C to AST Skill

Purpose

This Skill converts C source code into its Abstract Syntax Tree (AST) representation.

Use this Skill when you need to:

• •Understand the structure of a C program
• •Analyze functions, statements, and expressions
• •Prepare C code for static analysis or security analysis
• •Transform C code into an intermediate representation (AST)
• •Feed structured code information into downstream tools or agents

The AST is generated using a Python-based C parser and printed directly to standard output.

When to Use

Apply this Skill when the user asks to:

• •“Parse this C code”
• •“Convert this C file to an AST”
• •“Show me the AST of this C program”
• •“Analyze the structure of this C code”
• •“Extract syntax tree / abstract syntax tree from C”

This Skill is especially useful in compiler frontends, program analysis, and security research workflows.

Instructions

Follow these steps strictly and in order:

1. •

   Navigate to the Skill scripts directory

   • •Change working directory to:
     code

     skills_for_all_agent/skill/c_2_ast/scripts/
     

2. •

   Handle the input C source

   • •If the user provides a path to a .c file, use it directly.
   • •If the user provides inline C code as a string, you must first save it to a C source file using the provided script:
     bash

     python3 save_c.py --input "<C code string>" --output <output_dir> --filename <filename>.c
     

   • •Ensure the generated file has a .c extension and is successfully written to disk.
3. •

   Run the AST extraction script

   • •Convert the C source file to its Abstract Syntax Tree by executing:
     bash

     python3 c_2_ast.py --input <path_to_c_file>
     

4. •

   Do not modify the source code

   • •This Skill is strictly read-only.
   • •Do not rewrite, reformat, optimize, or otherwise alter the C code.
5. •

   Return the AST output verbatim

   • •The script prints the AST directly to standard output.
   • •Return the output exactly as produced.
   • •Do not summarize, paraphrase, or restructure the AST.
   • •Preserve indentation, hierarchy, and node ordering.
6. •

   If parsing fails

   • •Report the exact error message produced by the script.
   • •Suggest likely causes, such as:
     • •Missing or unsupported header files
     • •Unsupported C extensions (e.g., compiler-specific syntax)
     • •Invalid or incomplete C syntax

Output Format

The output is a tree-structured textual AST, for example:

FileAST:
FuncDef:
Decl: main
FuncDecl:
TypeDecl:
IdentifierType: ['int']
Compound:
FuncCall:
ID: puts
ExprList:
Constant: string, "Hello"
Return:
Constant: int, 0

This output represents the syntactic structure of the C program and can be consumed by downstream tools.

Additional Resources

For deeper understanding of:

• •AST node types
• •pycparser internal representation
• •Meaning of specific syntax tree nodes
• •Limitations of the C grammar supported

see the accompanying reference document:

➡️ reference.md

Only read this file when more detailed or theoretical information is required.
For standard AST extraction tasks, this Skill file alone is sufficient.

Notes and Limitations

• •The AST follows standard C syntax (C89/C99 subset).
• •Some compiler-specific extensions (e.g., GCC attributes) may not be supported.
• •Header files are handled using a minimal fake libc environment.
• •Macro-heavy or highly platform-specific code may require preprocessing.

Examples

Example 1: Simple AST extraction

User request:

Convert this C file to an AST.

Action:

python3 c_2_AST.py --input example.c

Result:

• •The AST is printed directly.

Example 2: Security analysis preparation

User request:

I want to analyze this C program for vulnerabilities.

Action:

• •First, extract the AST using this Skill.
• •Then, pass the AST to a vulnerability analysis or pattern-matching process.

Best Practices

• •Use this Skill before any deep code analysis.
• •Treat the AST as an intermediate representation.
• •Combine with CFG/DFG or semantic analysis for advanced tasks.

End of Skill.