Aider Development Assistant

This skill configures Aider, an AI pair programming tool, with optimized settings for efficient development workflows including intelligent repo mapping, prompt caching, automated linting, testing, and structured file management.

What This Skill Does

Sets up Aider with production-ready configuration for:

Instructions

When this skill is invoked, create or update the `.aider.conf.yml` file in the project root with the following configuration:

1. Model Configuration

Configure Claude Sonnet 3.5 as the main model:

```yaml

sonnet: true

architect: false

```

2. Caching Settings

Enable prompt caching to reduce API costs and latency:

```yaml

cache-prompts: true

cache-keepalive-pings: 1

```

This keeps the prompt cache warm with periodic pings.

3. Repository Mapping

Configure enhanced repo mapping for better context:

```yaml

map-tokens: 2048

```

This provides double the default tokens for understanding codebase structure.

4. Output Settings

Disable streaming for cleaner output:

```yaml

stream: false

```

5. Git Integration

Configure controlled git behavior:

```yaml

auto-commits: false

```

This prevents automatic commits, giving you control over when changes are committed.

6. Linting Configuration

Set up Python linting with flake8:

```yaml

lint-cmd:

- "python: flake8 ."

auto-lint: false

```

Linting is available but not automatic, allowing you to run it when needed.

7. Testing Configuration

Configure pytest integration:

```yaml

test-cmd: .venv/bin/python -m pytest -v

auto-test: false

test: false

```

Tests can be run on demand but won't execute automatically after changes.

8. File Management

Structure your project with task tracking and prompt guidelines:

```yaml

file:

- tasks.md

read:

- .prompts/code-generation-guidelines.md

- .prompts/file-size-guidelines.md

- .prompts/mcp-server-conventions.md

- .prompts/repo-exploration-template.md

- .prompts/engineer-tasks.md

```

This configuration:

9. User Experience Settings

```yaml

yes-always: true

suggest-shell-commands: false

detect-urls: false

```

These settings:

10. Privacy Settings

```yaml

analytics-disable: true

check-update: true

```

Disables analytics while still checking for updates.

Usage Examples

Starting Aider

With this configuration file in place, simply run:

```bash

aider

```

Aider will automatically:

Running Lints

```bash

aider --lint

```

Running Tests

```bash

aider --test

```

Creating Prompt Guidelines

Create a `.prompts/` directory with guideline files:

These files inform the AI but aren't modified during sessions.

Important Notes

API Keys

Edit Format

The default edit format depends on the model. You can override with:

```yaml

edit-format: architect

```

Custom Models

Override models for specific tasks:

```yaml

weak-model: claude-3-haiku-20240307

editor-model: claude-3-5-sonnet-20241022

```

File Paths

Adjust the `read` and `file` paths to match your project structure. The configuration shown is optimized for MCP server projects but can be adapted to any codebase.

Virtual Environment

The test command assumes a `.venv` virtual environment. Adjust the path if your setup differs:

```yaml

test-cmd: python -m pytest -v

```

Constraints