topiary

Topiary

Topiary is a universal code formatter that uses Tree-sitter grammars and queries to define formatting rules. Rather than implementing language-specific formatting logic, Topiary uses declarative Tree-sitter query files (.scm) to specify how code should be formatted.

When to Use This Skill

Activate this skill when:

• Formatting code in languages without dedicated formatters (JSON, TOML, Bash, Nickel, OCaml, OCamllex, CSS, OpenSCAD, SDML, WIT, or custom languages)
• Writing or debugging Tree-sitter query files (.scm)
• Configuring Topiary via languages.ncl for custom languages or indentation settings
• Setting up Topiary as part of a development workflow or CI/CD pipeline
• Learning Tree-sitter query syntax for code analysis

Key Concepts

Tree-Sitter Queries

Tree-sitter is a parser generator that creates language parsers from grammar definitions. Topiary uses Tree-sitter queries to analyze code structures and apply formatting rules. Queries match patterns in the syntax tree using S-expression syntax and decorate matched nodes with capture names (prefixed with @) that describe formatting actions.

Query Files and Capture Names

Language formatting is defined in .scm (Scheme) query files. Each capture name instructs Topiary how to format the matched node:

• Line breaks: @prepend_hardline, @append_hardline (always insert newline), @prepend_empty_softline, @append_empty_softline (newline or nothing), @prepend_spaced_softline, @append_spaced_softline (newline or space)
• Indentation: @prepend_indent_start, @append_indent_start, @prepend_indent_end, @append_indent_end (mark indentation scopes)
• Spacing: @prepend_space, @append_space (add single space)
• Control: @delete (remove matched node), @do_nothing (suppress default behavior), @leaf (prevent formatting within node)
• Input-aware: @prepend_input_softline, @append_input_softline (preserve original line break presence)

Idempotency

Topiary formatting is idempotent—running the formatter repeatedly on already-formatted code produces identical output. This guarantee allows safe integration into version control hooks and CI pipelines.

Author Intent Preservation

Topiary respects the structural intent of code by preserving language-specific semantics. It focuses on whitespace, indentation, and line breaks rather than restructuring code. This approach works especially well with languages whose semantics are simple and whitespace-independent.

Installation

Via Mise

Add Topiary to your mise.toml:

[tools]
topiary = "latest"

[tasks]
fmt = "topiary fmt"
fmt:check = "topiary fmt --check"

Via Cargo

Install directly from crates.io:

cargo install topiary-cli

Verify Installation

Check the installed version and available languages:

topiary --version
topiary config show-sources

CLI Usage

Format Files

Format files in place by detected file extension:

topiary fmt src/main.ml
topiary fmt config.json
topiary fmt *.toml

Add --check to verify formatting without modifications:

topiary fmt --check src/

Format Standard Input

Format piped input by specifying language and optional query file:

echo '{"name":"example"}' | topiary format --language json
cat script.sh | topiary format --language bash

Visualize Parse Trees

Use visualise to debug queries by inspecting the syntax tree:

topiary visualise script.json
topiary visualise --language bash script.sh

This outputs the Tree-sitter parse tree, useful for understanding node structure when writing .scm queries.

Query Configuration

Override the default query file for a language:

topiary fmt --language nickel --query custom.scm script.ncl

Show Current Configuration

Display the active configuration including registered languages and indentation settings:

topiary config show-sources

Configuration

languages.ncl Format

Create a .topiary/languages.ncl file in your project root to customize language registration, indentation, and grammar sources. This file uses Nickel syntax:

{
  languages = {
    json = {
      extensions = ["json"],
      indent = "  ",
    },
    bash = {
      extensions = ["sh", "bash"],
      indent = "  ",
    }
  }
}

Configuration Search Order

Topiary searches for configuration in this order (first found wins):

1. --configuration CLI argument
2. .topiary/languages.ncl in current directory or parent directories
3. User configuration directory (OS-specific): ~/.config/topiary/languages.ncl (Linux), ~/Library/Application Support/topiary/languages.ncl (macOS), %APPDATA%\topiary\languages.ncl (Windows)
4. Built-in defaults compiled into Topiary

Custom Grammar Sources

Register custom Tree-sitter grammars by specifying Git source or local path:

