/**
 * Shared node primitives that mirror PhpParser's Node\* base classes.
 */
/**
 * Represents the attributes of a PHP AST node.
 *
 * @category PHP AST
 */
export type PhpAttributes = Readonly<Record<string, unknown>>;
/**
 * Base interface for all PHP AST nodes.
 *
 * @category PHP AST
 */
export interface PhpNode {
    readonly nodeType: string;
    readonly attributes: PhpAttributes;
}
/**
 * Merges new attributes into an existing PHP AST node's attributes.
 *
 * This function creates a new node with the merged attributes if changes are detected,
 * otherwise, it returns the original node to ensure immutability where possible.
 *
 * @category PHP AST
 * @param    node       - The original PHP AST node.
 * @param    attributes - The attributes to merge into the node.
 * @returns A new node with merged attributes, or the original node if no changes.
 */
export declare function mergeNodeAttributes<T extends PhpNode>(node: T, attributes?: PhpAttributes): T;
/**
 * Generic factory helper for PHP AST node construction.
 *
 * Prefer dedicated builders exported alongside the node interfaces for specific node types.
 * Use this generic builder for niche constructs that do not yet have a typed factory.
 *
 * @category PHP AST
 * @param    nodeType   - The type of the PHP AST node.
 * @param    props      - The properties of the node, excluding `nodeType` and `attributes`.
 * @param    attributes - Optional attributes for the node.
 * @returns A new PHP AST node of the specified type.
 */
export declare function buildNode<T extends PhpNode>(nodeType: T['nodeType'], props: Omit<T, 'nodeType' | 'attributes'>, attributes?: PhpAttributes): T;