babel-identifiers

2.0.1 verified Sat Apr 25 auth: no javascript

Classifies Babel AST Identifier nodes into types (binding, reference, static) and grammars (javascript, jsx, flow, typescript). Stable v2.0.1 release with ESM/CJS support. Differentiates from general Babel utilities by focusing exclusively on identifier classification, enabling more precise lint rules and transformation logic. Lightweight with no runtime dependencies.

Common errors

error Cannot find module 'babel-identifiers' ↓

cause Package not installed or missing from dependencies.

fix

Run: npm install babel-identifiers

error TypeError: getIdentifierKind is not a function ↓

cause Importing incorrectly (e.g., default import instead of named).

fix

Use named import: import { getIdentifierKind } from 'babel-identifiers'

error Argument passed to getIdentifierKind is not a NodePath ↓

cause Passing a raw AST node instead of a Babel NodePath.

fix

Ensure you're inside a visitor callback with 'path' argument, or wrap node with NodePath.

Warnings

gotcha getIdentifierGrammar may return 'javascript' for identifiers inside JSX if plugin is not enabled. ↓

fix Ensure Babel parser is configured with required plugins (jsx, typescript, flow) matching your code.

gotcha Works only with Babel AST NodePath, not raw AST nodes. ↓

fix Always pass a NodePath object, not a plain node.

gotcha Missing type definitions: package does not ship TypeScript declarations. ↓

fix Create custom .d.ts file or use @types/babel__traverse for type compatibility.

Install

npm install babel-identifiers

yarn add babel-identifiers

pnpm add babel-identifiers

Imports

isIdentifierLike
wrong
```
const { isIdentifierLike } = require('babel-identifiers')
```
correct
```
import { isIdentifierLike } from 'babel-identifiers'
```
Package uses named exports only; default import will not work. For CJS, use require('babel-identifiers').isIdentifierLike.
getIdentifierKind
```
import { getIdentifierKind } from 'babel-identifiers'
```
Returns 'binding', 'reference', or 'static'. Works with any Babel NodePath to an Identifier.
getIdentifierGrammar
```
import { getIdentifierGrammar } from 'babel-identifiers'
```
Returns 'javascript', 'jsx', 'flow', or 'typescript'. Determines grammar from ancestor nodes.

Quickstart

Demonstrates classifying identifiers by type and grammar using Babel parser and traverse.

import { isIdentifierLike, getIdentifierKind, getIdentifierGrammar } from 'babel-identifiers';
import { parse } from '@babel/parser';
import traverse from '@babel/traverse';

const code = `let x = 1; x; <jsx/>; ({y}: number);`;
const ast = parse(code, { sourceType: 'module', plugins: ['jsx', 'typescript', 'flow'] });
traverse(ast, {
  Identifier(path) {
    if (isIdentifierLike(path)) {
      const kind = getIdentifierKind(path);
      const grammar = getIdentifierGrammar(path);
      console.log(path.node.name, kind, grammar);
    }
  }
});