Aider Configuration

Configure the Aider AI pair programming tool with optimal settings for development workflows, git integration, and chat preferences.

What This Skill Does

This skill sets up Aider with:

Instructions

When configuring Aider for a project:

1. **Create or update `.aider.conf.yml`** in the project root with the following settings:

```yaml

Git configuration

auto-commits: true

dirty-commits: true

attribute-author: true

attribute-committer: false

Chat options

show-diffs: true

pretty: true

stream: true

File handling

encoding: utf-8

```

2. **Explain key settings to the user:**

- `auto-commits: true` - Automatically commits changes made by Aider

- `dirty-commits: true` - Allows commits even when working directory has uncommitted changes

- `attribute-author: true` - Adds attribution showing Aider made the changes

- `show-diffs: true` - Displays diffs of changes in the chat

- `pretty: true` - Enables formatted, colorized output

- `stream: true` - Streams AI responses in real-time

3. **Optional model configuration** (commented out by default):

- User can uncomment and set `model:` to specify AI model (e.g., `gpt-4-turbo-preview`)

- User can uncomment and set `edit-format:` to control how edits are applied (e.g., `whole`)

4. **Verify configuration** by running:

```bash

aider --check

```

Usage Examples

**Basic setup:**

```

User: Set up Aider configuration for my project

Assistant: [Creates .aider.conf.yml with the settings above]

```

**With custom model:**

```

User: Configure Aider to use Claude Opus

Assistant: [Creates config with model: claude-opus-4-5]

```

Important Notes