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Command reference · Aider

/drop

Removes files from the chat session to free up context space.

/drop removes files previously added via /add or /read-only from the chat again. The docs describe it as normal to drop files that don't need further changes and add the files needed for the next step instead.

✅ WHEN TO USE IT?

Clean up after finishing a sub-step

/drop payment.py — remove the file once it's done and no longer needed for the next step

Aider is stuck, too much context in the chat

/drop — the docs list this as one of the first things to try when Aider gets stuck on a task

⛔ WHEN NOT TO?

Wanting to reset the whole conversation history

/drop only removes files from the chat, the conversation history stays intact.

Better: Use /clear for the chat history, or /reset to remove both at once

Wanting to temporarily switch a file from editable to reference-only

/drop removes the file from the chat entirely, so it's no longer available even as a reference afterward.

Better: Apply /read-only to the file to switch it to reference-only instead of dropping it completely

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