diff --git a/scie-grammar/src/grammar/scope_list_element.rs b/scie-grammar/src/grammar/scope_list_element.rs
index 90508e4370d6a3e959dd71467620a0fed8a450a9..b947ed4e5aed31c37b0c252d01f4bdd4706db6d5 100644
--- a/scie-grammar/src/grammar/scope_list_element.rs
+++ b/scie-grammar/src/grammar/scope_list_element.rs
@@ -4,11 +4,20 @@ use crate::grammar::Grammar;
 pub struct ScopeListElement {
     pub parent: Option<Box<ScopeListElement>>,
     pub scope: String,
+    // todo: remove stringify
+    pub stringify: String,
+    // pub metadata: i32,
 }
 
 impl ScopeListElement {
     pub fn new(parent: Option<Box<ScopeListElement>>, scope: String) -> Self {
-        ScopeListElement { parent, scope }
+        let mut list_element = ScopeListElement {
+            parent,
+            scope,
+            stringify: String::from(""),
+        };
+        list_element.stringify = list_element.clone().stringify();
+        list_element
     }
 
     pub fn stringify(self) -> String {
@@ -66,6 +75,7 @@ impl Default for ScopeListElement {
         ScopeListElement {
             parent: None,
             scope: "".to_string(),
+            stringify: "".to_string(),
         }
     }
 }
diff --git a/scie-grammar/src/grammar/stack_element.rs b/scie-grammar/src/grammar/stack_element.rs
index 93253401f98534676c167414f87f1f39dd1b674d..98247a83c701e4251c871bf1f98ea9ab863ed024 100644
--- a/scie-grammar/src/grammar/stack_element.rs
+++ b/scie-grammar/src/grammar/stack_element.rs
@@ -13,6 +13,8 @@ pub struct StackElement {
     pub end_rule: Option<String>,
     pub name_scopes_list: ScopeListElement,
     pub content_name_scopes_list: ScopeListElement,
+    // todo: remove stringify
+    pub stringify: String,
 }
 
 impl StackElement {
@@ -27,6 +29,7 @@ impl StackElement {
             end_rule: None,
             name_scopes_list: Default::default(),
             content_name_scopes_list: Default::default(),
+            stringify: "".to_string(),
         }
     }
 
@@ -53,8 +56,7 @@ impl StackElement {
         if let Some(iparent) = parent.clone() {
             depth = iparent.depth + 1
         }
-
-        StackElement {
+        let mut element = StackElement {
             parent,
             depth,
             rule_id,
@@ -64,7 +66,11 @@ impl StackElement {
             end_rule,
             name_scopes_list,
             content_name_scopes_list,
-        }
+            stringify: "".to_string(),
+        };
+
+        element.stringify = element.clone().stringify();
+        element
     }
 
     pub fn stringify(self) -> String {