Tree-sitter Parsing

The treesitter module parses source code into concrete syntax trees with Tree-sitter through the go-tree-sitter bindings.

This page is an API reference with partial parsing recipes. Source strings and query patterns are application input, and node-level snippets assume a live tree from an earlier checked parse. Parsers, trees, queries, and cursors are owned resources: close every successfully created handle when its last dependent operation is complete.

The resulting syntax trees:

• Represent the full structure of source code
• Update incrementally as code changes
• Are robust to syntax errors (partial parsing)
• Support pattern-based queries using S-expressions

Loading

local treesitter = require("treesitter")

Supported Languages

local langs = treesitter.supported_languages()
-- {go = true, javascript = true, python = true, ...}

Quick Start

Parse Code

local code = [[
func hello() {
    return "Hello!"
}
]]

local tree, err = treesitter.parse("go", code)
if err then
    return nil, err
end

local root, root_err = tree:root_node()
if root_err then
    tree:close()
    return nil, root_err
end
print(root:kind())        -- "source_file"
print(root:child_count()) -- number of top-level declarations
tree:close()

Query Syntax Tree

local code = [[
func hello() {}
func world() {}
]]

local tree, parse_err = treesitter.parse("go", code)
if parse_err then
    return nil, parse_err
end
local root, root_err = tree:root_node()
if root_err then
    tree:close()
    return nil, root_err
end

-- Find all function names
local query, query_err = treesitter.query("go", [[
    (function_declaration name: (identifier) @func_name)
]])
if query_err then
    tree:close()
    return nil, query_err
end

local captures, captures_err = query:captures(root, code)
if captures_err then
    query:close()
    tree:close()
    return nil, captures_err
end
for _, capture in ipairs(captures) do
    print(capture.name, capture.text)
end
-- "func_name"  "hello"
-- "func_name"  "world"
query:close()
tree:close()

Parsing

Simple Parse

Parse source code with a temporary internal parser.

local tree, err = treesitter.parse("go", code)
if err then
    return nil, err
end
-- Use the tree, then call tree:close().

Returns: Tree, error

Reusable Parser

Create a reusable parser for repeated parsing or incremental updates.

local parser, parser_err = treesitter.parser()
if parser_err then
    return nil, parser_err
end
local _, language_err = parser:set_language("go")
if language_err then
    parser:close()
    return nil, language_err
end

local tree1, first_err = parser:parse("package main")
if first_err then
    parser:close()
    return nil, first_err
end

-- Parse another source with the reusable parser. For an incremental update,
-- edit the old tree first as shown in the complete recipe below.
local tree2, second_err = parser:parse("package main\nfunc foo() {}")
if second_err then
    tree1:close()
    parser:close()
    return nil, second_err
end

tree2:close()
tree1:close()
parser:close()

Returns: Parser, error

Parser Methods

Trees created by a reusable parser and the parser itself are independently owned; close each successful handle. Nodes borrow their tree's storage and must not be used after that tree is closed. Cursors borrow a tree as well, so close them before the tree. Queries own separate native resources and also require close(); close a query after its captures or matches are no longer needed. Explicit cleanup is deterministic, while the process resource store is only a fallback for handles left open at process teardown.

Syntax Trees

Get Root Node

local tree, err = treesitter.parse("go", "package main")
if err then
    return nil, err
end
local root, root_err = tree:root_node()
if root_err then
    tree:close()
    return nil, root_err
end

print(root:kind())  -- "source_file"
local source_text, text_err = root:text()
if text_err then
    tree:close()
    return nil, text_err
end
print(source_text)  -- "package main"
tree:close()

Tree Methods

Incremental Editing

Apply an edit before reparsing changed source code:

local code = "func main() { x := 1 }"
local tree, parse_err = treesitter.parse("go", code)
if parse_err then
    return nil, parse_err
end

-- Mark edit: changed "1" to "100" at byte 19
local _, edit_err = tree:edit({
    start_byte = 19,
    old_end_byte = 20,
    new_end_byte = 22,
    start_row = 0,
    start_column = 19,
    old_end_row = 0,
    old_end_column = 20,
    new_end_row = 0,
    new_end_column = 22
})
if edit_err then
    tree:close()
    return nil, edit_err
end

-- Re-parse with edited tree (faster than full parse)
local parser, parser_err = treesitter.parser()
if parser_err then
    tree:close()
    return nil, parser_err
end
local _, language_err = parser:set_language("go")
if language_err then
    parser:close()
    tree:close()
    return nil, language_err
end
local new_tree, new_tree_err = parser:parse("func main() { x := 100 }", tree)
if new_tree_err then
    parser:close()
    tree:close()
    return nil, new_tree_err
end

new_tree:close()
parser:close()
tree:close()

Nodes

Nodes represent elements in the syntax tree. In the isolated snippets below, root, node, and func_decl are application-selected nodes borrowed from a still-open tree.

