ast-grep

Structural search and replace for code using AST patterns

workhorse Rust ast-grep/ast-grep

74% pass rate

3/8 principles met

Spec Coverage

How many of the spec's requirements were verified for this tool. See /coverage for the full matrix.

Level	Total	Verified	Unverified
MUST	28	19	9
SHOULD	21	13	8
MAY	10	10	0

FAIL Each subcommand's `--help` ships at least one invocation example Progressive Help Discovery subcommands missing example invocations in their `--help`: run, scan, test, new, lsp. Examples teach agents the call shape faster than option tables; use clap's `after_help` or a dedicated `Examples:` block.
WARN Structured output support Structured, Parseable Output --output/--format flag detected but could not validate JSON via safe probes (--help/--version override output flags in most CLIs)
WARN Quiet mode available Bounded, High-Signal Responses no --quiet/-q flag detected in --help output

PASS	Non-interactive by default
SKIP	Non-interactive gate flag advertised in --help	target satisfies P1 via alternative gate (help-on-bare or stdin-primary)
WARN	Flags advertise env-var bindings in --help	3 flag(s) found in --help but no `[env: NAME]` bindings advertised
PASS	Secret-bearing flags expose stdin or *-file companion
WARN	`--help` advertises default values for flags	no default-value annotations found in --help. SHOULD-tier — agents reading help text need to see what value a flag falls back to when omitted (`[default: <value>]` per clap convention).
WARN	Rich-TUI affordance for TTY contexts	no rich-TUI affordance detected (no `--tui`/`--interactive`/`--ui` flag, no spinner/progress/tui mention in --help). MAY-tier — rich TUI in TTY contexts is a nice-to-have, not required.

WARN	Structured output support	--output/--format flag detected but could not validate JSON via safe probes (--help/--version override output flags in most CLIs)
SKIP	Structured-output CLI exposes its schema at runtime	no structured-output indicator (--output / --format / json / jsonl) in --help
WARN	--json / --jsonl short aliases for --output	no --json or --jsonl short alias found. Agents and pipelines benefit from short forms alongside the canonical `--output` enum.
WARN	`--raw` flag for pipe-safe unformatted output	no `--raw` flag advertised. MAY-tier — useful for pipelines that want to strip formatting before piping to other tools.
SKIP	`--output` advertises additional formats beyond text/json	no `--output` or `--format` flag advertised; vacuous skip for MAY-tier extra formats.
PASS	Bad invocation exits with structured usage-error code (2)
SKIP	Errors emit JSON envelope with `error`/`kind`/`message` under `--output json`	binary does not advertise `--output json` in --help; MUST applies only to CLIs that opt into the JSON contract.
SKIP	JSON success and error envelopes share their non-payload key set	binary does not advertise `--output json` in --help; envelope-consistency only applies to CLIs that opt into the JSON contract.

PASS	Help flag produces useful output
PASS	Version flag works (`--version` plus short alias)
PASS	Version flag works (`--version` plus short alias)
WARN	`examples` subcommand or `--examples` flag for curated usage patterns	no `examples` subcommand or `--examples` flag found. MAY-tier — a curated usage block keeps agents from hunting through long help text.
PASS	Short `-h` summary differs from `--help` long form
FAIL	Each subcommand's `--help` ships at least one invocation example	subcommands missing example invocations in their `--help`: run, scan, test, new, lsp. Examples teach agents the call shape faster than option tables; use clap's `after_help` or a dedicated `Examples:` block.
WARN	Help text pairs human and `--output json` example invocations	no paired text + `--output json` example found within 5 lines in top-level or any subcommand `--help`. Pairing keeps agents from reverse-engineering the JSON invocation from the text one.

PASS	Rejects invalid arguments
PASS	Error messages include a hint or remediation phrase
SKIP	`--output json` produces JSON-formatted errors	binary does not advertise `--output json` in --help; SHOULD applies only to CLIs that opt into the JSON contract.

SKIP	Destructive subcommands require `--force` or `--yes`	no destructive subcommands detected; MUST applies conditionally to CLIs with destructive operations.
SKIP	Read and write surfaces are both visible in subcommand list	no recognizable read or write subcommand verbs; the read/write distinction is unobservable from the help surface alone.

PASS	Handles SIGPIPE gracefully
SKIP	Pager-using CLI ships --no-pager escape hatch	no pager signal (less/more/$PAGER/--pager) in --help
PASS	Respects NO_COLOR
WARN	Subcommand verbs follow community-standard names	4/7 subcommand(s) follow standard verb names. Non-standard: scan, new, lsp. MAY-tier — community-standard verbs (get/list/create/update/delete) help agents predict subcommand behavior across CLIs.
WARN	`--color` flag for explicit color control	no `--color` flag advertised. MAY-tier — `auto\|always\|never` lets agents and pipelines override the TTY-based default.
SKIP	Input-accepting commands read from stdin when no file is given	no input-accepting subcommand detected (process/parse/convert/transform/analyze/validate/format/lint/audit); vacuous skip for the conditional SHOULD.
PASS	Subcommand naming follows a consistent verb/noun convention
PASS	Operations are subcommands, not verb-shaped flags

WARN	Quiet mode available	no --quiet/-q flag detected in --help output
WARN	`--verbose` flag for diagnostic escalation	no `--verbose` / `-v` flag advertised. SHOULD-tier — agents debugging failures need a way to escalate diagnostic detail.
SKIP	`--limit` / `--max-results` flag for list operations	no list-style subcommand detected (list/ls/search/query/find/show/get); vacuous skip for the list-only SHOULD.
SKIP	Cursor-based pagination flags for list traversal	no list-style subcommand detected; vacuous skip for the list-only MAY.
WARN	`--timeout` flag for long-running operations	long-running subcommand present but no timeout flag advertised (looked for --timeout, --deadline, --max-time). SHOULD-tier — without a bound, agents that hit a hung operation have to enforce timeouts externally.
WARN	Help text advertises TTY-aware verbosity behavior	no TTY-aware language found in `--help`. MAY-tier — automatic verbosity reduction when stdout is piped or redirected lets agents skip the explicit `--quiet` flag. Behavioral probes cannot simulate a real TTY without a pty crate, so this audit relies on documented intent.

PASS	Skill bundle has install path (`tool skill install [<host>]`)
PASS	`skill install --all` for multi-runtime install
PASS	`skill update` / `skill upgrade` for bundle refresh

This score (74%) clears the badge floor (70%). Copy this into your README:

[![agent-native](https://anc.dev/badge/sg.svg)](https://anc.dev/score/sg)

Preview:

Reproduce this scorecard for ast-grep locally and inspect the failing audits:

anc audit --command sg --output json

Install anc first if you don't have it. Add --output json to get the same JSON shape committed under scorecards/.