SAST vs AI code review
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What is the difference between SAST and AI code review?
SAST (static application security testing) scans code for known insecure patterns using fixed rules, while AI code review reads a change for what it means and can also flag logic and design problems; they catch different things, so teams often run both.
| SAST | AI code review | |
|---|---|---|
| How it works | Fixed rules and data-flow analysis | Reads the change and its context |
| Finds | Known vulnerability patterns | Security and logic bugs, broken assumptions, drift from your rules |
| Scope | Often the whole codebase | Usually the pull request |
| Explains | A rule id and location | The problem and a suggested fix in words |
Using both
- MergeSafe’s recommendations include turning on GitHub code scanning (CodeQL), a SAST tool.
- MergeSafe reviews what the pull request changes; it doesn’t audit the whole repository. See what we do not check.
Related: AI code review, security-sensitive repositories.