aider.vim

Minimal helper plugin for aider with neovim.

Demo

You can invoke Aider from vim

You can send the selected range to Aider as context

You can send the current buffer to Aider as context

You can send voice commands to Aider using Whisper

Requirements

• aider
• denops.vim

Settings

vimscript

Please add the following settings to your vimrc or init.vim.

" aider.vim settings
ex.
" Aider command configuration
let g:aider_command = 'aider --no-auto-commits'

" Where to show Aider
" - 'floating': Neovim floating window (inside Neovim)
" - 'vsplit'/'split': If inside tmux, Aider opens in a tmux pane
let g:aider_buffer_open_type = 'floating'
let g:aider_floatwin_width = 100
let g:aider_floatwin_height = 20
let g:aider_floatwin_border = "double"
let g:aider_floatwin_border_style = "minimal"

" Additional prompt setting
let g:aider_additional_prompt = [
  "Your additional prompt here",
  "This will be displayed in the floating window when using visual mode selections",
  "You can see and edit it before sending to aider",
]

" Key mappings
nnoremap <silent> <leader>at :AiderRun<CR>
" Add current file to Aider
nnoremap <silent> <leader>aa :AiderAddCurrentFile<CR>
" Add current file as read-only to Aider
nnoremap <silent> <leader>ar :AiderAddCurrentFileReadOnly<CR>
" Add Aider web interface
nnoremap <silent> <leader>aw :AiderAddWeb<CR>
" Exit Aider
nnoremap <silent> <leader>ax :AiderExit<CR>
" Add current file to Aider ignore list
nnoremap <silent> <leader>ai :AiderAddIgnoreCurrentFile<CR>
" Open Aider ignore list
nnoremap <silent> <leader>aI :AiderOpenIgnore<CR>
" Paste content from clipboard into Aider
nnoremap <silent> <leader>ap :AiderPaste<CR>
" Hide Aider window
nnoremap <silent> <leader>ah :AiderHide<CR>
" Hide Aider window in terminal mode
tnoremap <C-x><C-x> <C-\><C-n>:AiderHide<CR>
vmap <leader>av :AiderVisualTextWithPrompt<CR>

" Autocommand group for Aider
augroup AiderOpenGroup
  autocmd!
  autocmd User AiderOpen call s:AiderOpenHandler()
augroup END

function! s:AiderOpenHandler() abort
  " Set key mappings for the Aider buffer
  tnoremap <buffer> <Esc> <C-\><C-n>
  nnoremap <buffer> <Esc> :AiderHide<CR>
endfunction

lua (lazy.nvim)

Please add the following settings to your lazy settings.

{ "nekowasabi/aider.vim"
  , dependencies = "vim-denops/denops.vim"
  , config = function()
    vim.g.aider_command = 'aider --no-auto-commits'
    -- Where to show Aider
    -- 'floating': inside Neovim. 'vsplit'/'split': if inside tmux, use a tmux pane
    vim.g.aider_buffer_open_type = 'floating'
    vim.g.aider_floatwin_width = 100
    vim.g.aider_floatwin_height = 20

    vim.api.nvim_create_autocmd('User',
      {
        pattern = 'AiderOpen',
        callback =
            function(args)
              vim.keymap.set('t', '<Esc>', '<C-\\><C-n>', { buffer = args.buf })
              vim.keymap.set('n', '<Esc>', '<cmd>AiderHide<CR>', { buffer = args.buf })
            end
      })
    vim.api.nvim_set_keymap('n', '<leader>at', ':AiderRun<CR>', { noremap = true, silent = true })
    vim.api.nvim_set_keymap('n', '<leader>aa', ':AiderAddCurrentFile<CR>', { noremap = true, silent = true })
    vim.api.nvim_set_keymap('n', '<leader>ar', ':AiderAddCurrentFileReadOnly<CR>', { noremap = true, silent = true })
    vim.api.nvim_set_keymap('n', '<leader>aw', ':AiderAddWeb<CR>', { noremap = true, silent = true })
    vim.api.nvim_set_keymap('n', '<leader>ax', ':AiderExit<CR>', { noremap = true, silent = true })
    vim.api.nvim_set_keymap('n', '<leader>ai', ':AiderAddIgnoreCurrentFile<CR>', { noremap = true, silent = true })
    vim.api.nvim_set_keymap('n', '<leader>aI', ':AiderOpenIgnore<CR>', { noremap = true, silent = true })
    vim.api.nvim_set_keymap('n', '<leader>ap', ':AiderPaste<CR>', { noremap = true, silent = true })
    vim.api.nvim_set_keymap('n', '<leader>ah', ':AiderHide<CR>', { noremap = true, silent = true })
    vim.api.nvim_set_keymap('v', '<leader>av', ':AiderVisualTextWithPrompt<CR>', { noremap = true, silent = true })
  end
  }

Usage

To use aider.vim, you can run the following commands within Vim or Neovim:

All commands with the name "Silent" send commands to aider without moving the focus to the aider buffer.

