libclang-ng

libclang-ng packages the official Clang Python Bindings (clang.cindex) from the LLVM project and bundles a statically-linked libclang shared library for each supported platform. The result is a zero-configuration pip install that gives you a working Clang Python API without installing the LLVM toolchain.

Note: This package is named libclang-ng, and it's the natural evolution of libclang. The clang package on PyPI is a separate project and does not bundle a prebuilt shared library.

Installation

Install using pip:

pip install libclang-ng==20.1.8.1

Install using uv:

uv pip install libclang-ng==20.1.8.1

Best way to specify pinning is to allow for patch updates on the same clang version:

pip install "libclang-ng>=20.1.8.0,<21.0.0.0" --upgrade

Requirements

• Python 3.12 or later

Platform Support

All native libraries are statically linked and libcxx headers are bundled in the python package - there are no external runtime dependencies beyond the standard system libraries (glibc on Linux, system frameworks on macOS, MSVC runtime on Windows).

Clang Versions

Supported clang versions:

• 19.1.7 (https://github.com/llvm/llvm-project/releases/tag/llvmorg-19.1.7)
• 20.1.8 (https://github.com/llvm/llvm-project/releases/tag/llvmorg-20.1.8)
• 21.1.8 (https://github.com/llvm/llvm-project/releases/tag/llvmorg-21.1.8)
• 22.1.4 (https://github.com/llvm/llvm-project/releases/tag/llvmorg-22.1.4)

Quick Start

Parse a file and walk the AST

from clang.cindex import Index, CursorKind

index = Index.create()
tu = index.parse("example.cpp", args=["-std=c++17"])

for cursor in tu.cursor.get_children():
    if cursor.kind == CursorKind.FUNCTION_DECL:
        print(f"Function: {cursor.spelling} at {cursor.location}")
        for param in cursor.get_arguments():
            print(f"  param: {param.spelling} ({param.type.spelling})")

Parse from a string (in-memory)

from clang.cindex import Index

index = Index.create()
tu = index.parse(
    "example.cpp",
    unsaved_files=[("example.cpp", "int add(int a, int b) { return a + b; }")],
    args=["-std=c++17"],
)

for cursor in tu.cursor.walk_preorder():
    print(f"{cursor.kind.name}: {cursor.spelling}")

Collect diagnostics

from clang.cindex import Index, Diagnostic

index = Index.create()
tu = index.parse("example.cpp")

for diag in tu.diagnostics:
    if diag.severity >= Diagnostic.Warning:
        print(f"{diag.severity}: {diag.spelling} [{diag.location}]")

Type introspection

from clang.cindex import Index, CursorKind, TypeKind

index = Index.create()
tu = index.parse("example.cpp")

for cursor in tu.cursor.walk_preorder():
    if cursor.kind == CursorKind.STRUCT_DECL:
        t = cursor.type
        print(f"struct {cursor.spelling}: size={t.get_size()} bytes")
        for field in t.get_fields():
            print(f"  {field.spelling}: {field.type.spelling} offset={t.get_offset(field.spelling)} bits")

Use a compilation database

from clang.cindex import Index, CompilationDatabase

db = CompilationDatabase.from_directory("/path/to/build")
cmds = db.get_compile_commands("src/main.cpp")

index = Index.create()
for cmd in cmds:
    tu = index.parse(cmd.filename, args=list(cmd.arguments)[1:])

API Overview

Full API documentation is generated from the module docstrings via Sphinx and is available at libclang-ng.readthedocs.io.

Configuration

By default the package locates libclang automatically from its bundled native/ directory. Override this when you want to use a system-installed or custom-built library:

Environment variable (before importing clang):

export LIBCLANG_LIBRARY_PATH=/usr/lib/llvm-19/lib
python your_script.py

Programmatic override (before any other clang import):

from clang.cindex import Config
Config.set_library_path("/usr/lib/llvm-19/lib")
# or point to a specific file:
# Config.set_library_file("/usr/lib/llvm-19/lib/libclang.so.19")

Development

The repository uses just as a task runner and uv as the Python package manager.

# Show the current LLVM version
just version

# Download LLVM source and update Python bindings
just download-llvm

# Full local build for macOS ARM64
just build-macos-arm64

CI / Release

Six GitHub Actions workflows build and publish a platform-specific wheel for each supported target. A release is triggered by pushing a version tag (v*), which causes each workflow to publish its wheel to PyPI.

License

This repository follows the license of the LLVM project: Apache-2.0 WITH LLVM-exception.