ast-grep vs broot
Which should you use? A side-by-side look at what each one does, who it suits, what it costs, how hard it is to set up, and where each falls short.
Open source · MIT
A command-line tool that searches, lints, and rewrites code by its syntax structure, not plain text.
Open source · MIT
A terminal tool to browse, search, and manage directory trees without losing the overview.
The short answer
Choose ast-grep if you need…
- Developers who want grep-like searching that understands code structure
- Library authors migrating users across breaking API changes
- Tech leads who want to enforce custom code practices with lint rules
- Engineers doing large-scale, consistent code rewrites
Choose broot if you need…
- Developers who work in a terminal and often jump between project folders
- People with large directories who find the tree command produces too much output
- Users who want to find a directory quickly and cd into it from the shell
- Anyone who wants to see git file statuses or disk usage from inside a terminal view
Side-by-side
| ast-grep | broot | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | CLI | CLI |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 16.4k | 13.1k |
| Setup difficulty | Beginner | Intermediate |
| How you get it | Install with a package manager | See the README |
| Main language | Rust | Rust |
| Last code update | 4 days ago | 4 days ago |
What each one is
ast-grep
ast-grep is a command-line tool that searches code by matching its syntax tree rather than raw text, so a pattern written like ordinary code can find every place that shares the same structure. It can also rewrite matches and run YAML-defined lint rules. People use it to find usages, migrate code across breaking changes, or enforce team coding standards.
broot
Broot is a command-line program that shows a directory as a tree you can navigate and search interactively. It hides files listed in .gitignore by default, lets you fuzzy-search by name or file content, and can move, copy, delete, or open files without leaving the view. It is used as a faster, more usable replacement for running ls or the tree command.
Best for
ast-grep
- Developers who want grep-like searching that understands code structure
- Library authors migrating users across breaking API changes
- Tech leads who want to enforce custom code practices with lint rules
- Engineers doing large-scale, consistent code rewrites
broot
- Developers who work in a terminal and often jump between project folders
- People with large directories who find the tree command produces too much output
- Users who want to find a directory quickly and cd into it from the shell
- Anyone who wants to see git file statuses or disk usage from inside a terminal view
Strengths
ast-grep
- Patterns look like the code you already write
- Matches by syntax tree, so it ignores formatting differences
- Installable through many package managers including npm, pip, Homebrew, and cargo
broot
- The README shows that gitignored and hidden files can be toggled on or off with keyboard shortcuts
- Supports regex, content search, and logical operators in one search box
- Licensed under MIT and has a large star count and an active release history
Not ideal for
ast-grep
- People who only need simple text search, since plain grep or ripgrep is simpler for that
- Non-programmers, because patterns assume familiarity with code syntax
- Languages not supported by its tree-sitter parsers, which the README does not fully list
broot
- People who prefer graphical file managers, since broot runs only in a terminal
- Users who need a tool for scripting plain text output, since its interface is interactive
Trade-offs
ast-grep
- Its matching depends on the language grammars it supports, so coverage varies by language
- The README is truncated and does not describe every feature or limitation in detail
broot
- Its key bindings and verbs take time to learn, and the README covers many of them
- Some features such as image previews depend on terminal support (the README names Kitty and WezTerm)
Getting started
ast-grep
Install via npm
npm install --global @ast-grep/cliInstall via pip
pip install ast-grep-clibroot
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/Canop/brootFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between ast-grep and broot?
ast-grep: A command-line tool that searches, lints, and rewrites code by its syntax structure, not plain text. broot: A terminal tool to browse, search, and manage directory trees without losing the overview. ast-grep suits developers who want grep-like searching that understands code structure, while broot suits developers who work in a terminal and often jump between project folders.
Are ast-grep and broot free?
ast-grep: Free and open source. broot: Free and open source.
Which is easier to set up, ast-grep or broot?
ast-grep is easier to get started with (rated beginner); broot is rated intermediate and usually needs more setup.
Is ast-grep or broot more popular?
ast-grep has more GitHub stars (16.4k) than broot (13.1k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to ast-grep and broot?
Other options people compare them with include jscodeshift, Ruff.
Keep comparing
Built from our catalogue entries for both products: open-source details come from each project's README (AI-assisted, refreshed weekly) and GitHub data; AI-tool details are editorial. Spotted something wrong? Let us know from either product's page.