Aider Configuration

Production-ready Aider configuration based on mafrosis/dotfiles, optimized for professional development workflows with multiple AI models, git integration, and automated quality checks.

What This Does

Sets up Aider with:

Configuration Steps

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

```yaml

Privacy & UI

analytics-disable: true

check-update: false

vim: true

dark-mode: true

Environment

env-file: na # ignore .env to prevent credential leaks

Model Aliases (OpenRouter)

alias:

- gemini:openrouter/google/gemini-2.5-pro-preview

- deepseek:openrouter/deepseek/deepseek-r1-0528:free

- claude:openrouter/anthropic/claude-sonnet-4

- devstral:openrouter/mistralai/devstral-small:free

Default model for quick edits

editor-model: devstral

Git Integration

git: true

gitignore: false

auto-commits: true

attribute-commit-message-author: true

Quality Automation

auto-lint: true

lint-cmd: make lint

auto-test: true

test-cmd: make test

```

2. **Create `.aider.conventions`** (optional, for project-specific coding standards):

- Aider automatically reads this file (via `read: [.aider.conventions]`)

- Add code style guidelines, architectural decisions, or review checklists

3. **Ensure Makefile has `lint` and `test` targets**:

```makefile

lint:

# Your linting command (e.g., eslint, ruff, flake8)

test:

# Your test command (e.g., pytest, jest, go test)

```

4. **Set OpenRouter API key**:

```bash

export OPENROUTER_API_KEY="your-key-here"

```

Model Selection Guide

| Alias | Use Case | Cost |

|-------|----------|------|

| `gemini` | Complex refactoring, architecture design | Paid |

| `deepseek` | General coding tasks, exploratory work | Free |

| `claude` | Code review, documentation, nuanced tasks | Paid |

| `devstral` | Quick edits, file navigation (default) | Free |

Switch models during session:

```

/model gemini # Switch to Gemini for complex task

/model deepseek # Switch back to free tier

```

Automated Workflow

With this config, Aider will:

1. **Before committing**: Run `make lint` and fix issues

2. **After code changes**: Run `make test` automatically

3. **On success**: Create attributed git commit

4. **On failure**: Show errors and wait for fixes

Important Notes

Example Usage

```bash

Start Aider (uses devstral by default)

aider

Switch to Claude for code review

/model claude

Review the authentication logic in auth.py

Switch to Gemini for complex refactoring

/model gemini

Refactor user service to use dependency injection

Quick fix with default model

/model devstral

Fix the typo in README.md

```

Customization

To adapt for your project: