Aider

Aider is a terminal tool that pair-programs with you. You tell it what to change, it edits the files, and (here is the part that wins people over) it creates a clean git commit with a descriptive message. Every change is tracked, reviewable, and revertable. No other AI coding tool handles version control this naturally.

Built by Paul Gauthier, it builds a map of your whole repository so it can work on larger codebases. The tradeoff is that it is terminal-only and requires you to bring your own API key, and there is a learning curve to getting the most out of it (knowing which files to add, how to prompt). Development has also slowed: the latest release, v0.86.0, came out in August 2025, and the repository has had no new commits since May 2026, so support for newer models may lag. If you are already comfortable with git and the command line, aider fits into your workflow like a glove. If you want a visual editor experience, look at Cursor or Cline instead.