Aider Configuration

This skill configures Aider (https://aider.chat/) with project conventions, domain-specific context files, and optimal settings for AI-assisted coding.

What This Skill Does

Creates an `.aider.conf.yaml` configuration file that:

Instructions

When the user requests Aider configuration, follow these steps:

1. **Check for existing configuration**

- Look for `.aider.conf.yaml` in the project root

- If found, ask if the user wants to update or replace it

2. **Identify project structure**

- Check if `CONVENTIONS.md` exists (or ask user to confirm conventions file path)

- Look for domain-specific files in `domains/` directory

- Check for `global.md` and `staging/learnings.md`

3. **Detect project type**

- Scan for `pytest`, `ruff`, or other testing/linting tools in `pyproject.toml`, `package.json`, or similar

- Identify the primary language(s) used

4. **Generate configuration file**

- Start with core conventions file reference

- Add read-only domain files if they exist

- Configure test command based on project (pytest for Python, npm test/jest for JS, cargo test for Rust, etc.)

- Configure lint command based on detected tools

- Set sensible defaults:

- `auto-commits: false` (let user control commits)

- `pretty: true` and `stream: true` (better UX)

- `encoding: utf-8`

5. **Create `.aider.conf.yaml` with this structure:**

```yaml

Aider configuration file

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

Automatically read conventions file to provide context

read: CONVENTIONS.md

Include domain-specific conventions

read-only:

- global.md

# Add any domain-specific files found, e.g.:

# - domains/python/core.md

# - domains/testing/core.md

# - staging/learnings.md

Model preferences (optional - uncomment to set)

model: gpt-4o

edit-format: diff

Git configuration

auto-commits: false

commit: false

Output preferences

pretty: true

stream: true

Testing configuration

test-cmd: <detected-test-command>

Linting configuration

lint-cmd: <detected-lint-command>

Additional settings

encoding: utf-8

```

6. **Provide usage instructions**

- Explain how to run Aider with this config: `aider`

- Note that conventions will be automatically loaded

- Mention key commands: `/add`, `/drop`, `/commit`, `/test`, `/lint`

Example Output

For a Python project with pytest and ruff:

```yaml

read: CONVENTIONS.md

read-only:

- global.md

- domains/python/core.md

- domains/testing/core.md

auto-commits: false

commit: false

pretty: true

stream: true

test-cmd: pytest

lint-cmd: ruff check

encoding: utf-8

```

Important Notes