diff --git a/AGENTS.md b/AGENTS.md
index f98053a..56a16cc 100644
--- a/AGENTS.md
+++ b/AGENTS.md
@@ -110,6 +110,9 @@ encouraged to reuse or vendor.
 
 ### Bundled plugins — `plugins/`
 
+- `ast.py` — read the literal value of a module-level global (`name`) from a
+  Python file via `ast.literal_eval`, without importing it; values keep their
+  Python shape, so list/table fields can be filled directly.
 - `regex.py` — extract a value from a file via regex (default targets
   `__version__`/`VERSION`).
 - `template.py` — `str.format` substitution using `{project[...]}`,
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 912cb32..2b1b3a4 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ The documentation is split by audience:
 - **[For users](https://dynamic-metadata.readthedocs.io/en/latest/users.html)**
   — configure plugins in `pyproject.toml`.
 - **[Bundled plugins](https://dynamic-metadata.readthedocs.io/en/latest/plugins.html)**
-  — the plugins shipped with this package (`regex`, `template`, `static`,
+  — the plugins shipped with this package (`ast`, `regex`, `template`, `static`,
   `readme_fragment`, `substitute`, `pin_installed`).
 - **[For plugin authors](https://dynamic-metadata.readthedocs.io/en/latest/plugin_authors.html)**
   — implement the hooks; no runtime dependency on this package required.
diff --git a/docs/plugins.md b/docs/plugins.md
index 129f568..dcf8446 100644
--- a/docs/plugins.md
+++ b/docs/plugins.md
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 # Bundled plugins
 
-This package ships six plugins. `regex`, `template`, and `substitute` are
-generic — they read their target from a `field` setting. `static` writes values
-straight from its settings; `readme_fragment` and `pin_installed` are
+This package ships seven plugins. `ast`, `regex`, `template`, and `substitute`
+are generic — they read their target from a `field` setting. `static` writes
+values straight from its settings; `readme_fragment` and `pin_installed` are
 single-purpose and always write `readme` and `dependencies` respectively.
 Because they live inside `dynamic-metadata`, you must add `dynamic-metadata` to
 your `[build-system].requires` to use them.
@@ -48,6 +48,43 @@ The search runs in `re.MULTILINE` mode. When the target `field` is not a string
 field, `result` is applied across the container shape the field requires (each
 string in a list, each value in a table, and so on).
 
+## `ast`
+
+`dynamic_metadata.plugins.ast` reads the literal value assigned to a
+module-level global in a Python file. The file is parsed with {mod}`ast`, never
+imported, so it works without the package (or its dependencies) being importable
+in the build environment.
+
+```toml
+[project]
+dynamic = ["version"]
+
+[[tool.dynamic-metadata]]
+provider = "dynamic_metadata.ast"
+field = "version"
+input = "src/my_package/__init__.py"
+name = "__version__"
+```
+
+Settings (all values must be strings):
+
+| Setting | Required | Description                |
+| ------- | -------- | -------------------------- |
+| `field` | yes      | The metadata field to set. |
+| `input` | yes      | The Python file to parse.  |
+| `name`  | yes      | The global to read.        |
+
+Only assignments at module scope are considered (including annotated ones like
+`__version__: str = "1.2.3"`); if the name is assigned more than once, the last
+assignment wins, as it would when executing the file. The value must be a
+literal accepted by {func}`ast.literal_eval` — a call like `get_version()` is an
+error.
+
+Unlike `regex`, which always extracts a string, the value keeps its Python
+shape, so a list or table field can be filled directly — for example
+`field = "keywords"` from `KEYWORDS = ["science", "build"]`. Tuples are
+converted to lists. The shape must match what the field requires.
+
 ## `template`
 
 `dynamic_metadata.plugins.template` fills a `str.format` template from fields
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index 4756ea8..5d5d1ef 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -51,6 +51,7 @@ Changelog = "https://github.com/scikit-build/dynamic-metadata/releases"
 dynamic-metadata = "dynamic_metadata.schema:get_schema"
 
