sharkdp/bat

[Performance] Use `tree-sitter` to provide syntax highlighting ?

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#3366 opened on Aug 3, 2025

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 (15 comments) (14 reactions) (0 assignees)Rust (58,889 stars) (1,557 forks)batch import
feature-requesthelp wantedneeds-worksyntax-highlighting

Description

Hello,

I notice bat command is very slow, maybe we can use tree-sitter to provide syntax highlight, tree-sitter is very fast.

https://github.com/tree-sitter

Contributor guide

Tech stack
rust
Domain
performance
Issue type
performance
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
4
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
over 1 week
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
active
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
mostly clear
Prerequisites
Rustbat codebasetree sitter API
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
25
Research direction
Review the current syntax highlighting implementation in bat (likely using syntect). Investigate how tree sitter can be integrated as a backend, starting with the documentation and examples in the tree sitter repository. Compare performance benchmarks between syntect and tree sitter for common file types. Check existing discussions in the issue for any proposed architecture or concerns.