A while back, I explored the possibility of simplifying 1 PyMC4’s model specification API by manipulating the Python abstract syntax tree (AST) of the model code. The PyMC developers didn’t end up pursuing those API changes any further, but not until I had the chance to learn a lot about Python ASTs.
Enough curious people have asked me about my experience tinkering with ASTs that I figure I’d write a short post about the details of my project, in the hope that someone else will find it useful.