Aider AI Coding Assistant Configuration

A battle-tested Aider configuration from quanhua92's dotfiles that prioritizes free-tier LLMs while maintaining professional development workflows.

What This Skill Does

This configuration sets up Aider with:

Configuration Instructions

When a user requests this Aider setup, follow these steps:

1. Create the Configuration File

Create `.aider.conf.yml` in the user's home directory or project root with this structure:

```yaml

Main chat model (free-tier optimized)

model: free-r1

Editor model for code modifications

editor-model: free-2.5-pro

Weak model for simple tasks

weak-model: gemini/gemini-2.0-flash-exp

Model aliases for easy switching

alias:

- free-2.5-pro:gemini/gemini-2.5-pro-exp-03-25

- free-2.0:gemini/gemini-2.0-flash-exp

- free-optimus:openrouter/openrouter/optimus-alpha

- free-r1:openrouter/deepseek/deepseek-r1:free

Repository map configuration

map-tokens: 4096

UI preferences

dark-mode: true

show-diffs: true

show-model-warnings: false

Git workflow

auto-commits: false

subtree-only: true

Privacy

analytics-disable: true

Custom conventions (optional)

read: ~/CONVENTIONS.md

```

2. Model Selection Strategy

**Primary Models (Free Tier):**

**Commented Alternatives:**

Users can uncomment these for different performance/cost profiles:

3. Environment Setup

Ensure required API keys are configured:

```bash

For Gemini models (direct access)

export GEMINI_API_KEY="your-key"

For OpenRouter models

export OPENROUTER_API_KEY="your-key"

```

4. Custom Conventions File (Optional)

If the user wants coding conventions:

1. Create `~/CONVENTIONS.md` with project-specific rules

2. Aider will automatically read this file on startup

3. Example conventions file:

```markdown

Coding Conventions

Style

Testing

Commit Messages

```

5. Workflow Features

**Repo Map (4096 tokens):**

**Subtree-Only Mode:**

**Manual Commits:**

6. Usage Examples

```bash

Start Aider with this config

aider

Switch models on-the-fly

aider --model free-2.5-pro

Override editor model

aider --editor-model gemini/gemini-2.0-flash-exp

Disable repo map for small projects

aider --map-tokens 0

```

Key Configuration Decisions

1. **Free R1 as Default**: DeepSeek R1 provides reasoning capabilities at zero cost

2. **Gemini for Editing**: 2.5 Pro Exp offers good code quality for structural changes

3. **4096 Map Tokens**: Balances context vs. speed for medium-sized repos

4. **Manual Commits**: Professional workflow for production environments

5. **Analytics Disabled**: Privacy-first configuration

Constraints

Customization Notes

**For Different Model Preferences:**

**For Monorepos:**

**For Solo Projects:**

**For Auto-Commit Workflows:**