Aider Composer
Aider Composer is a VSCode extension that integrates Aider into your development workflow. This extension is highly inspired by cursor and cline.
It is highly recommended to read the Requirements and Extension Settings sections for initial configuration, otherwise the extension may not work correctly.
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Features
- Easily add and remove files, and toggle between read-only and editable modes with just a click
- Most chat modes are supported, including
ask
, diff
, diff-fenced
, udiff
, and whole
, and you can easily switch between them
- Review code changes before applying them, support both inline diff preview and diff editor preview (default).
- Chat history sessions are supported
- HTTP Proxy is supported (uses VSCode's
http.proxy
setting, authentication not supported)
Note
Due to certain limitations and other issues, this extension may not implement all features available in Aider. Some limitations include:
- Multiple workspaces are not supported
- Git repository features are not used
- Linting is not supported
- Testing is not supported
- Voice features are not supported
- In-chat commands are not usable
- Configuration options are not supported
Requirements
This extension uses the Python packages aider-chat
and flask
to provide background services. You need to:
- Install Python (download from python.org or use other methods). For Mac or Python venv installations, please refer to this issue
- Install the required packages using:
pip install aider-chat flask
Extension Settings
This extension contributes the following setting:
aider-composer.pythonPath
: The directory containing the Python executable (not the Python executable path itself) where aider.chat
and flask
packages are installed. This setting is required for the extension to activate.
How To Use
Chat Mode
Aider supports five chat modes: ask
, diff
, diff-fenced
, udiff
, and whole
. In this extension, you can switch between them by clicking the mode name in the chat input area.
The chat modes are divided into two groups: ask
and code
.
ask
mode is for general questions and will not modify any files
code
mode includes all other chat modes and is used for code modifications. The optimal chat mode may vary depending on your LLM model and programming language. For more information, refer to Aider's leaderboards.
Tips
- If the LLM outputs an incorrect diff format, code modifications may fail. Try switching to a different diff format
- The leaderboard is tested with Python code, so optimal modes may differ for other languages
- The
whole
mode may be the easiest for LLMs to understand but can consume more tokens
File Reference
In Aider, you can reference files in the chat, file reference can be readonly or editable. a readonly file can't be modified.
In this extension, file reference is above the chat input area, you can click the file name to toggle the reference mode. when reference is highlighted border, it means the file is editable. there is two ways to add a new file reference:
- click add button and add references, this references is readonly by default.
- use
@
to reference a file in chat input area, this file will be editable by default.
Code Review
When Aider modifies code, it will show you the code. You have two review options:
- Use diff editor (default)
- Use inline diff preview
Diff Editor
when Aider modify code, it will show you a diff editor, you can review the code changes and confirm to apply them by clicking the button ✔
at editor toolbar.
Inline Diff Preview
When Aider modifies code, it will show you an inline diff preview. You can review the code changes and accept or reject each snippet by clicking the accept
or reject
button before the diff.
To enable this feature, you need to set aider-composer.inlineDiff.enable
to true
in VSCode settings and restart VSCode.
Add Code Snippet
You can add a code snippet to the chat by selecting code in the editor and pressing ctrl+shift+k
.
Generate Code
You can enter generate code mode by pressing ctrl+shift+l
in the editor. The current line will be highlighted, and the code generated by Aider will appear below the highlighted line.
Settings
Multiple Models
You can add multiple models and switch between them in the settings page. When you switch model or add new model, you need to click save button on top right to take effect.
Enjoy!