diff --git a/analysis/src/vm/batcher.rs b/analysis/src/vm/batcher.rs
index 6f2f016c2..b5d182f8e 100644
--- a/analysis/src/vm/batcher.rs
+++ b/analysis/src/vm/batcher.rs
@@ -162,9 +162,7 @@ mod tests {
             env!("CARGO_MANIFEST_DIR")
         ));
         let file_name = base_path.join(path);
-        let expected = fs::read_to_string(file_name)
-            .unwrap()
-            .replace("machine Main", "machine ::Main");
+        let expected = fs::read_to_string(file_name).unwrap();
 
         // remove the batch comments from the expected output before compiling
         let input = expected
diff --git a/ast/Cargo.toml b/ast/Cargo.toml
index 0934f018d..271791075 100644
--- a/ast/Cargo.toml
+++ b/ast/Cargo.toml
@@ -13,4 +13,7 @@ diff = "0.1"
 log = "0.4.18"
 derive_more = "0.99.17"
 
+[dev-dependencies]
+pretty_assertions = "1.3.0"
+
 
diff --git a/ast/src/asm_analysis/display.rs b/ast/src/asm_analysis/display.rs
index a02650ceb..e7a0edd5e 100644
--- a/ast/src/asm_analysis/display.rs
+++ b/ast/src/asm_analysis/display.rs
@@ -5,7 +5,11 @@ use std::{
 
 use itertools::Itertools;
 
-use crate::{indent, write_items_indented};
+use crate::{
+    indent,
+    parsed::asm::{AbsoluteSymbolPath, Part},
+    write_indented_by, write_items_indented,
+};
 
 use super::{
     AnalysisASMFile, AssignmentStatement, CallableSymbol, CallableSymbolDefinitionRef,
@@ -17,9 +21,36 @@ use super::{
 
 impl<T: Display> Display for AnalysisASMFile<T> {
     fn fmt(&self, f: &mut Formatter<'_>) -> Result {
+        let mut current_path = AbsoluteSymbolPath::default();
+
         for (name, machine) in &self.machines {
-            write!(f, "machine {name}{machine}")?;
+            let [diff @ .., Part::Named(machine_name)] = &name.relative_to(&current_path).parts[..]
+            else {
+                unreachable!()
+            };
+            for part in diff {
+                match part {
+                    Part::Super => {
+                        current_path.pop();
+                        write_indented_by(f, "}\n", current_path.parts.len())?;
+                    }
+                    Part::Named(m) => {
+                        write_indented_by(f, format!("mod {m} {{\n"), current_path.parts.len())?;
+                        current_path.push(m.clone());
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+
+            write_indented_by(
+                f,
+                format!("machine {machine_name}{machine}"),
+                current_path.parts.len(),
+            )?;
         }
+        for (i, _) in current_path.parts.iter().enumerate().rev() {
+            write_indented_by(f, "}\n", i)?;
+        }
+
         Ok(())
     }
 }
@@ -247,3 +278,59 @@ impl Display for IncompatibleSet {
         write!(f, "{}", self.0.iter().format(", "))
     }
 }
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod test {
+    use super::*;
+    use crate::parsed::asm::parse_absolute_path;
+    use number::GoldilocksField;
+    use pretty_assertions::assert_eq;
+
+    #[test]
+    fn display_asm_analysis_file() {
+        let file = AnalysisASMFile::<GoldilocksField> {
+            machines: [
+                "::x::Y",
+                "::x::r::T",
+                "::x::f::Y",
+                "::M",
+                "::t::x::y::R",
+                "::t::F",
+                "::X",
+            ]
+            .into_iter()
+            .map(|s| (parse_absolute_path(s), Machine::default()))
+            .collect(),
+        };
+        assert_eq!(
+            file.to_string(),
+            r#"machine M {
+}
+machine X {
+}
+mod t {
+    machine F {
+    }
+    mod x {
+        mod y {
+            machine R {
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}
+mod x {
+    machine Y {
+    }
+    mod f {
+        machine Y {
+        }
+    }
+    mod r {
+        machine T {
+        }
+    }
+}
+"#
+        );
+    }
+}
diff --git a/ast/src/lib.rs b/ast/src/lib.rs
index 7e237a246..36524e9d4 100644
--- a/ast/src/lib.rs
+++ b/ast/src/lib.rs
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ pub fn evaluate_unary_operation<T: FieldElement>(op: UnaryOperator, v: T) -> T {
 }
 
 /// quick and dirty String to String indentation
-fn indent<S: ToString>(s: S, indentation: usize) -> String {
+pub fn indent<S: ToString>(s: S, indentation: usize) -> String {
     s.to_string()
         .split('\n')
         .map(|line| match line {
@@ -87,6 +87,14 @@ fn indent<S: ToString>(s: S, indentation: usize) -> String {
         .join("\n")
 }
 
+pub fn write_indented_by<S, W>(f: &mut W, s: S, indentation: usize) -> Result
+where
+    S: Display,
+    W: Write,
+{
+    write!(f, "{}", indent(s, indentation))
+}
+
 fn write_items<S, I, W>(f: &mut W, items: I) -> Result
 where
     S: Display,
@@ -112,7 +120,8 @@ where
     W: Write,
 {
     for item in items.into_iter() {
-        writeln!(f, "{}", indent(item, by))?;
+        write_indented_by(f, item, by)?;
+        writeln!(f)?;
     }
     Ok(())
 }
diff --git a/ast/src/parsed/asm.rs b/ast/src/parsed/asm.rs
index c39343d64..cf06dee4a 100644
--- a/ast/src/parsed/asm.rs
+++ b/ast/src/parsed/asm.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
-use std::{fmt::Display, iter::once};
+use std::{
+    fmt::Display,
+    iter::{once, repeat},
+};
 
 use number::AbstractNumberType;
 
