Aider Configuration Template

A comprehensive configuration template for Aider, the AI pair programming tool. This skill helps you set up and customize Aider with all available configuration options.

What This Does

Generates a complete `.aider.conf.yml` configuration file with all available Aider settings, including:

Instructions

When a user requests Aider configuration help, follow these steps:

1. **Understand Requirements**

- Ask which aspects they want to configure (model, git, output, automation, etc.)

- Determine if they need a minimal starter config or comprehensive reference

- Check if they have specific API providers or models in mind

2. **Generate Configuration File**

- Create `.aider.conf.yml` in their git repository root or home directory

- Include only requested sections for minimal configs

- Add inline comments explaining each setting

- Highlight commonly used options vs advanced settings

3. **Key Configuration Sections**

**Model Settings:**

- `model`: Main chat model (e.g., "claude-3-7-sonnet-20250219", "gpt-4o")

- `weak-model`: Model for summaries and commit messages

- `editor-model`: Model for editor tasks

- `edit-format`: How LLM formats edits (whole, diff, udiff, etc.)

**API Keys (use .env file instead when possible):**

- `openai-api-key`: OpenAI API key

- `anthropic-api-key`: Anthropic API key

- `api-key`: Generic provider keys

**Git Integration:**

- `auto-commits`: Auto-commit LLM changes (default: true)

- `dirty-commits`: Allow commits when repo is dirty (default: true)

- `attribute-author`: Attribute changes to aider in git author

- `auto-lint`: Automatically lint after changes

- `auto-test`: Automatically run tests after changes

**Output Customization:**

- `dark-mode` / `light-mode`: Terminal color scheme

- `pretty`: Enable colorized output (default: true)

- `stream`: Stream responses (default: true)

- Color settings for different output types

**Performance:**

- `cache-prompts`: Enable prompt caching

- `map-tokens`: Tokens for repo map (use 0 to disable)

- `max-chat-history-tokens`: Soft limit for chat history

**Automation:**

- `lint-cmd`: Custom lint commands per language

- `test-cmd`: Command to run tests

- `commit-prompt`: Custom prompt for commit messages

4. **Common Use Cases**

**Minimal Starter Config:**

```yaml

model: claude-3-7-sonnet-20250219

auto-commits: true

auto-lint: true

dark-mode: true

```

**Team-Friendly Config:**

```yaml

model: gpt-4o

weak-model: gpt-4o-mini

auto-commits: true

dirty-commits: false

attribute-commit-message-author: true

lint-cmd:

- "python: ruff check --fix"

- "javascript: eslint --fix"

show-diffs: true

```

**Performance-Optimized Config:**

```yaml

model: claude-3-7-sonnet-20250219

cache-prompts: true

cache-keepalive-pings: 3

map-tokens: 2048

max-chat-history-tokens: 4096

```

5. **Security Best Practices**

- Recommend storing API keys in `.env` file, not YAML config

- Add `.aider*` files to `.gitignore` (Aider does this automatically)

- Never commit API keys to version control

6. **Provide Usage Examples**

- Show how to override config with command-line flags

- Explain config file precedence (repo root > home directory)

- Demonstrate common workflows with the configuration

Constraints

Example Usage

**User Request:** "Help me set up Aider with Claude Sonnet and automatic git commits"

**Response:**

1. Create `.aider.conf.yml` in repository root

2. Add essential settings:

```yaml

model: claude-3-7-sonnet-20250219

auto-commits: true

attribute-author: true

dark-mode: true

```

3. Create `.env` file for API key:

```

ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=your_key_here

```

4. Verify setup: `aider --verbose`

Related Documentation