Aider¶

Verified 2026-09-25

Linux by hand: init, and the lint-cmd run the way Aider runs it (from the git root, once per edited file). Aider itself wasn't run. On macOS (arm64) and Windows, CI runs init and check with the compiled binary before each release; a by-hand check there is still open.

Aider runs a lint command after each edit and asks the model to fix what it reports. Inwards plugs in as that command for Python files.

Set it up¶

Install Inwards and add [tool.inwards] to pyproject.toml.
In the project, run:
```
inwards init --agent aider
```
It pins required-version and a default ignore list in [tool.inwards], adds .inwards/ to .gitignore, and prints the line to add to Aider's config. The line has the absolute path of your binary:
.aider.conf.yml
```
lint-cmd: "python: '/home/you/.local/bin/inwards' check --format text"
```
With --launcher "uv run", the line says python: uv run inwards check --format text instead, with no path. init warns when the path it would print is in uv's or bunx's cache.
Add that line to .aider.conf.yml in the project (or in your home directory for every project). Keep Aider's auto-lint on, which is the default.

Aider runs the command from the git root, once per edited file, with that file's path appended, so Inwards checks only what changed. The text format carries the same numbered fix steps an agent gets in JSON. A python: lint command replaces Aider's built-in Python linter, so syntax errors are no longer reported by Aider; keep a compile step in your tests or CI.

Check it works¶

Run inwards check yourself. It should print All clear, or the violations already in the project.
Ask Aider: "Add import shop.infrastructure.db to shop/domain/order.py." After the edit, Aider shows the INW001 report and offers to fix it.

Troubleshooting¶

Symptom	Cause and fix
No lint output after edits	Check that `auto-lint` isn't turned off and that the `lint-cmd` line starts with `python:`, so it applies to Python files.
`No pyproject.toml with [tool.inwards] found`	Aider runs the command from the git root. If `pyproject.toml` sits in a subdirectory, add `--config <path>/pyproject.toml` to the command.
Violations in files Aider didn't touch	Aider passes only edited files. A violation elsewhere comes from a full `inwards check` run, not from Aider.
You want the runs recorded	Add `--log` to the command (`... check --format text --log`). See Run log.

Aider has no equivalent of Claude Code's Stop hook or config guard. To keep the model from changing [tool.inwards], don't add pyproject.toml to the chat (or add it with /read-only), and use CODEOWNERS so a changed config needs review before it merges.