Aider Configuration Template

A comprehensive `.aider.conf.yml` configuration file for Aider AI pair programming assistant. This template includes all available configuration options with sensible defaults and detailed documentation.

What This Skill Does

Provides a complete Aider configuration template that covers:

Configuration File Structure

Place `.aider.conf.yml` in your home directory or at the root of your git repository.

Key Configuration Sections

1. **Model Selection**

- Main chat model configuration

- Weak model for summaries/commits

- Editor model for specialized tasks

- Model aliases and metadata

2. **API Configuration**

- OpenAI, Anthropic, and custom API endpoints

- Environment variable management

- SSL verification and timeout settings

3. **Git Integration**

- Auto-commit behavior

- Commit message attribution

- Dirty repository handling

- .aiderignore support

4. **Output Customization**

- Dark/light mode color schemes

- Code syntax highlighting themes

- Streaming vs batch output

- Completion menu styling

5. **Workflow Automation**

- Automatic linting after changes

- Test command integration

- File watching for AI comments

- Shell command suggestions

6. **Advanced Features**

- Prompt caching for performance

- Repository map generation

- Chat history management

- Voice input configuration

Usage Instructions

1. Initial Setup

Create `.aider.conf.yml` in your project root or home directory with the template content provided. The template includes commented examples for all available options.

2. Essential Configuration

**API Keys** (choose your provider):

```yaml

For Anthropic models

anthropic-api-key: sk-ant-xxxxx

For OpenAI models

openai-api-key: sk-xxxxx

For other providers

api-key:

- provider=your_key_here

```

**Model Selection**:

```yaml

Main model for coding tasks

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

Lighter model for summaries

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

```

3. Git Workflow Configuration

```yaml

Enable git integration

git: true

gitignore: true

Control auto-commits

auto-commits: false # Set true for automatic commits

dirty-commits: true # Allow commits in dirty repos

Commit attribution

attribute-author: true

attribute-committer: true

```

4. Output Customization

```yaml

Terminal appearance

dark-mode: true

code-theme: monokai # Options: monokai, solarized-dark, default, etc.

stream: true # Enable streaming responses

Custom colors

user-input-color: "#00cc00"

assistant-output-color: "#0088ff"

```

5. Automation Features

```yaml

Automatic linting

auto-lint: true

lint-cmd:

- "python: flake8 --select=E,W"

- "javascript: eslint"

Automatic testing

auto-test: true

test-cmd: "pytest"

```

6. Performance Optimization

```yaml

Enable prompt caching

cache-prompts: true

Repository map settings

map-tokens: 2048 # Adjust based on repo size

map-refresh: auto

Keep cache warm (for frequent use)

cache-keepalive-pings: 3

```

7. Read-Only Context Files

```yaml

Add context files that Aider can read but not modify

read:

- README.md

- ARCHITECTURE.md

- .env.example

```

8. Notification Setup

```yaml

Enable notifications

notifications: true

Custom notification command (optional)

notifications-command: "osascript -e 'display notification \"Aider ready\"'"

```

Example Configurations

Minimal Setup (Quick Start)

```yaml

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

anthropic-api-key: your-api-key-here

auto-commits: false

dark-mode: true

```

Power User Setup

```yaml

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

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

cache-prompts: true

cache-keepalive-pings: 2

auto-lint: true

auto-test: true

test-cmd: "make test"

notifications: true

vim: true

dark-mode: true

code-theme: monokai

stream: true

```

Team Configuration (Consistent Styling)

```yaml

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

git: true

auto-commits: true

attribute-author: true

auto-lint: true

lint-cmd:

- "python: black && flake8"

- "typescript: prettier --check && eslint"

pretty: true

show-diffs: true

```

Important Notes

Configuration Priority

Aider loads configuration in this order (later overrides earlier):

1. Default values

2. `.aider.conf.yml` in home directory

3. `.aider.conf.yml` in git repository root

4. `.aider.conf.yml` in current working directory

5. Command-line arguments

Troubleshooting

Additional Resources