Aider Configuration Template

A comprehensive configuration template for Aider, the AI pair programming tool. This configuration optimizes Aider for professional development workflows with sensible defaults for model selection, git integration, caching, and terminal UI.

What This Configuration Does

This skill provides a production-ready `.aider.conf.yml` configuration that:

Instructions

1. **Identify the target directory** where Aider configuration should be placed (git root or home directory)

2. **Create the configuration file** at `.aider.conf.yml` with the following content:

```yaml

Model Selection

model: gpt-4.1

Environment Variables

set-env:

- LITELLM_LOCAL_MODEL_COST_MAP='True'

Cache Settings (reduces API costs)

cache-prompts: true

Terminal UI

dark-mode: true

show-diffs: true

Git Integration

gitignore: false

auto-commits: false

attribute-author: false

auto-lint: false

Read-Only Context Files

read: CONVENTIONS.md

```

3. **Customize model selection** if needed:

- For Anthropic: `model: claude-3-7-sonnet-20250219`

- For OpenAI: `model: gpt-4o` or `model: gpt-4o-mini`

- For DeepSeek: `model: deepseek/deepseek-chat`

4. **Add API keys** (optional, can also use environment variables):

- For OpenAI: Add `openai-api-key: YOUR_KEY`

- For Anthropic: Add `anthropic-api-key: YOUR_KEY`

5. **Configure read-only files** to provide context without allowing edits:

- Add architecture docs, coding standards, or API references

- Example: `read: [CONVENTIONS.md, ARCHITECTURE.md, API_GUIDE.md]`

6. **Enable optional features** based on workflow needs:

- Auto-testing: Set `auto-test: true` and `test-cmd: pytest`

- Auto-linting: Set `auto-lint: true` and configure `lint-cmd`

- Voice input: Configure `voice-format` and `voice-language`

7. **Verify configuration** by running:

```bash

aider --config .aider.conf.yml

```

Key Configuration Sections

Model Settings

Git Integration

Terminal UI

Performance

Common Customizations

**For team workflows:**

```yaml

auto-commits: false

show-diffs: true

lint-cmd:

- "python: ruff check --fix"

- "javascript: eslint --fix"

test-cmd: npm test

```

**For solo rapid prototyping:**

```yaml

auto-commits: true

auto-lint: true

auto-test: false

yes-always: false # Still review important changes

```

**For cost optimization:**

```yaml

cache-prompts: true

cache-keepalive-pings: 5

model: gpt-4o-mini # Cheaper model

weak-model: gpt-4o-mini

```

Important Notes

Configuration File Location

Aider searches for configuration in this order:

1. `--config` flag path (if specified)

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

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

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

See Also