg -p 'function $NAME($$$) { $$$ }'

# ripgrep (fallback - fast text)
rg '^function\s+\w+\(' --type-add 'source:*.[extension]' -t source

# grep (last resort - basic)
grep -r '^function ' --include="*.[extension]"

Finding imports/requires:

# ast-grep
sg -p 'import { $$$ } from "$MODULE"'

# ripgrep
rg '^import .* from' --type-add 'source:*.[extension]' -t source

# grep
grep -r '^import ' --include="*.[extension]"

Finding class/component definitions:

# ast-grep
sg -p 'class $NAME { $$$ }'

# ripgrep
rg '^(class|export class)\s+\w+' --type-add 'source:*.[extension]' -t source

# grep
grep -r '^class ' --include="*.[extension]"

Search Scope

Best practices:

• Limit to source file extensions relevant to project
• Exclude directories: node_modules, vendor, dist, build, .git
• Focus on source directories: src, lib, app
• Use file type filters when available

Performance tips:

• Use specific patterns over broad searches
• Limit directory depth with --max-depth (ripgrep/grep)
• Cache results for repeated queries

Fallback Notice

If ast-grep unavailable, display once per session:

⚠️ ast-grep not detected. Install for more precise structural code analysis.
   https://ast-grep.github.io/guide/quick-start.html

When to Use

• Finding usage patterns across codebase
• Identifying code structure and organization
• Locating function/class/component definitions
• Analyzing import/dependency patterns
• Refactoring impact analysis
• Code navigation in unfamiliar codebases