In-chat commands

Slash commands

Aider supports commands from within the chat, which all start with /.

Command Description
/add Add files to the chat so aider can edit them or review them in detail
/architect Enter architect mode to discuss high-level design and architecture. If no prompt provided, switches to architect mode.
/ask Ask questions about the code base without editing any files. If no prompt provided, switches to ask mode.
/chat-mode Switch to a new chat mode
/clear Clear the chat history
/code Ask for changes to your code. If no prompt provided, switches to code mode.
/commit Commit edits to the repo made outside the chat (commit message optional)
/copy Copy the last assistant message to the clipboard
/copy-context Copy the current chat context as markdown, suitable to paste into a web UI
/diff Display the diff of changes since the last message
/drop Remove files from the chat session to free up context space
/editor Open an editor to write a prompt
/exit Exit the application
/git Run a git command (output excluded from chat)
/help Ask questions about aider
/lint Lint and fix in-chat files or all dirty files if none in chat
/load Load and execute commands from a file
/ls List all known files and indicate which are included in the chat session
/map Print out the current repository map
/map-refresh Force a refresh of the repository map
/model Switch to a new LLM
/models Search the list of available models
/multiline-mode Toggle multiline mode (swaps behavior of Enter and Meta+Enter)
/paste Paste image/text from the clipboard into the chat. Optionally provide a name for the image.
/quit Exit the application
/read-only Add files to the chat that are for reference only, or turn added files to read-only
/report Report a problem by opening a GitHub Issue
/reset Drop all files and clear the chat history
/run Run a shell command and optionally add the output to the chat (alias: !)
/save Save commands to a file that can reconstruct the current chat session’s files
/settings Print out the current settings
/test Run a shell command and add the output to the chat on non-zero exit code
/tokens Report on the number of tokens used by the current chat context
/undo Undo the last git commit if it was done by aider
/voice Record and transcribe voice input
/web Scrape a webpage, convert to markdown and send in a message

You can easily re-send commands or messages. Use the up arrow ⬆ to scroll back or CONTROL-R to search your message history.

Entering multi-line chat messages

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.
    • Or, start with {tag (where “tag” is any sequence of letters/numbers) and end with tag}. This is useful when you need to include closing braces } in your message.
  • Use Meta-ENTER to start a new line without sending the message (Esc+ENTER in some environments).
  • Use /paste to paste text from the clipboard into the chat.
  • Use the /editor command to open your editor to create the next chat message. See editor configuration docs for more info.
  • Use multiline-mode, which swaps the function of Meta-Enter and Enter, so that Enter inserts a newline, and Meta-Enter submits your command. To enable multiline mode:
    • Use the /multiline-mode command to toggle it during a session.
    • Use the --multiline switch.

Example with a tag:

{python
def hello():
    print("Hello}")  # Note: contains a brace
python}

People often ask for SHIFT-ENTER to be a soft-newline. Unfortunately there is no portable way to detect that keystroke in terminals.

Interrupting with CONTROL-C

It’s always safe to use Control-C to interrupt aider 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.

Keybindings

The interactive prompt is built with prompt-toolkit which provides emacs and vi keybindings.

Emacs

  • Up Arrow : Move up one line in the current message.
  • Down Arrow : Move down one line in the current message.
  • Ctrl-Up : Scroll back through previously sent messages.
  • Ctrl-Down : Scroll forward through previously sent messages.
  • Ctrl-A : Move cursor to the start of the line.
  • Ctrl-B : Move cursor back one character.
  • Ctrl-D : Delete the character under the cursor.
  • Ctrl-E : Move cursor to the end of the line.
  • Ctrl-F : Move cursor forward one character.
  • Ctrl-K : Delete from the cursor to the end of the line.
  • Ctrl-L : Clear the screen.
  • Ctrl-N : Move down to the next history entry.
  • Ctrl-P : Move up to the previous history entry.
  • Ctrl-R : Reverse search in command history.

Vi

To use vi/vim keybindings, run aider with the --vim switch.

  • Up Arrow : Move up one line in the current message.
  • Down Arrow : Move down one line in the current message.
  • Ctrl-Up : Scroll back through previously sent messages.
  • Ctrl-Down : Scroll forward through previously sent messages.
  • Esc : Switch to command mode.
  • i : Switch to insert mode.
  • a : Move cursor one character to the right and switch to insert mode.
  • A : Move cursor to the end of the line and switch to insert mode.
  • I : Move cursor to the beginning of the line and switch to insert mode.
  • h : Move cursor one character to the left.
  • j : Move cursor down one line.
  • k : Move cursor up one line.
  • l : Move cursor one character to the right.
  • w : Move cursor forward one word.
  • b : Move cursor backward one word.
  • 0 : Move cursor to the beginning of the line.
  • $ : Move cursor to the end of the line.
  • x : Delete the character under the cursor.
  • dd : Delete the current line.
  • u : Undo the last change.
  • Ctrl-R : Redo the last undone change.