ACAV

ACAV (Aurora Clang AST Viewer) is an interactive tool designed for visualizing and exploring the Abstract Syntax Trees (ASTs) of C, C++, and Objective-C projects. Built with Clang and Qt, it addresses the challenge of interactively examining Clang ASTs for real-world codebases, rather than just simple examples. json, ACAV enables users to open actual projects, inspect the AST for individual translation units, and seamlessly navigate between source code and AST nodes.

The platform provides a navigable tree view of the AST, allowing users to move in both directions between source locations and corresponding AST nodes. It features panels for file exploration, source code display, AST tree visualization, declaration context, and logging. Users can search both the source text and AST nodes, and the tool supports reusing dependency and AST-cache artifacts across sessions to maintain responsiveness. ACAV’s architecture comprises three programs: the main interactive GUI application (acav), a utility for extracting dependency information from the compilation database (query-dependencies), and a component for building and caching serialized AST files for individual source files (make-ast).

ACAV is intended for students learning about compiler internals, researchers investigating program structure, and developers who are building or debugging Clang-based tools. Its functionality is focused on read-only AST exploration; it does not modify source code, perform refactoring, or serve as a general-purpose editor. The tool displays the AST of one translation unit at a time and applies the recorded build settings from the compilation database for each source file, using background processing and caching to keep the interface responsive.

Delivery options include native builds and a containerized workflow, with documentation covering installation prerequisites, usage instructions, and detailed guidance for both approaches. There is also an OCI demo image available for demonstration purposes. Licensing information is provided through an authoritative license file, and the project’s documentation includes release notes, class and file references, and project attribution. ACAV is positioned as a specialized AST visualization tool for C-family languages, bridging the gap between Clang’s front-end infrastructure and practical, interactive AST exploration.