Aider AI Pair Programming

Aider is an AI pair programming tool that runs in your terminal and helps you write, edit, and refactor code using AI models from OpenAI and Anthropic.

What This Skill Does

This skill helps you configure and use Aider effectively for AI-assisted coding. Aider can:

Configuration

Aider can be configured via `.aider.conf.yml` file placed in your home directory or at the root of your git repository.

Key Configuration Options

**API Keys:**

**Model Selection:**

**Model Settings:**

**History & Output:**

**Git Integration:**

**Testing & Linting:**

**File Management:**

Usage Instructions

1. **Initial Setup:**

- Create `.aider.conf.yml` in your home directory or project root

- Add your API keys (OpenAI or Anthropic)

- Select your preferred model

- Configure git, linting, and testing options

2. **Starting Aider:**

- Run `aider` in your terminal from within a git repository

- Specify files to work on: `aider file1.py file2.py`

- Or let Aider help you identify relevant files

3. **Working with Aider:**

- Describe changes you want in natural language

- Aider will propose edits and show diffs

- Changes are automatically committed with AI-generated messages

- Use `/help` within Aider for available commands

4. **Advanced Usage:**

- Use `--message` to send a single message and exit

- Use `--commit` to generate commit message for pending changes

- Use `--test` to run tests and fix problems

- Use `--lint` to lint and fix code issues

5. **Best Practices:**

- Start with specific, well-defined tasks

- Review all changes before accepting

- Enable auto-linting to maintain code quality

- Use appropriate models: Claude-3.5-Sonnet for complex tasks, GPT-3.5-Turbo for simpler edits

- Keep chat history to maintain context across sessions

Example Configurations

**Minimal Setup:**

```yaml

anthropic-api-key: your-key-here

model: claude-3-5-sonnet-20240620

dark-mode: true

```

**Full Development Setup:**

```yaml

anthropic-api-key: your-key-here

model: claude-3-5-sonnet-20240620

weak-model: gpt-3.5-turbo

dark-mode: true

auto-commits: true

auto-lint: true

lint-cmd:

python: flake8 --select=E,W,F

javascript: eslint

test-cmd: pytest

restore-chat-history: true

map-tokens: 2048

```

Important Notes