Aider

Aider is an open-source AI pair programming tool for the terminal.

Overview


Type	CLI
Open Source	Yes (Apache 2.0)
Best For	BYOK, polyglot projects, benchmarking

Key Features

Git-native — Auto-commits with descriptive messages
BYOK — Any OpenAI-compatible API
Multi-file Editing — Handles large refactors
Voice Input — Speak your prompts
Leaderboard — Public benchmarks for model comparison

Installation

# pip
pip install aider-chat

# pipx (recommended)
pipx install aider-chat

# homebrew
brew install aider

Access Model

Aider is open source and BYOK. You connect it to the provider you want to use, which makes it a strong fit for developers who want explicit control over model choice and privacy boundaries.

Privacy

Setting	Value
Open Source	Yes (auditable)
Training	Depends on API provider
Data Storage	Local only
Jurisdiction	Your API provider

Models

Works with any OpenAI-compatible API:

OpenAI (GPT-5.2, Codex 5)
Anthropic (Claude Opus/Sonnet 4.5)
DeepSeek, Mistral, Ollama
Any OpenAI-compatible endpoint

Getting Started

# Set API key
export OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-...

# Start in your project
cd your-project
aider

# Or specify files to edit
aider src/main.py src/utils.py

Key Commands

Command	Action
`/add <file>`	Add file to context
`/drop <file>`	Remove file from context
`/undo`	Undo last change
`/diff`	Show pending changes
`/commit`	Commit current changes
`/clear`	Clear conversation
`/help`	Show all commands

Aider Conventions File

Create .aider.conf.yml for project settings:

model: claude-sonnet-4-5-20250514
auto-commits: true
gitignore: true

# Files to always include
read:
  - README.md
  - docs/architecture.md

The Aider Leaderboard

Aider maintains a public leaderboard comparing models on real coding tasks. Useful for model selection.

Tips

Use /add to bring relevant files into context
Enable auto-commits for automatic git history
Check the leaderboard before choosing a model
Use with Ollama for 100% local operation