Aider

Aider is an open-source AI pair programming tool that supports dozens of model backends. GROOVE integrates it as a flexible provider for teams that want to bring their own model or use a backend not natively supported.

Installation

pip install aider-chat

Verify it's available:

aider --version

Authentication

Aider supports multiple backends, each with its own API key. Set the key for whichever backend you're using:

groove set-key aider sk-your-api-key

Aider handles backend routing internally -- you configure the target model and Aider resolves which API to call. GROOVE encrypts and stores the key locally.

Models

Model	Tier	Notes
Any supported model	Varies	Configured through Aider's model selection

Aider supports OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, local models, and many other backends. The model you use depends on your Aider configuration.

GROOVE Integration

GROOVE spawns Aider as a managed process with the configured model and API key. Aider agents participate fully in coordination -- introductions, file locks, approval routing, and token tracking all work as expected.

Hot-Swap

Aider supports live model switching. You can change an agent's model from the Agent Detail panel without killing the session. This is useful for switching between different backends or model tiers mid-task.

When to Use Aider

Aider is the right choice when:

• You want to use a model or backend that GROOVE doesn't have a native provider for
• You already have an Aider workflow and want to bring it into GROOVE's coordination layer
• You need access to a specific model version or fine-tune
• You want to mix open-source and commercial models on the same project