Zeltro › Aider in Zeltro: the open-source pair programmer, with any model

Aider in Zeltro

How Zeltro runs Aider: an API key from any provider, OpenRouter, or a free local model in Ollama or LM Studio. Zeltro installs it and hands it a project that's ready to run.

Aider is the long-standing open-source pair programmer for the terminal. It has no subscription sign-in: give it a key and a model from almost any provider, or point it at a model on your own computer, and it gets to work.

Connect it with

Your planNo plan sign-in
An API keyOpenRouter · OpenAI · any OpenAI-compatible server
A model on your computerOllama or LM Studio
Aider Open source aider Zeltro installs it aider.chat
Your project in Zeltro
  • Runtime and database ready
  • AGENTS.md to read
  • Live preview
  • Tells the app when it’s done

What Zeltro does for Aider#

  1. Installs it

    Choose Aider when Zeltro first opens, or later in Settings → AI Profiles. Zeltro installs it with Aider's own install script.

  2. Connects it

    Pick where the model comes from: OpenRouter, OpenAI, Ollama, LM Studio or another OpenAI-compatible server, plus a model name.

  3. Hands it a ready project

    Every project already has its runtime, its database and a working .env, plus an AGENTS.md that tells the agent the project's address, database and commands.

  4. Runs it beside your app

    Aider works in a real terminal next to the live preview. Write long requests in the message box, and the app tells you when a turn is done.

A key and a model#

Aider always needs a key and a model name. Models are written as provider/model, so the same agent can use Anthropic, OpenAI, OpenRouter's hundreds of models or your own server:

zeltro ai-set --agent aider --model anthropic/claude-sonnet-5 --api-key sk-ant-...
zeltro ai-set --agent aider --model openrouter/qwen/qwen3-coder-30b-a3b-instruct --api-key sk-or-v1-...

In the app, choose OpenRouter as the place the key is from, and Sign in with OpenRouter fills the key in for you, billed to your own OpenRouter account.

How do you want to connect Aider?

Use an API keyPay as you go: OpenRouter, OpenAI, Ollama, LM Studio.

Aider with an API key

Where the key is from

  • OpenRouter
  • OpenAI
  • Ollama
  • LM Studio
  • Another server (enter its address)

API key

The Zeltro app’s own setup screens when you choose Aider. The same choices are in Settings → AI Profiles later.

On a model on your own computer#

Point Aider at Ollama or LM Studio and it runs entirely on your own hardware. Choose Ollama in the app, or from a terminal:

ollama pull qwen3-coder:30b
zeltro ai-set --agent aider --model openai/qwen3-coder:30b \
  --api-key ollama --api-base http://localhost:11434/v1

Raise Ollama's context length to at least 64k first, and use a large enough model: about 30B is roughly the floor for building an app. See cheap and local models.

Asking before each change#

By default, the AI in each project works without stopping to ask first: the Works without asking switch in the project's panel is on. Switch it off and you approve each step in Aider's terminal. Zeltro passes the choice to Aider for each run (--yes-always), so Aider's own settings stay as they are. To change Aider's own setting for every run, outside Zeltro too, run zeltro ai-unattended, which writes yes-always: true into ~/.aider.conf.yml.

Questions

Can Aider use my Claude or ChatGPT subscription?

No. Aider works with API keys only. To use a plan you already pay for, choose Claude Code or Codex instead.

Which models can Aider use?

Almost any: Anthropic, OpenAI and Google models with their keys, hundreds more through OpenRouter, or a local model in Ollama or LM Studio.

Is Aider free?

The agent is open source and free. You pay the model provider for what you use, or nothing with a model on your own computer.

Build with Aider on your own computer

Install Zeltro, choose Aider, and connect the model you want, from any provider or from your own computer. Free for personal use, with no account.

Install Zeltro Why bring your own key

Rather not set it up yourself? I’ll do it for you.

Checked 2026-11-09. Other products change often — if something here is out of date, tell us and it gets fixed.