Aider Configuration Template

A comprehensive configuration template for Aider, the AI pair programming tool. This skill provides a complete `.aider.conf.yml` file with all available configuration options, enabling you to customize Aider's behavior for model selection, git integration, output formatting, testing, linting, and more.

What This Configuration Enables

This template configures Aider for optimal AI-assisted development with options for:

Instructions

Step 1: Create Configuration File

Create a `.aider.conf.yml` file in either:

Step 2: Choose Your Configuration Strategy

**Option A: Minimal Configuration (Recommended for Beginners)**

Start with only essential settings:

```yaml

Model selection (choose one)

sonnet: true # Claude 3.5 Sonnet (recommended)

4o: true # GPT-4o alternative

Dark terminal users

dark-mode: true

Enable auto-features

auto-commits: true

auto-lint: true

```

**Option B: Full Configuration (Advanced Users)**

Copy the complete template below and uncomment/modify sections as needed.

Step 3: Configure API Keys

**Important**: Only OpenAI and Anthropic API keys can go in the YAML config. For other providers, use a `.env` file.

```yaml

In .aider.conf.yml

openai-api-key: sk-...

anthropic-api-key: sk-ant-...

OR use .env file (recommended for security)

env-file: .env

```

In your `.env` file:

```bash

OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-...

ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-...

```

Step 4: Select Your Model

Uncomment ONE of these model options:

```yaml

Claude models (via Anthropic)

opus: false # Claude 3 Opus (most capable)

sonnet: true # Claude 3.5 Sonnet (balanced, recommended)

OpenAI models

4o: false # GPT-4o (latest)

mini: false # GPT-4o-mini (fast, cost-effective)

4-turbo: false # GPT-4 Turbo

4: false # GPT-4

35turbo: false # GPT-3.5 Turbo (legacy)

Other providers

deepseek: false # DeepSeek Coder

```

Step 5: Configure Git Behavior

```yaml

Auto-commit changes made by the LLM

auto-commits: true

Allow commits when repo has uncommitted changes

dirty-commits: true

Add "aider:" prefix to commit messages

attribute-commit-message-committer: false

Show diffs before committing

show-diffs: false

Custom commit message prompt (optional)

commit-prompt: "Write a concise commit message following conventional commits format"

```

Step 6: Set Up Code Quality (Optional)

```yaml

Enable automatic linting after changes

auto-lint: true

Define lint commands per language

lint-cmd:

- "python: ruff check --fix"

- "javascript: eslint --fix"

- "typescript: eslint --fix"

Enable automatic testing after changes

auto-test: false

Test command to run

test-cmd: "pytest tests/"

```

Step 7: Customize Output

```yaml

Terminal appearance

dark-mode: true # or light-mode: true

Color customization

user-input-color: "#00cc00"

assistant-output-color: "#0088ff"

tool-error-color: "#FF2222"

Code syntax theme

code-theme: default # Options: default, monokai, solarized-dark, solarized-light

Enable streaming responses

stream: true

```

Step 8: Configure Advanced Features (Optional)

```yaml

Repo map settings (for large codebases)

map-tokens: 1024 # Max tokens for repo map (0 to disable)

map-refresh: auto # auto | files | manual

Prompt caching (experimental, forces map_refresh='files')

cache-prompts: false

Chat history

restore-chat-history: false

chat-history-file: .aider.chat.history.md

Model settings for unknown models

model-settings-file: .aider.model.settings.yml

model-metadata-file: .aider.model.metadata.json

```

Complete Configuration Template

```yaml

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

Complete Aider Configuration Template

Place in home directory or git repository root

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

#######

Main:

API keys (or use .env file)

#openai-api-key:

#anthropic-api-key:

Model selection (uncomment ONE)

#opus: false # Claude 3 Opus

sonnet: true # Claude 3.5 Sonnet (recommended)

#4o: false # GPT-4o

#mini: false # GPT-4o-mini

#4-turbo: false # GPT-4 Turbo

#4: false # GPT-4

#35turbo: false # GPT-3.5 Turbo

#deepseek: false # DeepSeek Coder

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

Model Settings:

#openai-api-base:

#openai-api-type:

#openai-api-version:

#openai-api-deployment-id:

#openai-organization-id:

#model-settings-file: .aider.model.settings.yml

#model-metadata-file: .aider.model.metadata.json

#verify-ssl: true

#edit-format:

#weak-model:

#show-model-warnings: true

#map-tokens: 1024

#map-refresh: auto

#cache-prompts: false

#max-chat-history-tokens:

#env-file: .env

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

History Files:

#input-history-file: .aider.input.history

#chat-history-file: .aider.chat.history.md

#restore-chat-history: false

#llm-history-file:

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

Output Settings:

dark-mode: true

#light-mode: false

#pretty: true

#stream: true

#user-input-color: "#00cc00"

#tool-output-color:

#tool-error-color: "#FF2222"

#assistant-output-color: "#0088ff"

#code-theme: default

#show-diffs: false

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

Git Settings:

#git: true

#gitignore: true

#aiderignore: .aiderignore

#subtree-only: false

auto-commits: true

#dirty-commits: true

#attribute-author: true

#attribute-committer: true

#attribute-commit-message-author: false

#attribute-commit-message-committer: false

#commit: false

#commit-prompt:

#dry-run: false

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

Fixing and committing:

#lint: false

#lint-cmd:

auto-lint: true

#test-cmd:

#auto-test: false

#test: false

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

Other Settings:

#file:

#read:

#vim: false

#voice-language: en

#check-update: true

#yes: false

#verbose: false

#encoding: utf-8

#config:

#gui: false

```

Usage Examples

Example 1: Web Development Setup

```yaml

sonnet: true

dark-mode: true

auto-commits: true

auto-lint: true

lint-cmd:

- "typescript: eslint --fix"

- "javascript: eslint --fix"

- "css: stylelint --fix"

test-cmd: "npm test"

auto-test: false

```

Example 2: Python Data Science Project

```yaml

4o: true

dark-mode: true

auto-commits: true

auto-lint: true

lint-cmd:

- "python: ruff check --fix"

test-cmd: "pytest tests/ -v"

map-tokens: 2048

show-diffs: true

```

Example 3: Enterprise Setup with Custom API

```yaml

sonnet: true

openai-api-base: "https://api.company.com/v1"

verify-ssl: true

auto-commits: true

dirty-commits: false

attribute-commit-message-committer: true

auto-lint: true

auto-test: true

test-cmd: "make test"

```

Important Notes

1. **Security**: Never commit API keys to version control. Use `.env` files and add them to `.gitignore`.

2. **Model Selection**: Only one model flag should be `true` at a time.

3. **Git Integration**: Aider automatically creates `.aider*` entries in `.gitignore`.

4. **History Files**: Chat history files are stored in your repository root by default.

5. **Linting**: Multiple `lint-cmd` entries can be specified for different languages.

6. **Testing**: Set `auto-test: true` cautiously—tests run after every change.

7. **Repo Maps**: For large codebases, increase `map-tokens` or set to `0` to disable.

8. **Custom Models**: Use `model-settings-file` and `model-metadata-file` for unlisted models.

Constraints