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$ learn Aider
Learn Aider in 5 minutes.
Aider is an open-source AI pair programmer that runs in your terminal and works directly on your git repository. This lesson drills managing what's in the chat with /add, leaning on git auto-commits, and using /ask before letting it edit.
# 5 minutes, no install
# interactive, not a video
# Lesson not loading? Open it in a new tab. It is the same free lesson either way.
Aider only sees what you /add
Aider builds a map of your whole repo but edits only the files you've explicitly put in the chat. Managing that small, deliberate context is the difference between sharp edits and confident nonsense.
Files in the chat
Files you /add are the ones Aider can edit; the repo map gives it awareness of everything else. Add the two or three files a change really touches, and /drop them when you move on.
Questions, no edits
Ask mode answers questions about your code without changing anything. Use it to check Aider's understanding of the problem before you let it write, which catches wrong assumptions while they're still cheap.
Git has your back
Aider commits each change it makes automatically, with a sensible message. A bad edit is one /undo away from gone, which changes how boldly you can let it work.
What you will do in the lesson
You answer and try things. Nobody demonstrates at you for five minutes.
- Build a minimal context. Given a bug report and a file tree, you'll pick which files to /add. Fewer than you think: the repo map covers the rest.
- Interrogate before instructing. You'll use /ask to have Aider explain the buggy code first, and compare the edit quality when it starts from a verified understanding.
- Read an auto-commit. Aider just changed your code and committed it. You'll practice reviewing the diff and the message the way you'd review a teammate's push.
- Use /undo without ceremony. You'll reject a plausible-looking edit and roll it back in one command, learning that reverting is a normal move, not a failure.
- Split a big request. You'll take a feature that spans several files and break it into a sequence of small asks, the shape of work where Aider is at its best.
Before you start
Why would anyone want a coding assistant in the terminal?
Because the terminal is where git lives, and Aider is built around git. Every edit is a reviewable commit, every mistake is revertable, and it fits into any editor workflow since it isn't attached to one. The absence of a GUI is a feature once the commits start flowing.
Do I need Aider installed, or an API key, for this lesson?
No. The lesson runs in this page as-is: no install, no key, no signup. Aider itself is free open-source software; when you try it for real you bring your own model API key or a local model.
Won't automatic commits clutter my git history?
They form a fine-grained trail while you work, which is what makes /undo trivial. When the change is done you can squash them into one tidy commit like any other branch cleanup. Most people decide the safety is worth far more than the temporary noise.
How does Aider compare to Cursor?
Cursor rebuilds the whole editor around AI; Aider adds AI to the workflow you already have, editor untouched, git at the center. Aider demands more intention, since you curate context by hand, and repays it with edits that are easy to trust and easy to revert. Terminal-and-git people often prefer it; IDE-first people usually don't.
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