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ast-grep Structural Code Search & Refactoring

Category: Engineering  ·  Sub-category: code-quality  ·  Last updated:
Find and replace code patterns structurally using ast-grep. Use when you need to match code by its AST structure (not just text), such as finding all functions with specific signatures, replacing API patterns across files, or detecting code anti-patterns that regex cannot reliably match.
Security AStatic scan found no risk patternsHow grading works ›

About this skill (catalog notes)

ast-grep Structural Code Search & Refactoring includes 10 code blocks for direct copy-paste. The SKILL.md runs to about 1,110 words, in the catalog's typical mid-range.

Original author
modu-ai
Indexed lastmod
Catalog position
Engineering · code-quality
Indexed related skills
10

How ast-grep Structural Code Search & Refactoring fits the catalog

ast-grep Structural Code Search & Refactoring sits in the Engineering category under the code-quality sub-topic in the ClaudSkills catalog. There are 10 related skills indexed alongside it; comparing a few before installing usually reveals which fits your workflow best.

These notes are auto-generated from features detected in the SKILL.md file and from this catalog's structure — they aren't part of the source repository.

From the source SKILL.md

Structural code search and refactoring using ast-grep — matches code by its AST (abstract syntax tree) rather than text patterns.

What this skill does

ast-grep Structural Code Search & Refactoring is a community-contributed Claude Code skill in the code-quality sub-category. It ships as a SKILL.md file that Claude Code auto-discovers under ~/.claude/skills/ast-grep-search/ and loads when your prompt matches the skill's trigger.

When to invoke it: Use when you need to match code by its AST structure (not just text), such as finding all functions with specific signatures, replacing API patterns across files, or detecting code anti-patterns that regex cannot reliably match.

Who uses this skill

The ast-grep Structural Code Search & Refactoring Claude Code skill is built for software engineers, backend developers, full-stack teams, and technical leads building and maintaining production systems. It's part of ClaudSkills (also referred to as Claude Skills or Claude Code Skills) — the open community-curated registry of 115,000+ SKILL.md files for Anthropic's Claude Code agent and the wider Claude ecosystem (Claude API, Claude Agent SDK).

How to install

Free

Manual install (2 steps)

mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills/ast-grep-search
curl -L https://claudskills.com/skills/ast-grep-search/SKILL.md \
  -o ~/.claude/skills/ast-grep-search/SKILL.md

Or just download SKILL.md directly and drop it into ~/.claude/skills/ast-grep-search/. Claude Code auto-discovers it on next session.

Skills live at ~/.claude/skills/ast-grep-search/SKILL.md on macOS/Linux, or %USERPROFILE%\.claude\skills\ast-grep-search\SKILL.md on Windows. See the full install guide for step-by-step instructions.

Telegram

📱 Install from your phone or desktop Telegram

Open @claudskills_bot on Telegram, tap Open Desktop App, and the desktop app installs this skill for you. Or share the bot link with a colleague — they get the same one-tap install. Learn more →

Pro

One-click install via the desktop app

The ClaudSkills desktop app installs any skill directly into ~/.claude/skills/ with one click — no terminal required. Pro starts at $9/mo or $149 lifetime.

Pro

For the full experience including quality scoring and one-click install features for each skill — upgrade to Pro.

See pricing → Download desktop app

Frequently asked questions

How do I install the ast-grep Structural Code Search & Refactoring Claude Code skill?
Install via the ClaudSkills desktop app (one click) or copy SKILL.md from the source repository to ~/.claude/skills/ast-grep-search/SKILL.md and restart Claude Code. Both flows are detailed at claudskills.com/install/.
What does the ast-grep Structural Code Search & Refactoring skill do?
Find and replace code patterns structurally using ast-grep. Use when you need to match code by its AST structure (not just text), such as finding all functions with specific signatures, replacing API patterns across files, or detecting code anti-patterns that regex cannot reliably match.
Is this skill free to install?
Yes. ClaudSkills is an open registry — every skill keeps its source repository's license, and manual install via copy is free. ClaudSkills Pro ($9/mo, $79/yr, or $149 one-time) adds one-click install via the desktop app and a multi-signal Quality Score.
When should I use the ast-grep Structural Code Search & Refactoring skill?
Use ast-grep Structural Code Search & Refactoring when your Claude Code task falls under the Engineering category — specifically in the code quality area. Claude Code auto-discovers installed skills and invokes the right one based on the task description, so you can also ask Claude directly (e.g. "use ast-grep Structural Code Search & Refactoring" or describe the task and let Claude pick). Browse related skills at /category/engineering/.
What is a Claude Code skill and how does the ast-grep Structural Code Search & Refactoring skill fit in?
A Claude Code skill is a SKILL.md file that lives under ~/.claude/skills/<name>/ and tells the Claude Code CLI agent how to perform a specific task (instructions, prompts, allowed tools). Skills are auto-discovered at session start. ast-grep Structural Code Search & Refactoring is one of 67,000+ skills indexed in the open ClaudSkills catalog, classified under the Engineering category. Learn more at /learn/what-is-a-claude-skill/.

Attribution & license

Cite this skill

If you reference this skill in a blog post, paper, or documentation, you can cite it as:

APA
modu-ai. (2026). ast-grep Structural Code Search & Refactoring [Claude Code skill]. ClaudSkills. https://claudskills.com/skills/ast-grep-search/
BibTeX
@misc{ast-grep-search-2026,
  author    = {modu-ai},
  title     = {ast-grep Structural Code Search & Refactoring [Claude Code skill]},
  year      = {2026},
  publisher = {ClaudSkills},
  url       = {https://claudskills.com/skills/ast-grep-search/}
}

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Badge
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Security scan

Grade A · scanned 2026-06-13 — free static scan against the OWASP Agentic Skills Top 10.

The scan flagged 1 of 10 categories (execution), including lower-severity patterns. Patterns shown inside code fences are weighted as examples rather than instructions — read the grading methodology for what this does and does not guarantee.

Show this grade on your repo (click to copy):

[![Security: A](https://img.shields.io/badge/Security-A-2e7d32)](https://claudskills.com/skills/ast-grep-search/#security)

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Browse all Engineering skills in the ClaudSkills registry, or explore these other picks from the same category:

Browse all Engineering skills → Top 100 skills
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