Aider Advanced Configuration

A comprehensive Aider configuration that demonstrates advanced features including model aliasing, custom API routing, repomap optimization, and git workflow automation.

What This Configuration Does

This configuration file showcases professional Aider usage patterns:

Instructions

1. Create the Configuration File

Save this configuration as `.aider.conf.yaml` in your project root or `~/.config/aider/.aider.conf.yaml` for global settings.

2. Configure API Settings

**If using GitHub Copilot API (or similar proxy):**

```yaml

openai-api-key: not-needed

openai-api-base: http://localhost:4141/

```

**If using direct API keys:**

```yaml

openai-api-key: sk-your-key-here

Remove or comment out openai-api-base

```

3. Customize Model Aliases

Edit the `alias` section to match your preferred models:

```yaml

alias:

- "sonnet:openai/claude-3.7-sonnet"

- "flash:openai/gemini-2.0-flash-001"

- "o3:openai/o3-mini"

```

Then use aliases in Aider:

```bash

aider --model sonnet

aider --model flash

```

4. Adjust Repomap Settings

The configuration uses 2048 tokens for repomap (double the default):

```yaml

map-tokens: 2048

```

5. Configure Git Behavior

**For production/team projects** (recommended):

```yaml

auto-commits: false

dirty-commits: false

```

**For personal/experimental projects**:

```yaml

auto-commits: true

dirty-commits: true

```

6. Add Read-Only Convention Files (Optional)

Uncomment and customize the `read` section to reference coding standards:

```yaml

read:

- "~/.config/aider/conventions/general.md"

- "~/.config/aider/conventions/typescript.md"

- "~/.config/aider/conventions/python.md"

```

These files will be included in context but never modified by Aider.

7. Enable Architect Mode

The configuration enables `architect: true` for enhanced code understanding:

```yaml

architect: true

```

This provides better context awareness for complex refactoring tasks.

Usage Examples

Using Model Aliases

```bash

Use Claude Sonnet with thinking

aider --model sonnet-t

Use Gemini Flash for quick tasks

aider --model flash

Use o3-mini for complex reasoning

aider --model o3

```

Starting Aider with Configuration

```bash

Uses .aider.conf.yaml in current directory

aider

Explicitly specify config file

aider --config /path/to/.aider.conf.yaml

Override config settings

aider --model sonnet --auto-commits true

```

Working with Read-Only Files

```bash

Convention files are automatically included in context

aider main.py

Ask: "Refactor this following our TypeScript conventions"

```

Key Configuration Sections

Model Settings

API Settings

Repomap Settings

Git Settings

Output Settings

Other Settings

Important Notes

Advanced Patterns

Multi-Environment Setup

Use different configs per environment:

```bash

Development

aider --config .aider.dev.yaml

Production

aider --config .aider.prod.yaml

```

Team Conventions

Share read-only convention files via git:

```

.aider/

conventions/

general.md

typescript.md

python.md

.aider.conf.yaml

```

Reference: https://aider.chat/docs/config/aider_conf.html