Node Types

local node = root:child(0)

-- Type information
print(node:kind())        -- "package_clause"
print(node:type())        -- same as kind()
print(node:is_named())    -- true for significant nodes
print(node:grammar_name()) -- grammar rule name

Navigation

-- Children
local child = node:child(0)           -- by index (0-based)
local named = node:named_child(0)     -- named children only
local count = node:child_count()
local named_count = node:named_child_count()

-- Siblings
local next = node:next_sibling()
local prev = node:prev_sibling()
local next_named = node:next_named_sibling()
local prev_named = node:prev_named_sibling()

-- Parent
local parent = node:parent()

-- By field name
local name_node = func_decl:child_by_field_name("name")
local field = node:field_name_for_child(0)

Position Information

-- Byte offsets
local start = node:start_byte()
local end_ = node:end_byte()

-- Row/column positions (0-based)
local start_pt = node:start_point()  -- {row = 0, column = 0}
local end_pt = node:end_point()      -- {row = 0, column = 12}

-- Source text
local source_text, err = node:text()
if err then
    return nil, err
end

Error Detection

if root:has_error() then
    -- Tree contains syntax errors
end

if node:is_error() then
    -- This specific node is an error
end

if node:is_missing() then
    -- Parser inserted this to recover from error
end

if node:is_extra() then
    -- Node is an "extra" (e.g. a comment) not required by the grammar
end

Other node methods: descendant_count() and named_descendant_for_point_range(start_pt, end_pt).

S-Expression

local sexp = node:to_sexp()
-- "(source_file (package_clause (package_identifier)))"

Queries

Tree-sitter queries match syntax-tree patterns written as S-expressions.

Create Query

local query, err = treesitter.query("go", [[
    (function_declaration
        name: (identifier) @func_name
        parameters: (parameter_list) @params
    )
]])
if err then
    return nil, err
end
-- The owner calls query:close() after the final query operation.

Returns: Query, error

Execute Query

-- Get all captures (flattened)
local captures, captures_err = query:captures(root, source_code)
if captures_err then
    query:close()
    tree:close()
    return nil, captures_err
end
for _, capture in ipairs(captures) do
    print(capture.name)   -- "func_name"
    print(capture.text)   -- actual text
    print(capture.index)  -- capture index
    -- capture.node is the Node object
end

-- Get matches (grouped by pattern)
local matches, matches_err = query:matches(root, source_code)
if matches_err then
    query:close()
    tree:close()
    return nil, matches_err
end
for _, match in ipairs(matches) do
    print(match.id, match.pattern)
    for _, capture in ipairs(match.captures) do
        local captured_text, text_err = capture.node:text()
        if text_err then
            query:close()
            tree:close()
            return nil, text_err
        end
        print(capture.name, captured_text)
    end
end

query:close()
tree:close()

Passing userdata of the wrong type instead of a Tree-sitter Node returns nil, error; passing a primitive or table raises a Lua argument error before that check. root, source_code, and query here must come from a still-open tree and a successfully created query. The snippet uses the owning tree handle to close both resources before it returns.

Query Control

-- Limit query scope
query:set_byte_range(0, 1000)
query:set_point_range({row = 0, column = 0}, {row = 10, column = 0})

-- Limit matches
query:set_match_limit(100)
if query:did_exceed_match_limit() then
    -- More matches exist
end

-- Timeout (string duration or nanoseconds)
query:set_timeout("500ms")
query:set_timeout(1000000000)  -- 1 second in nanoseconds

-- Disable patterns/captures
query:disable_pattern(0)
query:disable_capture("func_name")

Query Inspection

local pattern_count = query:pattern_count()
local capture_count = query:capture_count()
local name = query:capture_name_for_id(0)
local id = query:capture_index_for_name("func_name")

Further inspection methods: string_count(), start_byte_for_pattern(i), end_byte_for_pattern(i), get_match_limit(), get_timeout(), is_pattern_rooted(i), is_pattern_non_local(i), is_pattern_guaranteed(i), capture_quantifier(pattern, capture), set_max_start_depth(n), get_property_predicates(i), get_property_settings(i), get_text_predicates(i).

Tree Cursor

A tree cursor traverses a tree without creating a node object at every step.

Basic Traversal

local cursor, err = tree:walk()
if err then
    return nil, err
end

-- Start at root
print(cursor:current_node():kind())  -- "source_file"
print(cursor:current_depth())        -- 0

-- Navigate
if cursor:goto_first_child() then
    print(cursor:current_node():kind())
    print(cursor:current_depth())  -- 1
end

if cursor:goto_next_sibling() then
    -- moved to next sibling
end

cursor:goto_parent()  -- back to parent

cursor:close()

Cursor Methods

Language Metadata

local lang, err = treesitter.language("go")
if err then
    return nil, err
end

print(lang:version())           -- ABI version
print(lang:node_kind_count())   -- number of node types
print(lang:field_count())       -- number of fields
print(lang:parse_state_count()) -- number of parse states

-- Node kind lookup
local kind = lang:node_kind_for_id(1)
local id = lang:id_for_node_kind("identifier", true)
local is_named = lang:node_kind_is_named(1)

-- Field lookup
local field_name = lang:field_name_for_id(1)
local field_id = lang:field_id_for_name("name")

Errors

Closing an already closed parser, tree, query, or cursor is safe. Calling any other method on a closed handle raises a Lua argument error.

See Error Handling for working with errors.

Query Syntax Reference

Tree-sitter queries use S-expression patterns:

; Match a node type
(identifier)

; Match with field names
(function_declaration name: (identifier))

; Capture with @name
(function_declaration name: (identifier) @func_name)

; Multiple patterns
[
  (function_declaration)
  (method_declaration)
] @declaration

; Wildcards
(_)           ; any node
(identifier)+ ; one or more
(identifier)* ; zero or more
(identifier)? ; optional

; Predicates
((identifier) @var
  (#match? @var "^_"))  ; regex match

See Tree-sitter Query Syntax for complete documentation.