Aider AI Coding Assistant Cheatsheet

Q: How do I install Aider?

Install with 'pip install aider-chat'. We recommend using a virtual environment to avoid dependency conflicts. After installation, run 'aider' in your project directory.

Q: What models does Aider support?

It supports Claude Sonnet/Opus, GPT-4o, GPT-4-turbo, DeepSeek, Llama 3, and many more. Use --model to specify, e.g., --model sonnet, --model gpt-4o, --model deepseek.

Q: How does Aider's Git integration work?

Aider automatically creates Git commits before each AI modification, making it easy to revert changes. Enable with --git, disable with --no-git. It auto-commits after each edit, and /undo reverts the last modification.

Q: What does --architect mode do?

--architect mode uses two models working together: an architect model plans the solution, and an editor model implements the changes. Great for complex tasks — plan with a strong model, execute with an economical one.

Q: How does Aider understand project structure?

Aider maintains a repository map containing file structure, key symbols, and dependency relationships. View it with --show-repo-map. The map helps the AI understand code context and make better editing decisions.

Aider is an open-source AI coding assistant that runs in the terminal, supports multiple LLM models (Claude, GPT-4o, DeepSeek, etc.), and features automatic Git integration, repository map awareness, and multi-file editing capabilities.

Updated: 2026-07-17·41 commands

Overview

Aider is an open-source AI coding assistant that runs in the terminal, supporting multiple LLM backends. It features automatic Git integration, repository map awareness, and concurrent multi-file editing — a powerful tool for local AI-assisted coding.

Quick Start

``bash # Install Aider pip install aider-chat

# Set up API Key (using Anthropic as example) export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=your-key-here

# Start an Aider session aider

# Specify a model aider --model claude-sonnet-4-20250514

# Architect mode (two-model collaboration) aider --architect --model sonnet`

Refer to the command table below for detailed usage.

`Launch Modes`

Aider offers various launch modes: standard interactive, architect mode (dual-model), --ask (questions only, no edits), --yes (auto-confirm), --vim (Vim key bindings).

`File Management`

Use /add, /drop, /read-only to manage file context within the session. /ls lists all active files. /read-only marks files as read-only to prevent AI modification.

`Chat Commands`

Manage sessions with /help, /clear, /diff, /undo, /tokens, /model, and more. Supports /copy and /copy-context to duplicate content, /voice for speech input, /web to fetch web page content.

`Code Editing`

Supports multiple edit formats (--edit-format) including diff, udiff, search/replace. Combine with --lint and --test to automatically run linters and tests after edits.

`Git Integration`

Aider automatically manages Git commits, creating checkpoints before each modification. Use /commit for manual commits and /git to run custom Git commands. Enable with --git.

`Advanced`

Advanced commands include /run to execute shell commands, /voice for speech-to-code input, /web to fetch web page content for AI reference, /load and /save for session state management, /report for generating reports, and /exit to quit. The .aider.conf.yml` configuration file supports granular model parameters and environment settings.

Startup & Modes(9)

Command	Level	Example
`aider` Start an Aider interactive session in current directory	Basic	`aider`
`aider --model` Specify which LLM model to use	Basic	`aider --model claude-sonnet-4-20250514`
`aider --model sonnet` Use Claude Sonnet model	Basic	`aider --model sonnet`
`aider --model gpt-4o` Use OpenAI GPT-4o model	Basic	`aider --model gpt-4o`
`aider --model deepseek` Use DeepSeek model	Basic	`aider --model deepseek`
`aider --architect` Architect mode (dual-model collaboration)	Expert	`aider --architect --model sonnet`
`aider --ask` Questions-only mode, no code modifications	Basic	`aider --ask 'Explain the caching strategy'`
`aider --yes` Auto-confirm all AI-suggested edits	Intermediate	`aider --yes 'Add tests for auth module'`
`aider --vim` Enable Vim key binding mode	Intermediate	`aider --vim`

File Management(4)

Command	Level	Example
`/add` Add files to the session context	Basic	`/add src/main.py tests/test_main.py`
`/drop` Remove files from session context	Basic	`/drop src/utils.py`
`/read-only` Add files as read-only (AI cannot modify)	Intermediate	`/read-only config/settings.py`
`/ls` List all active files in the current session	Basic	`/ls`

Chat Commands(8)

Command	Level	Example
`/help` Show help for all available commands	Basic	`/help`
`/clear` Clear the session history display	Basic	`/clear`
`/diff` Show diff of the most recent changes	Basic	`/diff`
`/undo` Undo the most recent AI modification	Basic	`/undo`
`/tokens` Show token usage statistics for current context	Intermediate	`/tokens`
`/model` Switch the model used in the current session	Intermediate	`/model gpt-4o`
`/copy` Copy last AI response to clipboard	Basic	`/copy`
`/copy-context` Copy current session context to clipboard	Intermediate	`/copy-context`

Code Editing(6)

Command	Level	Example
`/code` Describe code change requests in natural language	Basic	`/code Add input validation for email field`
`aider --edit-format` Specify edit format (diff/udiff/search-replace)	Expert	`aider --edit-format diff`
`aider --lint` Auto-run linter after edits	Intermediate	`aider --lint`
`/lint` Run linter on the current file	Intermediate	`/lint`
`aider --test` Auto-run tests after edits	Intermediate	`aider --test`
`/test` Run the project's test suite	Intermediate	`/test`

Git Integration(5)

Command	Level	Example
`aider --git` Enable automatic Git integration (default: on)	Basic	`aider --git`
`aider --no-git` Disable automatic Git integration	Basic	`aider --no-git`
`aider --show-repo-map` Show the project's repository map	Intermediate	`aider --show-repo-map`
`/commit` Manually commit current changes to Git	Basic	`/commit`
`/git` Execute a custom Git command	Intermediate	`/git log --oneline -5`

Advanced(9)

Command	Level	Example
`/run` Run a shell command in the terminal	Intermediate	`/run npm test`
`/voice` Voice input mode (microphone required)	Intermediate	`/voice`
`/web` Fetch web content and add to context	Intermediate	`/web https://docs.python.org/3/library/json.html`
`/load` Load a saved session state	Expert	`/load my-session`
`/save` Save the current session state	Expert	`/save my-session`
`/report` Report a bug or issue	Basic	`/report`
`/exit` Exit the Aider session	Basic	`/exit`
`.aider.conf.yml` Aider configuration file (YAML format)	Intermediate	`cat .aider.conf.yml`
`pip install aider-chat` Install Aider via pip	Basic	`pip install aider-chat`

FAQ

How do I install Aider?

What models does Aider support?

How does Aider's Git integration work?

What does --architect mode do?

How does Aider understand project structure?

This cheatsheet is compiled from official tool documentation. Last updated: 2026-07-17.