diff --git a/lib/types.ts b/lib/types.ts
index 65116fa7..396bd790 100644
--- a/lib/types.ts
+++ b/lib/types.ts
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ export type XastParent = XastRoot | XastElement;
 export type XastNode = XastRoot | XastChild;
 
 type VisitorNode<Node> = {
-  enter?: (node: Node, parentNode: XastParent) => void;
+  enter?: (node: Node, parentNode: XastParent) => void | symbol;
   exit?: (node: Node, parentNode: XastParent) => void;
 };
 
diff --git a/lib/xast.js b/lib/xast.js
index 1796dcca..ffa5d4ec 100644
--- a/lib/xast.js
+++ b/lib/xast.js
@@ -75,6 +75,9 @@ const traverse = (node, fn) => {
 };
 exports.traverse = traverse;
 
+const visitSkip = Symbol();
+exports.visitSkip = visitSkip;
+
 /**
  * @type {(node: XastNode, visitor: Visitor, parentNode?: any) => void}
  */
@@ -82,7 +85,10 @@ const visit = (node, visitor, parentNode) => {
   const callbacks = visitor[node.type];
   if (callbacks && callbacks.enter) {
     // @ts-ignore hard to infer
-    callbacks.enter(node, parentNode);
+    const symbol = callbacks.enter(node, parentNode);
+    if (symbol === visitSkip) {
+      return;
+    }
   }
   // visit root children
   if (node.type === 'root') {
diff --git a/lib/xast.test.js b/lib/xast.test.js
index 22955262..18019aad 100644
--- a/lib/xast.test.js
+++ b/lib/xast.test.js
@@ -1,107 +1,122 @@
 'use strict';
 
-const { visit, detachNodeFromParent } = require('./xast.js');
+/**
+ * @typedef {import('./types').XastRoot} XastRoot
+ * @typedef {import('./types').XastElement} XastElement
+ */
 
-const getAst = () => {
-  const ast = {
-    type: 'root',
-    children: [
-      {
-        type: 'element',
-        name: 'g',
-        attributes: {},
-        children: [
-          {
-            type: 'element',
-            name: 'rect',
-            attributes: {},
-            children: [],
-          },
-          {
-            type: 'element',
-            name: 'circle',
-            attributes: {},
-            children: [],
-          },
-        ],
-      },
-      {
-        type: 'element',
-        name: 'ellipse',
-        attributes: {},
-        children: [],
-      },
-    ],
-  };
-  ast.children[0].parentNode = ast;
-  ast.children[0].children[0].parentNode = ast.children[0];
-  ast.children[0].children[1].parentNode = ast.children[0];
-  ast.children[1].parentNode = ast;
-  return ast;
+const { visit, visitSkip, detachNodeFromParent } = require('./xast.js');
+
+/**
+ * @type {(children: Array<XastElement>) => XastRoot}
+ */
+const root = (children) => {
+  return { type: 'root', children };
 };
 
-describe('xast', () => {
-  it('enter into nodes', () => {
-    const root = getAst();
-    const entered = [];
-    visit(root, {
-      root: {
-        enter: (node) => {
-          entered.push(node.type);
-        },
-      },
-      element: {
-        enter: (node) => {
-          entered.push(`${node.type}:${node.name}`);
-        },
-      },
-    });
-    expect(entered).toEqual([
-      'root',
-      'element:g',
-      'element:rect',
-      'element:circle',
-      'element:ellipse',
-    ]);
-  });
+/**
+ * @type {(
+ *   name: string,
+ *   attrs?: null | Record<string, string>,
+ *   children?: Array<XastElement>
+ * ) => XastElement}
+ */
+const x = (name, attrs = null, children = []) => {
+  return { type: 'element', name, attributes: attrs || {}, children };
+};
 
-  it('exit from nodes', () => {
-    const root = getAst();
-    const exited = [];
-    visit(root, {
-      root: {
-        exit: (node) => {
-          exited.push(node.type);
-        },
+test('visit enters into nodes', () => {
+  const ast = root([x('g', null, [x('rect'), x('circle')]), x('ellipse')]);
+  /**
+   * @type {Array<string>}
+   */
+  const entered = [];
+  visit(ast, {
+    root: {
+      enter: (node) => {
+        entered.push(node.type);
       },
-      element: {
-        exit: (node) => {
-          exited.push(`${node.type}:${node.name}`);
-        },
+    },
+    element: {
+      enter: (node) => {
+        entered.push(`${node.type}:${node.name}`);
       },
-    });
-    expect(exited).toEqual([
-      'element:rect',
-      'element:circle',
-      'element:g',
-      'element:ellipse',
-      'root',
-    ]);
-  });
-
-  it('skip entering children if node is detached', () => {
-    const root = getAst();
-    const entered = [];
-    visit(root, {
-      element: {
-        enter: (node, parentNode) => {
-          entered.push(node.name);
-          if (node.name === 'g') {
-            detachNodeFromParent(node, parentNode);
-          }
-        },
-      },
-    });
-    expect(entered).toEqual(['g', 'ellipse']);
+    },
   });
+  expect(entered).toEqual([
+    'root',
+    'element:g',
+    'element:rect',
+    'element:circle',
+    'element:ellipse',
+  ]);
+});
+
+test('visit exits from nodes', () => {
+  const ast = root([x('g', null, [x('rect'), x('circle')]), x('ellipse')]);
+  /**
+   * @type {Array<string>}
+   */
+  const exited = [];
+  visit(ast, {
+    root: {
+      exit: (node) => {
+        exited.push(node.type);
+      },
+    },
+    element: {
+      exit: (node) => {
+        exited.push(`${node.type}:${node.name}`);
+      },
+    },
+  });
+  expect(exited).toEqual([
+    'element:rect',
+    'element:circle',
+    'element:g',
+    'element:ellipse',
+    'root',
+  ]);
+});
+
+test('visit skips entering children if node is detached', () => {
+  const ast = root([x('g', null, [x('rect'), x('circle')]), x('ellipse')]);
+  /**
+   * @type {Array<string>}
+   */
+  const entered = [];
+  visit(ast, {
+    element: {
+      enter: (node, parentNode) => {
+        entered.push(node.name);
+        if (node.name === 'g') {
+          detachNodeFromParent(node, parentNode);
+        }
+      },
+    },
+  });
+  expect(entered).toEqual(['g', 'ellipse']);
+  expect(ast).toEqual(root([x('ellipse')]));
+});
+
+test('visit skips entering children when symbol is passed', () => {
+  const ast = root([x('g', null, [x('rect'), x('circle')]), x('ellipse')]);
+  /**
+   * @type {Array<string>}
+   */
+  const entered = [];
+  visit(ast, {
+    element: {
+      enter: (node) => {
+        entered.push(node.name);
+        if (node.name === 'g') {
+          return visitSkip;
+        }
+      },
+    },
+  });
+  expect(entered).toEqual(['g', 'ellipse']);
+  expect(ast).toEqual(
+    root([x('g', null, [x('rect'), x('circle')]), x('ellipse')])
+  );
 });
diff --git a/tsconfig.json b/tsconfig.json
index 450d1273..e5779f22 100644
--- a/tsconfig.json
+++ b/tsconfig.json
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
     "resolveJsonModule": true,
     "noImplicitAny": true
   },
-  "include": ["plugins/**/*"],
+  "include": ["plugins/**/*", "lib/xast.test.js"],
   "exclude": [
     "plugins/_applyTransforms.js",
     "plugins/cleanupIDs.js",