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Using a Custom Aider Version

AiderDesk allows you to specify a custom version of the aider-chat Python package to be used. This is particularly useful if you need to test a specific Aider release, a development branch, or even a local clone of the Aider repository.

How it Works​

You can control the Aider version by setting the AIDER_DESK_AIDER_VERSION environment variable before launching AiderDesk. AiderDesk will use the value of this variable when installing aider-chat via pip.

If this variable is not set, AiderDesk will default to installing the latest stable version of aider-chat from PyPI.

Setting the Environment Variable​

The method for setting an environment variable depends on your operating system and shell.

macOS/Linux (bash/zsh):

export AIDER_DESK_AIDER_VERSION="your_version_specifier"
# Then launch AiderDesk from the same terminal session

Windows (PowerShell):

$env:AIDER_DESK_AIDER_VERSION = "your_version_specifier"
# Then launch AiderDesk from the same PowerShell session

Windows (Command Prompt):

set AIDER_DESK_AIDER_VERSION="your_version_specifier"
# Then launch AiderDesk from the same Command Prompt session

Version Specifier Examples​

The AIDER_DESK_AIDER_VERSION variable accepts version specifiers compatible with pip install. Here are some common examples:

1. Specific Version Number​

To use a specific released version of Aider (e.g., 0.36.1):

AIDER_DESK_AIDER_VERSION=0.36.1

2. Git Repository URL (Branch)​

To install Aider from a specific branch of a Git repository (e.g., my-feature-branch from user/aider):

AIDER_DESK_AIDER_VERSION=git+https://github.com/user/aider.git@my-feature-branch

(Replace user/aider.git with the actual repository URL and my-feature-branch with your branch name.)

3. Git Repository URL (Commit Hash)​

To install Aider from a specific commit hash of a Git repository:

AIDER_DESK_AIDER_VERSION=git+https://github.com/user/aider.git@abcdef1234567890

(Replace abcdef1234567890 with the desired commit hash.)

4. Local Path​

To install Aider from a local clone of the Aider repository:

AIDER_DESK_AIDER_VERSION=/path/to/your/local/aider/clone

Or on Windows:

AIDER_DESK_AIDER_VERSION=C:\path\to\your\local\aider\clone

Ensure the specified path points to a directory containing a valid setup.py or pyproject.toml for Aider.

⚠️ Important Warning: Compatibility Issues​

Using a custom version of aider-chat, especially unreleased development branches or local modifications, can lead to compatibility issues with AiderDesk. AiderDesk is designed and tested against stable releases of Aider.

Custom versions might:

  • Break the communication protocol between AiderDesk and the Aider backend.
  • Cause unexpected behavior or errors in AiderDesk's functionality.
  • Lead to features not working as intended or failing silently.

Proceed with caution and primarily use this feature for testing or development purposes. If you encounter issues, try reverting to the latest stable Aider version (by unsetting the environment variable) to see if the problem persists.

Installation Failure​

If AiderDesk fails to install the aider-chat package using the version specified in AIDER_DESK_AIDER_VERSION (e.g., due to an invalid specifier, network issues, or problems with the custom Aider source code), AiderDesk will:

  1. Display an error message indicating the installation failure.
  2. Log the detailed error from pip.
  3. Exit, and will not complete the startup process.

You will need to correct the AIDER_DESK_AIDER_VERSION variable or resolve the underlying installation issue before AiderDesk can start successfully with the custom Aider version.