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Built-in Commands Reference

AiderDesk provides a set of built-in commands that you can use in the prompt field to perform various actions quickly. To use a command, simply type / followed by the command name.

Core Commands​

  • /add: Adds one or more files to the chat context. You can specify file paths separated by spaces.
    • Example: /add src/main.js src/utils.js
  • /drop: Removes one or more files from the chat context.
    • Example: /drop src/main.js
  • /read-only: Adds files to the context in read-only mode. Aider will use these files for reference but will not attempt to edit them.
    • Example: /read-only docs/api.md
  • /run: Executes a shell command and optionally adds the output to the chat.
    • Example: /run ls -l
  • /test: Runs the predefined test command for your project.
    • Example: /test

Chat & Context Management​

  • /clear: Clears the entire chat history and drops all files from the context.
  • /clear-logs: Removes only log messages (info, warnings, errors) from the chat, keeping the user/AI conversation intact.
  • /compact: Summarizes the current conversation to reduce token usage while preserving context.
  • /copy-context: Copies the current chat context to your clipboard in a markdown format suitable for pasting into web UIs like ChatGPT or Claude.
  • /tokens: Reports the number of tokens currently being used by the chat context, broken down by files, messages, and repo map.

Mode Switching​

  • /code: Switches to Code Mode for direct coding requests.
  • /agent: Switches to Agent Mode for autonomous task execution.
  • /ask: Switches to Ask Mode to ask questions about the code without making changes.
  • /architect: Switches to Architect Mode for planning and executing large-scale changes.
  • /context: Switches to Context Mode, where Aider will automatically add relevant files based on your prompt.

Model & Aider Control​

  • /model: Opens the model selector to change the AI model on the fly.
    • Example: /model openai/gpt-4.1
  • /reasoning-effort: Sets the reasoning effort level for the model (e.g., low, medium, high).
    • Example: /reasoning-effort high
  • /think-tokens: Sets the thinking token budget for models that support it.
    • Example: /think-tokens 8k
  • /undo: Undoes the last git commit if it was made by Aider.
  • /redo: Re-runs the last user prompt.
  • /edit-last: Allows you to edit your last message and re-submit it.

Other Utilities​

  • /web: Scrapes the content of a URL and adds it to the chat.
    • Example: /web https://aider.chat/docs/
  • /map: Prints the current repository map in the chat.
  • /map-refresh: Forces a refresh of the repository map.
  • /commit: Commits any unstaged changes in your repository.
  • /init: Initializes a AGENTS.md rule file for your project (only available in Agent Mode).