> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.maxapi.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Aider

> Use AI pair programming in your terminal with models from MaxAPI.

[Aider](https://aider.chat/) is a command-line AI tool that can use a custom model endpoint.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Install">
    ```bash theme={null}
    pipx install aider-chat
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Configure MaxAPI">
    ```bash theme={null}
    export OPENAI_API_KEY="YOUR_API_KEY"
    export OPENAI_API_BASE="https://api.maxapi.ai/v1"
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Start the tool">
    ```bash theme={null}
    aider --model YOUR_MODEL_ID
    ```
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Warning>
  Store API keys only on trusted devices. Never commit a real key to Git or share it with others.
</Warning>

<Note>
  Replace `YOUR_MODEL_ID` with an ID from the MaxAPI model list. Environment-variable names can differ between tool versions; check the tool's current documentation if the value is not detected.
</Note>