Aider Configuration Setup

This skill helps you configure Aider, the AI pair programming assistant, by setting up a `.aider.conf.yml` file with customized preferences for models, git behavior, output styling, and workflow settings.

What This Skill Does

Creates or updates an Aider configuration file (`.aider.conf.yml`) in your home directory or git repository root with settings that control how Aider behaves during AI-assisted coding sessions.

Instructions

When the user asks to configure Aider or set up an `.aider.conf.yml` file, follow these steps:

1. **Determine Configuration Location**

- Ask if they want the config in their home directory (`~/.aider.conf.yml`) or git repo root

- Default to git repo root if they're in a repository

2. **Gather User Preferences**

- Ask which settings they want to customize, or offer to set up common defaults

- Key areas to cover:

- Model selection (Claude, GPT-4, etc.)

- Git behavior (auto-commits, attribution)

- Output styling (colors, dark/light mode)

- Editor preferences

- Workflow settings (linting, testing)

3. **Create Configuration File**

- Start with essential settings based on their preferences

- Include explanatory comments for each section

- Only include settings they've explicitly chosen (avoid overwhelming with all options)

4. **Common Configuration Patterns**

**Minimal Setup:**

```yaml

dark-mode: true

auto-commits: false

attribute-author: false

```

**Git-Focused Setup:**

```yaml

auto-commits: true

dirty-commits: true

attribute-author: true

attribute-committer: true

gitignore: true

```

**Customized Colors (Everforest Theme Example):**

```yaml

dark-mode: true

user-input-color: "#A7C080"

tool-output-color: "#7FBBB3"

tool-error-color: "#E67E80"

assistant-output-color: "#83B6AF"

code-theme: github-dark

```

**Model Configuration:**

```yaml

model: anthropic/claude-3-7-sonnet-20250219

weak-model: claude-3-5-haiku-20241022

cache-prompts: true

```

5. **Advanced Settings**

If the user wants advanced configuration, include:

- **Linting:** `lint-cmd`, `auto-lint`

- **Testing:** `test-cmd`, `auto-test`

- **Repo Map:** `map-tokens`, `map-refresh`

- **API Settings:** `api-key`, `set-env`

- **Voice:** `voice-format`, `voice-language`

6. **Validate and Test**

- After creating the config, suggest running `aider --help` to verify

- Recommend starting Aider to test the settings

- Explain how to override config with command-line flags if needed

Important Notes

Example Usage

**User:** "Set up Aider config with dark mode and no auto-commits"

**Agent Actions:**

1. Create `.aider.conf.yml` in current directory

2. Set `dark-mode: true` and `auto-commits: false`

3. Add useful defaults like `gitignore: true`

4. Explain what each setting does

**User:** "Configure Aider with custom colors matching my Everforest theme"

**Agent Actions:**

1. Read the provided color values or ask for hex codes

2. Set all color options: user-input, tool-output, assistant-output, etc.

3. Set matching `code-theme`

4. Include completion menu colors for consistency

Constraints