Production Aider Configuration

Advanced Aider configuration optimized for professional development workflows with multi-model support, automatic linting, and productivity features.

What This Does

This configuration sets up Aider with:

Instructions

1. **Create the configuration file** at `~/.aider.conf.yml` (or `.aider.conf.yml` in your project root):

```yaml

dark-mode: true

Primary models

model: gemini

editor-model: gemini

weak-model: flash

Vim keybindings

vim: true

File watching

watch-files: true

Auto-linting for C/C++

lint-cmd:

- "cpp: gccdiag"

- "c: gccdiag"

auto-lint: true

Notifications

notifications: true

Model aliases for quick switching

alias:

- "deepseek:openrouter/deepseek/deepseek-chat-v3-0324"

- "flash:openrouter/google/gemini-2.0-flash-001"

- "gem:openrouter/google/gemini-2.5-pro-preview-03-25"

- "gemini:openrouter/google/gemini-2.5-pro-preview-03-25"

- "r1:openrouter/deepseek/deepseek-reasoner"

- "claude:openrouter/anthropic/claude-3.7-sonnet"

- "sonnet:openrouter/anthropic/claude-3.7-sonnet"

- "freeseek:openrouter/deepseek/deepseek-chat-v3-0324:free"

- "flashlite:openrouter/google/gemini-2.0-flash-lite-001"

- "freegem:openrouter/google/gemini-2.5-pro-preview-03-25:free"

- "r1f:openrouter/deepseek/deepseek-r1:free,openrouter/deepseek/deepseek-r1"

- "optimus:openrouter/openrouter/optimus-alpha"

- "deepcoder:lmstudio/agentica-org_deepcoder-14b-preview@q6_k_l"

- "qwen:lmstudio/qwen2.5-coder-32b-instruct"

```

2. **Set up OpenRouter API key**:

```bash

export OPENROUTER_API_KEY="your-key-here"

```

3. **Install linting tools** (for C/C++ auto-lint):

```bash

On macOS

brew install gcc

On Ubuntu/Debian

sudo apt-get install gcc g++

```

4. **Launch Aider**:

```bash

aider

```

5. **Switch models on the fly** using aliases:

```

/model claude # Switch to Claude 3.7 Sonnet

/model r1 # Switch to DeepSeek R1 (reasoning model)

/model flash # Switch to Gemini Flash (fast/cheap)

```

Key Features

Model Aliases

Quick shortcuts for switching between models without typing full provider paths:

Auto-Linting

Automatically runs `gccdiag` on C/C++ files after edits to catch compilation errors immediately.

Vim Mode

Full Vim keybindings for navigation and editing within the Aider interface.

File Watching

Automatically detects when files are modified externally and reloads them in the session.

Customization

**Change primary model:**

```yaml

model: claude # or deepseek, r1, etc.

```

**Add your own alias:**

```yaml

alias:

- "mymodel:openrouter/provider/model-name"

```

**Add linting for other languages:**

```yaml

lint-cmd:

- "python: flake8"

- "javascript: eslint"

```

**Disable Vim mode:**

```yaml

vim: false

```

Constraints

Pro Tips

1. Use `flash` (Gemini Flash) for quick iterations, then switch to `gemini` or `claude` for complex refactoring

2. Use `r1` (DeepSeek Reasoner) for algorithmic problems or debugging logic

3. Combine with `/architect` mode for larger architectural changes

4. The `weak-model` setting uses a cheaper model for simple operations like code completion