• :AiderRun - Runs aider or displays the Aider UI.
  • If inside tmux and g:aider_buffer_open_type is split/vsplit, a tmux pane is created.
  • If a tmux pane for Aider already exists, it will be re-attached and shown.
• :AiderAddCurrentFile - Adds the current file to aider's context.
• :AiderAddCurrentFileReadOnly - Adds the current file as read-only to aider's context.
• :AiderAddBuffers - Adds all currently open buffers under Git management to aider's context.
• :AiderSilentAddCurrentFile - Without moving the focus to the aider buffer, adds the current file to aider's context and refreshes the buffer.
• :AiderSilentAddCurrentFileReadOnly - Without moving the focus to the aider buffer, adds the current file as read-only to aider's context.
• :AiderExit - Exits aider and cleans up the session.
• :AiderVisualTextWithPrompt - Edit the selected text in visual mode in a floating window and send it to aider. In the floating window, send to aider with <CR> in normal mode, and close the floating window with Q. You can also backup prompt with q.
• :AiderAddPartialReadonlyContext - Adds the selected text in visual mode as read-only context to Aider.
• :AiderAddWeb - Displays a prompt for the specified URL and adds it to the aider context.
• :AiderOpenIgnore - Opens the .aiderignore file in the git root directory if it exists.
• :AiderAddIgnoreCurrentFile - Adds the current file to the .aiderignore.
• :AiderSendPromptByCommandline <prompt> - Sends a prompt from the command line and displays the Aider window.
• :AiderSilentSendPromptByCommandline <prompt> - Sends a prompt from the command line and refreshes the buffer.
• :AiderAsk <question> - Sends a question to aider without adding any files to the context.
• :AiderHide - Hides the Aider UI.
  • Floating mode: closes the floating window and reloads the buffer.
  • tmux mode: detaches the Aider pane from the current window (keeps session alive).
• :AiderPaste - Pastes the content from the clipboard into the aider context.
• :AiderHideVisualSelectFloatingWindow - Hides the visual selection floating window used for displaying selected text.
• :AiderVoice - Sends voice commands to Aider (using Whisper).

tmux integration

When running inside tmux and g:aider_buffer_open_type is split or vsplit:

• Aider opens in a tmux pane instead of a Neovim window.
• :AiderRun re-attaches an existing Aider pane to the current tmux window if it exists; otherwise, it creates a new pane and launches Aider using your $SHELL -lc so your shell profile is respected.
• :AiderHide detaches the Aider tmux pane from the current window (pane stays alive and can be re-attached later by :AiderRun).
• Prompts, including multi-line ones, are sent to the Aider tmux pane with bracketed paste for reliability.

Note: Since the UI lives in the tmux pane, Aider output will not appear in a Neovim buffer in this mode. Use floating to keep the UI inside Neovim.

Advanced Usage

If you want to send a custom prompt to Aider, use AiderSendPromptByCommandline. Set it up as follows:

" Send a prompt to Aider and display the Aider window
:AiderSendPromptByCommandline "/chat-mode architect"

" Send a prompt to Aider but do not display the Aider window
:AiderSilentSendPromptByCommandline "/chat-mode code"

Additional Prompt

You can set an additional prompt that will be automatically added to every interaction with aider. This is useful for setting consistent rules or guidelines for the AI.

To use this feature, set the g:aider_additional_prompt variable in your vimrc or init.vim:

let g:aider_additional_prompt = [
  "Your additional prompt here",
  "This will be displayed in the floating window when using visual mode selections",
  "You can see and edit it before sending to aider",
]

This prompt will be displayed in the floating window when using visual mode selections, allowing you to see and edit it before sending to aider.

ddu Source

aider.vim provides a ddu source and kind, which allows you to easily select files from your git repository and add them to the aider context.

To use this feature, you need to have ddu.vim installed.

Here's an example configuration for your ddu settings:

call ddu#custom#patch_global({
    \ 'sources': [{'name': 'aider'}],
    \ 'sourceOptions': {
    \   'aider': {'matchers': ['matcher_substring']},
    \ },
    \ 'kindOptions': {
    \   'aider': {
    \     'defaultAction': 'add',
    \   },
    \ },
    \ })

nnoremap <silent> <Leader>ad
      \ <Cmd>call ddu#start({'sources': [{'name': 'aider'}]})<CR>

With this configuration, you can press <leader>ad to open ddu with the aider source. You can then select files and press <CR> to add them to the aider context.

DEMO

Acknowledgements

Aider CLI tool created by Paul Gauthier.