{
  languages = {
    my-lang = {
      extensions = ["ml"],
      grammar.source.git = {
        git = "https://github.com/example/tree-sitter-my-lang",
        rev = "abc123def456"
      }
    }
  }
}

Or reference a pre-compiled grammar on disk:

{
  languages = {
    my-lang = {
      extensions = ["ml"],
      grammar.source.path = "./grammars/my-lang.so"
    }
  }
}

Adding Custom Languages

Add formatting support for new languages by following these steps:

Step 1: Register the Grammar

Create .topiary/languages.ncl in your project with the grammar source:

{
  languages = {
    my-lang = {
      extensions = ["ml"],
      indent = "  ",
      grammar.source.git = {
        git = "https://github.com/my-org/tree-sitter-my-lang",
        rev = "main"
      }
    }
  }
}

Verify the grammar source URL points to a valid Tree-sitter grammar repository.

Step 2: Create Query File

Create .topiary/queries/my-lang.scm with formatting rules. Start minimal:

; Format binary operators with surrounding spaces
((binary_op) @op
 (#match? @op "^(+|-|=)$"))
@prepend_space
@append_space

; Hard line after statements
((statement) @stmt)
@append_hardline

Use topiary visualise to inspect the parse tree and understand node names and structure.

Step 3: Test Formatting

Test the formatter on sample files:

topiary fmt --language my-lang test-file.ml
topiary visualise --language my-lang test-file.ml

Iterate on the query file until formatting behaves as expected. Run topiary fmt on actual code to verify formatting is idempotent (run twice, should produce identical output).

Writing Formatting Queries

Query Syntax Overview

Tree-sitter queries use S-expression syntax. A basic query matches nodes and captures them:

; Match a function definition and capture its name
(function_def
  name: (identifier) @func-name)

The @func-name is a capture; function_def, name, and identifier are node types. Field names like name: link to specific children.

Common Capture Patterns

Format operators with spaces on both sides:

((binary_op operator: _ @op))
@prepend_space
@append_space

Indent function bodies:

(function_def
  body: (block) @body)
@append_indent_start
@prepend_indent_end

Insert line breaks between statements:

((statement) @stmt)
@append_hardline

Preserve input line breaks (single line or multi-line lists):

(list
  "[" @open
  _ @item
  "]" @close)
@append_spaced_softline

Predicates and Matching

Use predicates to refine matches:

; Match only specific operators
((binary_op operator: _ @op)
 (#match? @op "^(=|==|!=)$"))
@prepend_space
@append_space

; Match nodes that are NOT in comments
((statement) @stmt
 (#not-eq? @stmt comment))

Available predicates: #match? (regex), #eq? (equality), #not-eq? (inequality).

Supported Languages

Official Languages

Topiary actively maintains formatting for:

• Bash - Shell scripting
• JSON - Data serialization
• Nickel - Configuration language
• OCaml - Functional programming (implementations and interfaces)
• OCamllex - Lexer definitions
• TOML - Configuration file format
• Tree-sitter Queries - Query file formatting

Community-Contributed Languages

External maintainers provide formatters for:

• CSS - Stylesheets
• OpenSCAD - 3D modeling language
• SDML - Semantic Data Modeling Language
• WIT - WebAssembly Interface Types

Language Limitations

Topiary works best with languages where formatting is independent of semantics. Whitespace-sensitive languages (Python, Haskell) present challenges and are not officially supported, as formatting changes could alter code meaning.

Mise Task Examples

Define formatting tasks in mise.toml:

[tasks.fmt]
description = "Format all code"
run = """
topiary fmt src/
"""

[tasks.fmt:check]
description = "Check formatting without modifying"
run = """
topiary fmt --check src/
"""

[tasks.fmt:debug]
description = "Visualize parse tree for debugging"
run = """
topiary visualise {file}
"""

Run tasks with:

mise run fmt
mise run fmt:check
mise run fmt:debug -- script.ncl

Anti-Fabrication Note

Before claiming that Topiary formats a language or query correctly, verify behavior by running topiary fmt on actual code files and inspecting the output. Do not assume query behavior without testing; use topiary visualise to inspect the parse tree and confirm node names and structure match the query. Test idempotency by running the formatter twice and confirming output is identical.