Aider Configuration Template

A production-ready Aider configuration file (.aider.conf.yml) with optimized settings for AI-assisted development workflows.

What This Does

Generates a comprehensive `.aider.conf.yml` configuration file for the Aider AI pair programming tool. This configuration:

Instructions

1. **Gather Requirements**

- Ask the user which model they prefer (defaults to Claude 3.5 Sonnet)

- Ask if they want auto-commits enabled (default: disabled)

- Ask which files should be read-only (defaults: CONVENTIONS.md, README.md, Makefile)

- Ask if they use pre-commit hooks (default: yes)

2. **Generate Configuration File**

- Create `.aider.conf.yml` in the project root or user's home directory

- Include all requested settings with inline documentation

- Use YAML format with clear section headers

- Comment out optional settings with explanations

3. **Key Configuration Sections**

**Model Selection:**

```yaml

# Use claude-3-5-sonnet-20240620 model for the main chat

sonnet: true

```

**Git Settings:**

```yaml

# Disable auto-commits for manual control

auto-commits: false

dirty-commits: false

gitignore: false

```

**Linting:**

```yaml

# Enable automatic linting with pre-commit

lint-cmd: pre-commit run --files

auto-lint: true

```

**Read-Only Files:**

```yaml

# Specify documentation files that shouldn't be edited

read: [CONVENTIONS.md, README.md, Makefile]

```

4. **Customize Based on User Needs**

- For API keys: Recommend using `.env` file instead of config

- For team projects: Enable `gitignore: true` and `auto-commits: true`

- For CI/CD: Add `test-cmd` and enable `auto-test`

- For dark terminals: Add `dark-mode: true`

5. **Add Environment File Template**

- Optionally create `.env.example` with API key placeholders:

```

OPENAI_API_KEY=your_key_here

ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=your_key_here

```

6. **Provide Usage Instructions**

- Explain how to place the file (home dir or git root)

- Note that API keys should go in `.env` file

- Mention that settings can be overridden via CLI flags

- Suggest running `aider --help` to see all available options

Examples

**Basic Usage:**

```bash

Create config in project root

aider

```

**With Custom Model:**

```bash

Override config model

aider --4o

```

**Lint and Fix:**

```bash

Lint dirty files

aider --lint

```

Important Notes

Configuration Priority

1. Command-line flags (highest)

2. `.aider.conf.yml` in git root

3. `.aider.conf.yml` in current directory

4. `.aider.conf.yml` in home directory (lowest)