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Aider

Aider edits files in a local Git project from your terminal. You choose the AI model, check what it changed, and decide which edits to keep.

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What do you need before Aider can edit a project?

Git is optional in Aider. For the workflow on this page, install Aider, open a local project tracked by Git, and connect a supported AI model. Git keeps a history of your files. Aider can record its edits as commits, which are saved changes you can inspect.

Choose this workflow if your app already lives in a project folder and you want to make a change from the terminal. If you can’t yet tell which file changed or how to recover the earlier version, start with a small sample project.

Which files can reach the model you choose?

In a local project, Aider runs on your machine. With a hosted model, it sends relevant code and context to the provider you connect. That can include a map with file names and important parts of other files when repository mapping is in use.

A hosted model may require its own account and an API key. Use a provider approved for the files you intend to share. A compatible model running through a local server such as Ollama needs a model download and a machine that can run it. Check the actual connection before opening a private project.

Can you spot one change in Git?

Use a fresh Git repository that contains only the sample below, with no remote, credentials or real project files. If you can’t verify the folder, exercise settings or approved model connection, compare the expected lines on paper.

<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
  <head>
    <meta charset="utf-8">
    <title>Practice bakery</title>
  </head>
  <body>
    <h1>Practice bakery</h1>
    <p>Opens at 9 am</p>
  </body>
</html>
  1. Save the starting version
    Save the sample as hours.html and record it in Git. Open Aider from that folder. Decline any optional .gitignore edit, or review and commit it separately before the exercise begins.
  2. Check the exercise settings
    Aider can load settings from your home folder. Before the first request, check the model and any account it uses, and confirm you can send the sample there. Turn off automatic lint and test checks and note whether automatic commits are on. Select only hours.html.
  3. Ask for one change
    Ask Aider to change 9 am to 10 am in hours.html. The bakery name should stay the same. This edit needs no shell commands or extra files.
  4. Inspect the change before opening the page
    Compare with the version you recorded after setup. If Aider committed the edit, inspect the commit. With automatic commits off, inspect the uncommitted Git diff. Stop at inspection if anything besides the hours line in hours.html changed. Once that one-line change is confirmed, open the local file and check that it shows Opens at 10 am.

What happens to edits you already made?

By default, Aider can commit its own edits automatically. If it is about to edit a file you changed without committing, Aider can commit your existing edits first. Check Git history as well as the list of uncommitted changes.

Before you give Aider a real task, make sure you can identify and preserve your own work. Keep the project in Git and review the changed lines before sharing or keeping a commit.

What can cost money when you use Aider?

Aider’s code is available under the Apache 2.0 license. The model you connect has its own terms. For a hosted service that bills by tokens, check its rate for the pieces of text sent to and returned by your chosen model.

A compatible local model uses your own hardware. App hosting and other services your project uses are separate costs. Check the model’s cost before asking it to work across many files.