Aider Configuration

This skill provides a comprehensive configuration template for Aider, an AI pair programming tool. The configuration uses Claude 3.5 Sonnet as the main model with architect edit format enabled.

What This Configuration Does

Instructions

1. **Create the configuration file** in one of these locations:

- Home directory: `~/.aider.conf.yml`

- Git repository root: `.aider.conf.yml`

2. **Copy the base configuration** with these key settings:

```yaml

Main model configuration

model: claude-3-5-sonnet-20241022

Enable architect mode for better planning

architect: true

Git settings for manual control

auto-commits: false

attribute-author: false

attribute-committer: false

```

3. **Customize for your workflow** by uncommenting and modifying options:

- **API Keys**: Add `openai-api-key` or `anthropic-api-key` (or use .env file)

- **Model Selection**: Choose different models for main chat, weak model, or editor model

- **Git Behavior**: Configure auto-commits, dirty commits, commit message prefixes

- **Output**: Adjust colors, themes, streaming, and diff display

- **Linting/Testing**: Set up `lint-cmd` and `test-cmd` for automatic checks

- **Files**: Specify default files to edit or read-only files to include

4. **Common customizations**:

- Enable auto-commits: `auto-commits: true`

- Add automatic linting: `auto-lint: true` + `lint-cmd: "python: ruff check --fix"`

- Enable automatic testing: `auto-test: true` + `test-cmd: "pytest"`

- Use dark mode colors: `dark-mode: true`

- Restore previous chat: `restore-chat-history: true`

5. **Environment variables** (alternative to YAML for API keys):

- Create `.env` file in git root

- Add: `OPENAI_API_KEY=...` or `ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=...`

- Specify custom env file: `env-file: .env.custom`

6. **Verify configuration**:

- Run `aider --help` to see active settings

- Use `aider --show-prompts` to debug prompt configuration

- Check `aider --show-repo-map` to verify repository mapping

Key Configuration Sections

Notes