Aider

Aider uses the OpenAI-compatible route with the openai/ model prefix. Put the stable route settings in .aider.conf.yml; Aider loads this file from your home directory, then the git repo root, then the current directory, with later files taking priority. Use --config <filename> only when you want one explicit config file.

For a deployed instance, use:

# ~/.aider.conf.yml or <repo>/.aider.conf.yml
model: openai/gpt-5.5
openai-api-base: https://codex-pooler.example.com/v1

For local setup, use:

# ~/.aider.conf.yml or <repo>/.aider.conf.yml
model: openai/gpt-5.5
openai-api-base: http://localhost:4000/v1

Aider’s bundled gpt-5.5 settings define behavior flags such as diff editing, repo-map use, and reasoning_effort; they do not bundle context/output limits in .aider.conf.yml. If you need explicit unknown-model limits, use Aider’s separate model metadata JSON file instead of adding unsupported context fields to the main config.

Keep the Pool API key out of the YAML file. Export it in the shell, or put it in a gitignored .env file that Aider can load:

export OPENAI_API_KEY="$CODEX_POOLER_API_KEY"

Check Aider from a repository with a real file edit. The command should only need the one-off prompt when the config file is present:

aider \
  --message 'Create a file named aider-ok.txt containing exactly: aider ok. After the file exists, reply with exactly: aider ok' \
  --yes-always \
  --no-auto-commits \
  --no-git \
  --no-browser \
  --no-gui \
  --no-analytics

The check is only useful if aider-ok.txt exists with the expected content; a text reply alone does not prove Aider can edit through the configured model path.

The Pool API key authenticates /v1 model requests. Do not use an operator MCP token as the OpenAI API key.