Aider Configuration Template

A comprehensive Aider configuration template optimized for AI-assisted pair programming with cost-effective model selection, automatic linting, and proper git attribution.

Overview

This skill provides a production-ready `.aider.conf.yml` configuration that balances capability, cost, and developer experience. It uses DeepSeek Chat as the primary model, enables automatic linting, maintains chat history between sessions, and properly attributes AI-generated changes in git commits.

Key Features

Instructions

When a user requests Aider configuration or AI pair programming setup:

1. **Create `.aider.conf.yml`** in the project root with the following configuration:

```yaml

##########################################################

Aider Configuration

##########################################################

---

#############

Main model:

Best balance of capability and cost

model: deepseek/deepseek-chat

#################

Model settings:

Reasonable limit to prevent excessive token usage

max-chat-history-tokens: 8000

Good default for repo mapping

map-tokens: 2000

Automatically refresh repo map when needed

map-refresh: auto

################

History Files:

Maintain context between sessions

restore-chat-history: true

Log LLM conversations for review

llm-history-file: .aider.llm.history

##################

Output settings:

Colorized output

pretty: true

Stream responses for better UX

stream: true

Show diffs when committing changes

show-diffs: true

Popular code highlighting theme

code-theme: monokai

###############

Git settings:

Manual control over commits

auto-commits: true

Don't automatically commit dirty files

dirty-commits: false

Attribute AI changes in git

attribute-author: true

Attribute AI as committer

attribute-committer: true

Prefix commit messages with 'aider: '

attribute-commit-message-author: true

########################

Fixing and committing:

Automatically lint after changes

auto-lint: true

Manual control over test runs

auto-test: false

############

Analytics:

Disable analytics for privacy

analytics: false

############

Upgrading:

Check for updates on launch

check-update: true

#################

Other settings:

Use standard editing mode (change to true if you prefer vim)

vim: true

Allow suggesting shell commands

suggest-shell-commands: true

Enable fancy input with history and completion

fancy-input: true

Enable multi-line input mode

multiline: true

Enable notifications when responses are ready

notifications: true

Detect and offer to add URLs to chat

detect-urls: true

Dark mode

dark-mode: true

```

2. **Add to `.gitignore`** to prevent committing sensitive history:

```

.aider.llm.history

.aider.chat.history.md

.aider.input.history

.aider.tags.cache.v3/

```

3. **Verify setup** by running:

```bash

aider --check-update

```

Model Selection

The configuration uses **DeepSeek Chat** as the primary model for optimal cost-to-performance ratio. Alternative models are commented out:

To switch models, update the `model:` line in `.aider.conf.yml`.

Customization Options

For teams requiring test automation

Change `auto-test: false` to `auto-test: true`

For non-vim users

Change `vim: true` to `vim: false`

For larger codebases

Increase `map-tokens` from 2000 to 4000 or higher

For longer conversations

Increase `max-chat-history-tokens` from 8000 to 16000

Git Attribution

All AI-generated commits will be clearly marked with:

This ensures transparency in code review and git history.

Usage

After configuration, launch Aider in your project:

```bash

aider

```

The assistant will:

Notes