pepasflo

Using graphviz to visualize abstract syntax trees

• Take the above ast.dot file
• Paste it into http://www.webgraphviz.com/
• It will generate a diagram like this:

• After you've written your first lexer and parser, write a function which walks the AST and "compiles" it into graphviz notation like the above

n1snt

Note

I’ve written a newer optimized 2026 version of this guide with a faster setup using Zinit + Starship and improved plugin loading.

This version avoids slow shell startups and works better with modern Zsh setups.

Updated guide: https://gist.github.com/n1snt/2cccc8aa5f7b645a7628d3512c70deb6

Oh my zsh.