Python's ast Module: Parse, Inspect, and Validate Code at the Token Level

ast.parse() is one of the most underused tools in Python. Most developers use it only for "does this code have a syntax error?" and stop there.

The AST gives you full access to the structure of any Python program — every function, every import, every call, every assignment — before running a single line.

Here's what you can do with it.

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Basics: parse and dump

import ast

source = """ def greet(name: str) -> str: return f " Hello, {name}! " """

tree = ast . parse ( source ) print ( ast . dump ( tree , indent = 2 ))

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Output (truncated):

Module ( body = [ FunctionDef ( name = ' greet ' , args = arguments ( args = [ arg ( arg = ' name ' , annotation = Name ( id = ' str ' ))], ...…