Aider
A Model Context Protocol server that connects Claude and other MCP clients to Aider, enabling AI assistants to efficiently edit files, create new files, and interact with git repositories through natural language.
What is Aider?
Aider is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that allows AI assistants like Claude, Cursor, and VS Code to model context protocol server that connects claude and other mcp clients to aider, enabling ai assistants to efficiently edit files, create new files, and interact with git repositories through natura...
A Model Context Protocol server that connects Claude and other MCP clients to Aider, enabling AI assistants to efficiently edit files, create new files, and interact with git repositories through natural language.
This server falls under the Coding Agents and Version Control categories on MCPgee, the world's largest MCP server directory with 33,000+ servers.
Features
- A Model Context Protocol server that connects Claude and oth
Use Cases
Maintainer
Works with
Installation
Manual Installation
npx aider-mcp-serverConfiguration
Configuration Details
claude_desktop_config.json
Performance
Response Metrics
Resource Usage
How to Set Up and Use Aider
The Aider MCP Server bridges Claude and other MCP clients with Aider, the AI pair-programming tool, so that AI assistants can directly edit files, create new code, and commit changes to git repositories through natural language instructions. Instead of just suggesting edits, Claude can invoke the aider_ai_code tool to have Aider actually apply changes to your codebase on disk. This is especially useful for automating multi-file refactors, generating boilerplate, and wiring up version control operations from a single conversational interface.
Prerequisites
- Python 3.10 or later and uv package manager installed
- Aider installed globally (pip install aider-chat) and accessible in PATH
- At least one LLM API key: ANTHROPIC_API_KEY, OPENAI_API_KEY, or GEMINI_API_KEY
- Git initialized in the project directory you want to edit
- An MCP-compatible client such as Claude Desktop or Claude Code
Clone the aider-mcp-server repository
The server is not published to a package registry, so clone it and install dependencies using uv.
git clone https://github.com/disler/aider-mcp-server.git
cd aider-mcp-server
uv syncCreate the .env file with your API keys
Copy the sample env file and add at least one LLM provider key. Aider will use these keys when executing code changes.
cp .env.sample .env
# Then edit .env and fill in:
# ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-...
# OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-...
# GEMINI_API_KEY=...Add the server to your MCP client config
Register the server using the .mcp.json file in your project root. Set --current-working-dir to the root of the project you want Aider to edit, and --editor-model to your preferred code-editing model.
{
"mcpServers": {
"aider": {
"command": "uv",
"args": [
"run",
"--directory", "/path/to/aider-mcp-server",
"aider-mcp-server",
"--current-working-dir", "/path/to/your/project",
"--editor-model", "gpt-4o"
]
}
}
}Restart your MCP client
After saving the configuration, restart Claude Desktop or reload Claude Code so it picks up the new server. The aider_ai_code and list_models tools should now be available.
Ask Claude to edit a file using Aider
In a conversation, instruct Claude to use the Aider AI Code tool, specify the file(s) to modify, and describe the change you want.
Aider Examples
Client configuration
MCP config referencing the cloned aider-mcp-server and targeting a specific project directory.
{
"mcpServers": {
"aider": {
"command": "uv",
"args": [
"run",
"--directory", "/Users/you/aider-mcp-server",
"aider-mcp-server",
"--current-working-dir", "/Users/you/my-project",
"--editor-model", "gpt-4o"
]
}
}
}Prompts to try
Prompts that invoke the aider_ai_code and list_models tools.
- "Use the Aider AI Code tool to refactor the calculate_sum function in calculator.py to handle TypeError exceptions."
- "Use Aider to add type hints to all functions in utils.py."
- "Use Aider to create a new file tests/test_calculator.py with unit tests for every public function in calculator.py."
- "Use the Aider List Models tool to list all models that contain the substring 'gemini'."
- "Use Aider to rename the variable 'data' to 'payload' everywhere in api/handler.py."Troubleshooting Aider
aider_ai_code returns 'command not found: aider'
Aider must be installed and on PATH. Run 'pip install aider-chat' or 'uv tool install aider-chat', then verify with 'which aider'. The server spawns aider as a subprocess so the binary must be discoverable.
Changes are not committed to git after a successful aider run
Aider auto-commits by default, but the target directory must be a git repository. Run 'git init' in your project root if it is not already a repo, or pass --no-auto-commits in your editor-model args if you prefer manual commits.
The server fails to start with 'ModuleNotFoundError'
Run 'uv sync' inside the aider-mcp-server directory to install all Python dependencies. Make sure you are using Python 3.10+ by checking 'python --version'.
Frequently Asked Questions about Aider
What is Aider?
Aider is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that model context protocol server that connects claude and other mcp clients to aider, enabling ai assistants to efficiently edit files, create new files, and interact with git repositories through natural language. It connects AI assistants to external tools and data sources through a standardized interface.
How do I install Aider?
Follow the installation instructions on the Aider GitHub repository. Clone the repo, install dependencies, and add the server config to your AI client.
Which AI clients work with Aider?
Aider works with all major MCP-compatible AI clients including Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code (GitHub Copilot), Windsurf, and Cline.
Is Aider free to use?
Yes, Aider is open source and available under the The Unlicense license. You can use it freely in both personal and commercial projects.
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Browse More Coding Agents MCP Servers
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Set Up Aider in Your Editor
Choose your AI client for step-by-step setup instructions.
Quick Config Preview
Add this to your claude_desktop_config.json or .cursor/mcp.json
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