What is Aider?
Aider connects AI to your actual codebase — not just a chat box. It reads your files, makes edits directly, and commits changes to Git with descriptive messages. Works with any OpenAI-compatible model including local ones. The closest open-source equivalent to Cursor's Composer mode.
Quick start
1
pip install aider-chat 2
cd your-project 3
aider --model ollama/llama3 (for local, free) 4
Or: aider (uses OpenAI by default)
Use cases
→Refactoring existing codebases
→Adding features to real projects
→Automated code commits
→Working with local models
Compatible models
OpenAI GPT-4oClaude SonnetLocal via OllamaAny OpenAI-compatible API
Why this matters for India
// india context
Pair it with a free local model — get AI coding assistance with zero ongoing cost.