Think about which files need to be edited to make your change and add them to the chat.
Aider can help the LLM figure out which files to edit all by itself, but the most efficient approach is to add the needed files to the chat yourself.
Don’t add everything to the chat, just the files you think need to be edited.
Aider also sends the LLM a map of your entire git repo.
So the LLM can see all the other relevant parts of your code base.
Large changes are best performed as a sequence of thoughtful bite sized steps, where you plan out the approach and overall design. Walk the LLM through changes like you might with a junior dev. Ask for a refactor to prepare, then ask for the actual change. Spend the time to ask for code quality/structure improvements.
Use Control-C to safely interrupt the LLM if it isn’t providing a useful response. The partial response remains in the conversation, so you can refer to it when you reply to the LLM with more information or direction.
If your code is throwing an error,
use the /runin-chat command
to share the error output with the aider.
Or just paste the errors into the chat. Let the aider figure out and fix the bug.
If test are failing, use the /testin-chat command
to run tests and
share the error output with the aider.
You can send long, multi-line messages in the chat in a few ways:
Paste a multi-line message directly into the chat.
Enter { alone on the first line to start a multiline message and } alone on the last line to end it.
Use Meta-ENTER to start a new line without sending the message (Esc+ENTER in some environments).
LLMs know about a lot of standard tools and libraries, but may get some of the fine details wrong about API versions and function arguments.
You can paste doc snippets into the chat to resolve these issues.