@@ -121,6 +124,7 @@ pub struct AbsoluteSymbolPath {
 /// Panics if the path does not start with '::'.
 pub fn parse_absolute_path(s: &str) -> AbsoluteSymbolPath {
     match s.strip_prefix("::") {
+        Some("") => AbsoluteSymbolPath::default(),
         Some(s) => s
             .split("::")
             .fold(AbsoluteSymbolPath::default(), |path, part| {
@@ -131,12 +135,48 @@ pub fn parse_absolute_path(s: &str) -> AbsoluteSymbolPath {
 }
 
 impl AbsoluteSymbolPath {
+    /// Removes and returns the last path component (unless empty).
     pub fn pop(&mut self) -> Option<String> {
         self.parts.pop()
     }
-}
 
-impl AbsoluteSymbolPath {
+    /// Appends a part to the end of the path.
+    pub fn push(&mut self, part: String) {
+        self.parts.push(part);
+    }
+
+    /// Returns the relative path from base to self.
+    /// In other words, base.join(self.relative_to(base)) == self.
+    pub fn relative_to(&self, base: &AbsoluteSymbolPath) -> SymbolPath {
+        let common_prefix_len = self.common_prefix(base).parts.len();
+        // Start with max(0, base.parts.len() - common_root.parts.len())
+        // repetitions of "super".
+        let parts = repeat(Part::Super)
+            .take(base.parts.len().saturating_sub(common_prefix_len))
+            // append the parts of self after the common root.
+            .chain(
+                self.parts
+                    .iter()
+                    .skip(common_prefix_len)
+                    .cloned()
+                    .map(Part::Named),
+            )
+            .collect();
+        SymbolPath { parts }
+    }
+
+    /// Returns the common prefix of two paths.
+    pub fn common_prefix(&self, other: &AbsoluteSymbolPath) -> AbsoluteSymbolPath {
+        let parts = self
+            .parts
+            .iter()
+            .zip(other.parts.iter())
+            .map_while(|(a, b)| if a == b { Some(a.clone()) } else { None })
+            .collect();
+
+        AbsoluteSymbolPath { parts }
+    }
+
     /// Resolves a relative path in the context of this absolute path.
     pub fn join<P: Into<SymbolPath> + Display>(mut self, other: P) -> Self {
         for part in other.into().parts {
@@ -339,3 +379,80 @@ pub struct Param<T> {
     pub index: Option<T>,
     pub ty: Option<String>,
 }
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod test {
+    use super::*;
+
+    #[test]
+    fn common_prefix() {
+        assert_eq!(
+            parse_absolute_path("::a::b").common_prefix(&parse_absolute_path("::a::c")),
+            parse_absolute_path("::a")
+        );
+        assert_eq!(
+            parse_absolute_path("::a::b").common_prefix(&parse_absolute_path("::a")),
+            parse_absolute_path("::a")
+        );
+        assert_eq!(
+            parse_absolute_path("::a").common_prefix(&parse_absolute_path("::a::c")),
+            parse_absolute_path("::a")
+        );
+        assert_eq!(
+            parse_absolute_path("::x").common_prefix(&parse_absolute_path("::y::t")),
+            parse_absolute_path("::")
+        );
+        assert_eq!(
+            parse_absolute_path("::x::r::v").common_prefix(&parse_absolute_path("::x::r::t")),
+            parse_absolute_path("::x::r")
+        );
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn relative_to() {
+        assert_eq!(
+            parse_absolute_path("::a::b")
+                .relative_to(&parse_absolute_path("::a::c"))
+                .to_string(),
+            "super::b".to_string()
+        );
+        assert_eq!(
+            parse_absolute_path("::a::b")
+                .relative_to(&parse_absolute_path("::a"))
+                .to_string(),
+            "b".to_string()
+        );
+        assert_eq!(
+            parse_absolute_path("::x")
+                .relative_to(&parse_absolute_path("::y::t"))
+                .to_string(),
+            "super::super::x".to_string()
+        );
+        assert_eq!(
+            parse_absolute_path("::x::r::v")
+                .relative_to(&parse_absolute_path("::x::r"))
+                .to_string(),
+            "v".to_string()
+        );
+        assert_eq!(
+            parse_absolute_path("::x")
+                .relative_to(&parse_absolute_path("::x::t::k"))
+                .to_string(),
+            "super::super".to_string()
+        );
+        assert_eq!(
+            parse_absolute_path("::x")
+                .relative_to(&parse_absolute_path("::x"))
+                .to_string(),
+            "".to_string()
+        );
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn relative_to_join() {
+        let v = parse_absolute_path("::x::r::v");
+        let base = parse_absolute_path("::x::t");
+        let rel = v.relative_to(&base);
+        assert_eq!(base.join(rel), v);
+    }
+}
diff --git a/importer/src/path_canonicalizer.rs b/importer/src/path_canonicalizer.rs
index afc42ae09..699843447 100644
--- a/importer/src/path_canonicalizer.rs
+++ b/importer/src/path_canonicalizer.rs
@@ -14,6 +14,8 @@ use ast::parsed::{
     folder::Folder,
 };
 
+/// Changes all symbol references (symbol paths) from relative paths
+/// to absolute paths, and removes all import statements.
 pub fn canonicalize_paths<T: FieldElement>(
     program: ASMProgram<T>,
 ) -> Result<ASMProgram<T>, String> {