{
  "slug": "aider",
  "name": "Aider",
  "category": "Harnesses / Coding Agents",
  "tagline": "AI pair programming in your terminal that edits your git repo, and it works with local models.",
  "kit_says": "The harness is where local models usually fall behind. Aider is one of the cleanest ways to test how far a local coder can actually go.",
  "homepage": "https://aider.chat/",
  "repo": "https://github.com/Aider-AI/aider",
  "docs": "https://aider.chat/docs/llms/ollama.html",
  "license": "Apache-2.0",
  "platforms": [
    "macos-apple-silicon",
    "linux",
    "windows"
  ],
  "mac_studio_fit": "Primary",
  "what_it_is": "A terminal coding agent that maps your codebase, edits files and makes git commits. Connects to cloud models or local models via Ollama.",
  "gap_role": "Harness quality: repo maps and edit formats help smaller local models do real multi-file coding work.",
  "prerequisites": [
    "Python with pip",
    "git",
    "Ollama with a pulled model for local use"
  ],
  "install": {
    "macos-apple-silicon": [
      {
        "run": "python -m pip install aider-install"
      },
      {
        "run": "aider-install"
      }
    ],
    "linux": [
      {
        "run": "python -m pip install aider-install && aider-install"
      }
    ],
    "windows": [
      {
        "run": "python -m pip install aider-install; aider-install"
      }
    ]
  },
  "configure": [
    {
      "run": "export OLLAMA_API_BASE=http://127.0.0.1:11434"
    },
    {
      "run": "OLLAMA_CONTEXT_LENGTH=8192 ollama serve",
      "note": "per Aider's Ollama docs; raises context to 8k"
    },
    {
      "run": "cd /path/to/your/project && aider --model ollama_chat/<model>",
      "note": "docs recommend ollama_chat/ over ollama/"
    }
  ],
  "verify": [
    {
      "run": "aider --version",
      "expect": "prints a version"
    },
    {
      "run": "aider --model ollama_chat/<model> --message 'list the files in this repo' ",
      "expect": "completes one turn against the local model and exits"
    }
  ],
  "rollback": [
    {
      "run": "uv tool uninstall aider-chat",
      "note": "aider-install installs via uv; if that fails, check `uv tool list`"
    },
    {
      "run": "pip uninstall -y aider-install"
    }
  ],
  "caveats": [
    "Last push to the repo was 2026-05-22 (slower activity than most P0 items)."
  ],
  "works_with": [
    "ollama",
    "litellm",
    "lm-studio",
    "llama-cpp",
    "mlx-lm"
  ],
  "sources": [
    "https://github.com/Aider-AI/aider",
    "https://aider.chat/docs/llms/ollama.html"
  ],
  "sponsored": false,
  "verified_on": "2026-10-15",
  "gap_score": {
    "value": null,
    "status": "pending test on Mac Studio",
    "baseline": "frontier reference (see /about#gap-score)"
  },
  "benchmarks": {
    "status": "pending test on Mac Studio",
    "rig": "Mac Studio, Apple Silicon, 128GB unified memory",
    "results": []
  },
  "hardware_tested": [],
  "repo_meta": {
    "stars": 49567,
    "stars_as_of": "2026-10-15",
    "last_push": "2026-05-22",
    "archived": false,
    "license_spdx": "Apache-2.0"
  },
  "stack_layer": "harness",
  "summary": {
    "what": "A coding agent in your terminal.",
    "why": "Lets a local model edit real code in your repo."
  }
}