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Agent runtimeagenticcodingdocumentedsession-gated

Operational brief

Aider

Terminal coding agent that maps the repo and edits with git.

Official Aider terminal screenshot from aider.chat

Choose it when

You want a terminal coding partner with a repo map, reviewable git changes and editor-comment triggers.

Skip it when

You need an always-on operations gateway rather than a coding session; editor use is supported through watch-comments.

01 / Classification

Autonomy evidence

This is our classification, not a vendor badge. The record says what the product normally does. The gaps stay visible.

How we classify it
Tool use + multi-step plans, still human-gated per session.
Runs unattended
No — the current record treats it as session-gated.
Trigger
Human-started terminal session; in watch mode AI! comments request edits and AI? requests an answer.
State
Chat history is saved to .aider.chat.history.md; restoring previous messages is an option, off by default.
Tools
Edits repository files and commits changes through git.
Human control
Review changes through git and /undo; automatic and dirty-file commits can be disabled. This isn't approval before every edit.

02 / Operations

Control reality

Useful agents eventually touch something real. This is the operational picture we have, not a promise hidden in a sales page.

Where it runs
Terminal client connects to a chosen local or cloud LLM.
Data boundary
Watch comments, repo map and added code context go to the chosen LLM; provider retention is unknown from these sources.
Identity & permissions
Provider API keys are configurable; this is not a documented cross-service operations identity layer.
What it can write
repo files · git commits
Surfaces
Terminal · IDE watch mode
Export / lock-in
Local Markdown chat-history file and git history; no broader service-export guarantee.

03 / Receipts

Evidence ledger

Here is what this brief is built on. “Documented” means we found a source. “Tested” means this desk actually ran it. Those are different things.

Evidence status
documented
Source set
8 primary sources
Evidence review
2026-10-13

Sources on file

Corrections

  • 2026-10-13 · Replaced the June 2026 desk-report timestamp with upstream v0.86.0 publication on August 9, 2025. Preserved the historical payload. Corrected the IDE exclusion: watch-comments are documented. Specified Apache-2.0 and git-hook/data-boundary limits; no abandonment or runtime-test claim.

04 / Change log

Related coverage

The brief tells you what the product is. Payloads track the changes that may alter the decision.