Aider cheat sheet

Every command, flag and slash command for aider — AI pair programming in your terminal — works on a git repo, edits files and auto-commits by default. 18+ commands, verified July 2026.

Install

python -m pip install aider-install && aider-install    # recommended bootstrapper
python -m pip install -U aider-chat                     # pip
pipx install aider-chat                                 # pipx
curl -LsSf https://aider.chat/install.sh | sh           # Mac / Linux one-liner

Start & run

aider                            # launch in the current git repo
aider file1.py file2.py          # launch with files added to the chat
aider --model sonnet             # pick the main model
aider -m "add type hints to utils.py" utils.py    # one-shot, then exit
aider --architect --model o3-mini                 # architect: plan → edit

Key flags

Flag	What it does
`--model <name>`	Set the main LLM
`-m, --message "<msg>"`	Send one message, apply edits, exit
`--architect`	Architect mode (two-model plan → edit)
`--chat-mode <m>`	`code` · `architect` · `ask` · `help`
`--watch-files`	Act on `AI!` / `AI?` comments in your files
`--yes-always`	Auto-confirm all yes/no prompts
`--no-auto-commits`	Don't auto-commit after each edit
`--read <file>`	Add a read-only reference file
`--api-key <provider>=<key>`	Set an API key inline

In-chat / commands

Command	What it does
`/add` · `/read-only` · `/drop`	Manage which files are in the chat
`/ask <q>`	Ask about the codebase without editing
`/architect <req>`	Plan + edit with two models
`/model` · `/models`	Switch / search models
`/run <cmd>` · `/test <cmd>`	Run a shell / test command into the chat
`/lint` · `/commit` · `/diff` · `/undo`	Lint · commit · diff · undo last commit
`/web <url>`	Scrape a page to markdown into the chat
`/tokens` · `/clear` · `/reset`	Context management
`/voice`	Record and transcribe voice input

Config

.aider.conf.yml      # main config — YAML keys mirror the CLI flag names
.env                 # provider keys + any AIDER_* option
.aiderignore         # .gitignore-syntax: paths to exclude from the repo map

export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=…    # or OPENAI_API_KEY, GEMINI_API_KEY, DEEPSEEK_API_KEY…

Common one-liners

aider --message "add type hints to utils.py" utils.py    # one-shot edit
aider --architect --model o3-mini                        # planner + editor
aider app.py tests/test_app.py --read CONVENTIONS.md     # editable + reference
aider --watch-files --yes-always --no-auto-commits       # hands-off watch mode

# In watch mode, end a comment with AI! to trigger an edit, or AI? to ask:
#   function factorial(n) // implement this AI!