 [project.entry-points."dynamic_metadata.provider"]
+"dynamic_metadata.ast" = "dynamic_metadata.plugins.ast"
 "dynamic_metadata.regex" = "dynamic_metadata.plugins.regex"
 "dynamic_metadata.template" = "dynamic_metadata.plugins.template"
 "dynamic_metadata.substitute" = "dynamic_metadata.plugins.substitute"
diff --git a/src/dynamic_metadata/plugins/__init__.py b/src/dynamic_metadata/plugins/__init__.py
index 4e0dc23..3422097 100644
--- a/src/dynamic_metadata/plugins/__init__.py
+++ b/src/dynamic_metadata/plugins/__init__.py
@@ -30,6 +30,14 @@ def _require_field(settings: Mapping[str, typing.Any], allowed: set[str]) -> str
     return field
 
 
+def _require_str_settings(settings: Mapping[str, typing.Any], keys: set[str]) -> None:
+    """Reject any of ``keys`` present in ``settings`` with a non-string value."""
+    for key in keys:
+        if key in settings and not isinstance(settings[key], str):
+            msg = f"Setting {key!r} must be a string"
+            raise RuntimeError(msg)
+
+
 def _process_dynamic_metadata(field: str, action: Callable[[str], str], result: T) -> T:
     """
     Helper function for processing an action on the various possible metadata fields.
diff --git a/src/dynamic_metadata/plugins/ast.py b/src/dynamic_metadata/plugins/ast.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bc3e4ff
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/dynamic_metadata/plugins/ast.py
@@ -0,0 +1,73 @@
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import ast
+from pathlib import Path
+from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, Any
+
+from . import _process_dynamic_metadata, _require_field, _require_str_settings
+
+if TYPE_CHECKING:
+    from collections.abc import Mapping
+
+__all__ = ["dynamic_metadata"]
+
+
+def __dir__() -> list[str]:
+    return __all__
+
+
+KEYS = {"field", "input", "name"}
+
+
+def _tuples_to_lists(value: Any) -> Any:
+    if isinstance(value, (list, tuple)):
+        return [_tuples_to_lists(v) for v in value]
+    if isinstance(value, dict):
+        return {k: _tuples_to_lists(v) for k, v in value.items()}
+    return value
+
+
+def dynamic_metadata(
+    settings: Mapping[str, Any],
+    _project: Mapping[str, Any],
+) -> dict[str, Any]:
+    # Input validation
+    field = _require_field(settings, KEYS)
+    if "input" not in settings:
+        msg = "Must contain the 'input' setting naming a Python file to parse"
+        raise RuntimeError(msg)
+    if "name" not in settings:
+        msg = "Must contain the 'name' setting naming the global to read"
+        raise RuntimeError(msg)
+    _require_str_settings(settings, KEYS)
+
+    input_filename = settings["input"]
+    name = settings["name"]
+
+    tree = ast.parse(
+        Path(input_filename).read_text(encoding="utf-8"), filename=input_filename
+    )
+
+    # Last matching module-level assignment wins, like execution would give
+    value_node = None
+    for node in tree.body:
+        if isinstance(node, ast.Assign):
+            targets, value = node.targets, node.value
+        elif isinstance(node, ast.AnnAssign) and node.value is not None:
+            targets, value = [node.target], node.value
+        else:
+            continue
+        if any(isinstance(t, ast.Name) and t.id == name for t in targets):
+            value_node = value
+
+    if value_node is None:
+        msg = f"Couldn't find a global assignment to {name} in {input_filename}"
+        raise RuntimeError(msg)
+
+    try:
+        result = _tuples_to_lists(ast.literal_eval(value_node))
+    except ValueError as err:
+        msg = f"Assignment at {input_filename}:{value_node.lineno} is not a literal constant"
+        raise RuntimeError(msg) from err
+
+    return {field: _process_dynamic_metadata(field, lambda s: s, result)}
diff --git a/src/dynamic_metadata/plugins/regex.py b/src/dynamic_metadata/plugins/regex.py
index 650dc6f..ba4b0ce 100644
--- a/src/dynamic_metadata/plugins/regex.py
+++ b/src/dynamic_metadata/plugins/regex.py
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
 from pathlib import Path
 from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, Any
 
