# Aider

## About

[Aider](https://aider.chat/) is a command-line pair programming tool that connects to OpenAI-compatible APIs. It lets you chat with models to edit your codebase, auto-commit changes, and build software collaboratively from the terminal.

This guide explains how to connect **AI/ML API** to **Aider** using the **OpenAI-compatible** flow.\
You’ll get a clean setup with **one endpoint**, support for **slashes in model names**, and **full compatibility** with all chat-completion models.

***

## Quick Setup

<table><thead><tr><th width="248.13323974609375">Field</th><th>Value</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Base URL</strong></td><td><code>https://api.aimlapi.com/v1</code></td></tr><tr><td><strong>API Key</strong></td><td>Your AI/ML API key (create at <a href="https://aimlapi.com/app/keys">aimlapi.com/app/keys</a>)</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Model</strong></td><td><code>openai/anthropic/claude-3.7-sonnet</code> <em>(openai/&#x3C;your_full_model_id>)</em></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Command Example</strong></td><td><code>aider --model openai/chatgpt-4o-latest</code></td></tr></tbody></table>

{% hint style="success" %}
**Tip:** Always include the `openai/` prefix (case-sensitive) before your model name.

This ensures Aider correctly routes requests to your **AI/ML API** endpoint.
{% endhint %}

***

## Installation

### ✅ Prerequisites

* AI/ML API key
* Python 3.8–3.13 installed
* Internet access to `api.aimlapi.com`
* Aider installed ([Install Guide](https://aider.chat/docs/install.html))

***

### 1️⃣ Install Aider

```bash
python -m pip install aider-install
aider-install
```

<div align="left" data-with-frame="true"><figure><img src="https://3927338786-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FROMd1X5PuqtikJ48n2N9%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-94f550d343644dce6dfbf1ffcd7f46a3be415ffb%2F%D0%A1%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%BC%D0%BE%D0%BA%20%D1%8D%D0%BA%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B0%202025-10-22%20133803.png?alt=media" alt=""><figcaption><p><em>Install Aider via terminal</em></p></figcaption></figure></div>

***

### 2️⃣ Configure AI/ML API credentials

**Mac/Linux**

```bash
export OPENAI_API_BASE=https://api.aimlapi.com/v1
export OPENAI_API_KEY=<your_aimlapi_key>
```

**Windows (PowerShell)**

```powershell
setx OPENAI_API_BASE https://api.aimlapi.com/v1
setx OPENAI_API_KEY <your_aimlapi_key>
# restart your terminal
```

***

### 3️⃣ Run Aider with AI/ML API

Move into your project directory:

```bash
cd /to/your/project
```

Then launch Aider with your preferred model:

```bash
# GPT-4o (OpenAI)
aider --model openai/chatgpt-4o-latest

# DeepSeek Chat V3
aider --model openai/deepseek/deepseek-chat

# Claude 3.7 Sonnet
aider --model openai/anthropic/claude-3.7-sonnet

# Gemini 1.5 Pro
aider --model openai/google/gemini-1.5-pro
```

<div align="left" data-with-frame="true"><figure><img src="https://3927338786-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FROMd1X5PuqtikJ48n2N9%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-52ea2cfbb6e264d26a05a06e29a71d30fa2b9281%2Fimage.png?alt=media" alt="Running Aider with AI/ML API model"><figcaption><p>Running Aider with AI/ML API model</p></figcaption></figure></div>

***

### 4️⃣ Model Prefix Rule

Aider automatically routes requests to your `OPENAI_API_BASE`.\
To connect to **AI/ML API**, **always prefix your model with `openai/`**.

**Pattern:**

```
openai/<provider>/<model-name>
```

**Examples:**

* `openai/chatgpt-4o-latest`
* `openai/deepseek/deepseek-chat`
* `openai/anthropic/claude-3.7-sonnet`
* `openai/google/gemini-1.5-pro`

***

## Example Aider Session

```bash
cd ~/workspace/myapp
aider --model openai/chatgpt-4o-latest
```

Aider will:

1. Load your project map.
2. Analyze the repo.
3. Apply AI-suggested edits.
4. Commit changes automatically.

<div data-with-frame="true"><figure><img src="https://3927338786-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FROMd1X5PuqtikJ48n2N9%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-929b3459db4fbc7796e1e09cd1170ba6907899c0%2F%D0%A1%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%BC%D0%BE%D0%BA%20%D1%8D%D0%BA%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B0%202025-10-23%20125950.png?alt=media" alt="Aider researching your repo"><figcaption><p>Aider researching your repo</p></figcaption></figure></div>

<div align="left" data-with-frame="true"><figure><img src="https://3927338786-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FROMd1X5PuqtikJ48n2N9%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-b3050367a307ad8dad35e2ca9842cd9d06445f64%2F%D0%A1%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%BC%D0%BE%D0%BA%20%D1%8D%D0%BA%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B0%202025-10-23%20130108.png?alt=media" alt="Aider working on code changes"><figcaption><p><em>Aider working on code changes</em></p></figcaption></figure></div>

***

## Common Pitfalls

* ***Bad request – check parameters*** → verify the model name and prefix
* ***Unknown model*** → confirm it exists in [AI/ML API Models](https://aimlapi.com/models?utm_source=aider\&utm_medium=github\&utm_campaign=integration)
* ***Invalid API key*** → re-copy from [AI/ML API Dashboard](https://aimlapi.com/app/keys)
* ***No response*** → check `OPENAI_API_BASE` and your internet access

***

## 📚 References

* [Dashboard & API Keys](https://aimlapi.com/app)
* [Model Catalog](https://aimlapi.com/models)
* [Aider GitHub](https://github.com/Aider-AI/aider)
* [Aider Installation Docs](https://aider.chat/docs/install.html)


---

# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://docs.aimlapi.com/integrations/aider.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.