Aider vs BoltUpdated 2026-03-16

SUMMARY

Aider (CLI) uses markdown configuration while Bolt (Platform) uses text. They differ on 5 of 11 compared features. Both tools provide AI-assisted development but take different approaches to project configuration.

FEATURE COMPARISON

FeatureAiderBolt
Config formatmarkdowntext
Hierarchy support
Global config
Project config
Subdirectory scoping
File inclusion / imports
Ignore file.aiderignore
IDE integrationCLIPlatform
Schema / structureFree-form (Markdown)Free-form (Markdown)
Git committed
EncodingUTF-8UTF-8

FILE MAPPING

PurposeAiderBolt
Project instructionsCONVENTIONS.md.bolt/prompt

SIDE-BY-SIDE CODE SAMPLES

Aider
CONVENTIONS.md
markdown
# Project Conventions

## Language
- TypeScript strict mode, no `any` types
- Prefer const over let, never use var
- Use template literals over string concatenation

## Architecture
- Feature-based folder structure under src/features/
- Each feature exports through an index.ts barrel file
- Shared utilities go in src/lib/

## Error Handling
- Use Result<T, E> pattern for expected failures
- Throw only for programmer errors
- Always log errors with structured context

## Testing
- Colocate tests next to source files (*.test.ts)
- Use factories for test data, not fixtures
- Integration tests in __tests__/ directories

Bolt
.bolt/prompt
text
You are building a SaaS dashboard application.

Stack: Remix with TypeScript, Prisma ORM, PostgreSQL, TailwindCSS.

Key rules:
- Use server loaders for data fetching, not client-side fetch
- All forms use Remix Form with progressive enhancement
- Use Prisma for all database operations
- Style with TailwindCSS utility classes, no custom CSS
- Components go in app/components/, routes in app/routes/
- Use zod for form validation on both client and server

KEY DIFFERENCES

1. Config format

Aider: markdown. Bolt: text.

2. Global config

Aider: Supported. Bolt: Not supported.

3. Subdirectory scoping

Aider: Supported. Bolt: Not supported.

4. Ignore file

Aider: .aiderignore. Bolt: Not supported.

5. IDE integration

Aider: CLI. Bolt: Platform.

WHICH SHOULD I USE?

Recommendation

Choose based on your IDE/CLI preference. If you use Aider, configure .aider.conf.yml. If you use Bolt, configure .bolt/prompt. Many projects include config files for multiple tools so each team member can use their preferred editor.

PORTABILITY TIP

sync-instructions.sh
bash
# Maintain a single source of truth:
cp AI-INSTRUCTIONS.md CLAUDE.md
cp AI-INSTRUCTIONS.md .cursorrules
cp AI-INSTRUCTIONS.md AGENTS.md

SEE ALSO

agentconfig.ing2026-03-16COMPARE(1)