-from . import _process_dynamic_metadata, _require_field
+from . import _process_dynamic_metadata, _require_field, _require_str_settings
 
 if TYPE_CHECKING:
     from collections.abc import Mapping
@@ -39,10 +39,7 @@ def dynamic_metadata(
     if field != "version" and "regex" not in settings:
         msg = "Must contain the 'regex' setting if not getting version"
         raise RuntimeError(msg)
-    for key in KEYS:
-        if key in settings and not isinstance(settings[key], str):
-            msg = f"Setting {key!r} must be a string"
-            raise RuntimeError(msg)
+    _require_str_settings(settings, KEYS)
 
     input_filename = settings["input"]
     regex = settings.get(
diff --git a/tests/test_package.py b/tests/test_package.py
index 370ed7a..b4de397 100644
--- a/tests/test_package.py
+++ b/tests/test_package.py
@@ -319,6 +319,118 @@ def test_regex_rejects_unknown_setting() -> None:
         )
 
 
+def test_ast_version(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
+    (tmp_path / "version.py").write_text('__version__ = "1.2.3"\n')
+
+    pyproject = dynamic_metadata.loader.process_dynamic_metadata(
+        {"name": "test", "dynamic": ["version"]},
+        [
+            {
+                "provider": "dynamic_metadata.ast",
+                "field": "version",
+                "input": str(tmp_path / "version.py"),
+                "name": "__version__",
+            },
+        ],
+        "wheel",
+    )
+
+    assert pyproject["version"] == "1.2.3"
+
+
+def test_ast_last_assignment_wins(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
+    (tmp_path / "version.py").write_text(
+        '__version__: str = "0.1"\n__version__ = "0.2"\n'
+    )
+
+    pyproject = dynamic_metadata.loader.process_dynamic_metadata(
+        {"name": "test", "dynamic": ["version"]},
+        [
+            {
+                "provider": "dynamic_metadata.ast",
+                "field": "version",
+                "input": str(tmp_path / "version.py"),
+                "name": "__version__",
+            },
+        ],
+        "wheel",
+    )
+
+    assert pyproject["version"] == "0.2"
+
+
+def test_ast_list_field_from_tuple(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
+    (tmp_path / "meta.py").write_text('KEYWORDS = ("science", "build")\n')
+
+    pyproject = dynamic_metadata.loader.process_dynamic_metadata(
+        {"name": "test", "version": "0.1.0", "dynamic": ["keywords"]},
+        [
+            {
+                "provider": "dynamic_metadata.ast",
+                "field": "keywords",
+                "input": str(tmp_path / "meta.py"),
+                "name": "KEYWORDS",
+            },
+        ],
+        "wheel",
+    )
+
+    assert pyproject["keywords"] == ["science", "build"]
+
+
+def test_ast_missing_name_raises(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
+    (tmp_path / "version.py").write_text('other = "1.0"\n')
+
+    with pytest.raises(RuntimeError, match="Couldn't find a global assignment"):
+        dynamic_metadata.loader.process_dynamic_metadata(
+            {"name": "test", "dynamic": ["version"]},
+            [
+                {
+                    "provider": "dynamic_metadata.ast",
+                    "field": "version",
+                    "input": str(tmp_path / "version.py"),
+                    "name": "__version__",
+                },
+            ],
+            "wheel",
+        )
+
+
+def test_ast_non_literal_raises(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
+    (tmp_path / "version.py").write_text("__version__ = get_version()\n")
+
+    with pytest.raises(RuntimeError, match="not a literal constant"):
+        dynamic_metadata.loader.process_dynamic_metadata(
+            {"name": "test", "dynamic": ["version"]},
+            [
+                {
+                    "provider": "dynamic_metadata.ast",
+                    "field": "version",
+                    "input": str(tmp_path / "version.py"),
+                    "name": "__version__",
+                },
+            ],
+            "wheel",
+        )
+
+
+def test_ast_requires_name(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
+    (tmp_path / "version.py").write_text('__version__ = "1.2.3"\n')
+
+    with pytest.raises(RuntimeError, match="'name' setting"):
+        dynamic_metadata.loader.process_dynamic_metadata(
+            {"name": "test", "dynamic": ["version"]},
+            [
+                {
+                    "provider": "dynamic_metadata.ast",
+                    "field": "version",
+                    "input": str(tmp_path / "version.py"),
+                },
+            ],
+            "wheel",
+        )
+
+
 def test_build_state_hook_drives_result(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
     # A provider with the optional build_state hook is told the build state
     # before dynamic_metadata, and can drive its result from it: recompute for