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Command reference · Aider

Help Mode

Help mode: Aider answers questions about itself — usage, configuration, troubleshooting.

In help mode, Aider answers questions about its own usage, configuration, and troubleshooting, instead of referring to the loaded project codebase. Switch permanently with /chat-mode help, or for a single message with /help <question> regardless of the currently active mode. Startup flag: --chat-mode help.

✅ WHEN TO USE IT?

Unclear how to use a specific Aider feature

/help How do I set up a custom lint command for Python?

Make sense of an error message or unexpected behavior from Aider itself

/help Why is Aider reporting a token limit even though the model should support more context?

⛔ WHEN NOT TO?

The question is about your own project code, not Aider itself

/help refers to Aider's own docs/configuration, not the loaded codebase.

Better: Use /ask for questions about your own project

A concrete change should be implemented directly

Help mode only answers questions, it makes no file changes.

Better: Use /code to actually implement the change

SOURCES