Aider

Aider is a tool that lets you have conversations with AI about your code, right from your command line. You can ask it to add features, fix bugs, write tests, or improve your code structure. Unlike other AI tools, Aider edits your files directly and commits changes to Git for you.

It creates a map of your entire project, which helps the AI understand how everything connects. This makes it great for working on large, existing codebases. You can also use your regular code editor alongside Aider, switching between manual edits and AI help smoothly.

The tool is completely free and open source. It works with popular AI models through their APIs, so you only pay for the AI service you choose to use.

Getting started with Aider is straightforward. Here are the steps:

• Install Aider using pip by running pip install aider-chat in your terminal.

• Set up your AI model key (like OpenAI or Anthropic) as an environment variable on your computer.

• Open your terminal and go to your project folder that has Git set up.

• Start Aider by typing aider followed by the files you want to work on, or just type aider to let it discover all files.

• Chat naturally with the AI about what changes you want. Ask it to add features, fix problems, or explain code.

• Use commands like /add to include more files, /undo to reverse changes, or /run to test your code.

• You can use voice commands by typing /voice if you prefer speaking instead of typing.

• Edits code files directly in your terminal

• Automatic Git commits with clear messages

• Works with 100+ programming languages

• Connects to any AI model (Claude, GPT-4, DeepSeek)

• Maps your entire codebase for better understanding

• Voice-to-code commands available

• Automatic code testing and linting

• Image and webpage input support

• Open source and fully free

• Terminal and browser interfaces