copy

aider/website/docs/usage/copypaste.md

@@ -0,0 +1,100 @@
+---
+title: Copy/paste to web chat
+#highlight_image: /assets/browser.jpg
+parent: Usage
+nav_order: 850
+description: Aider works with web chat UIs
+---
+
+# Copy/paste to web chat
+
+<div class="video-container">
+  <video controls loop poster="/assets/copypaste.jpg">
+    <source src="/assets/copypaste.mp4" type="video/mp4">
+    <a href="/assets/copypaste.mp4">Aider browser UI demo video</a>
+  </video>
+</div>
+
+<style>
+.video-container {
+  position: relative;
+  padding-bottom: 101.89%; /* 1080 / 1060 = 1.0189 */
+  height: 0;
+  overflow: hidden;
+}
+
+.video-container video {
+  position: absolute;
+  top: 0;
+  left: 0;
+  width: 100%;
+  height: 100%;
+}
+</style>
+
+## Working with an LLM web chat
+
+[Aider can connect to most LLMs via API](https://aider.chat/docs/llms.html) and works best that way.
+But there are times when you may want to work with an LLM via its web chat interface.
+You may not have API access to that particular LLM,
+or perhaps it is cost prohibitive to use via API.
+
+Aider has features for working with an LLM web chat.
+This allows you to use the web chat LLM as the "big brain architect"
+while running aider with a smaller, cheaper LLM to actually make changes
+to your local files.
+
+### Copy aider's code context to your clipboard, paste into the web UI
+
+The `/copy-context` command can be used in chat to copy aider's code context to your clipboard.
+It will include:
+
+- All the files which have been added to the chat via `/add`.
+- Any read only files which have been added via `/read`.
+- Aider's [repository map](https://aider.chat/docs/repomap.html) that brings in code context related to the above files from elsewhere in your git repo.
+- Some instructions to the LLM that ask it to output change instructions concisely.
+
+You can paste the context into your browser, and start interacting with the LLM web chat to
+ask for code changes.
+
+### Paste the LLM's reply back into aider to edit your files
+
+Once the LLM has replied, you can use the "copy response" button in the web UI to copy
+the LLM's response.
+Back in aider, you can run `/paste` and aider will edit your files
+to implement the changes suggested by the LLM.
+
+You can use a cheap, efficient model like GPT-4o Mini, DeepSeek or Qwen to do these edits.
+This works best if you run aider with `--edit-format editor-diff` or `--edit-format editor-whole`.
+
+### Copy/paste mode
+
+Aider has a `--copy-paste` mode that streamlines this entire process:
+
+- Whenever you `/add` or `/read` files, aider will automatically copy the entire, updated
+code context to your clipboard. 
+You'll see "Copied code context to clipboard" whenever this happens.
+- When you copy the LLM reply to your clipboard outside aider, aider will automatically notice
+and load it into the aider chat. 
+Just press ENTER to send the message
+and aider will apply the LLMs changes to your local files.
+- Aider will automatically select the best edit format for this copy/paste functionality. 
+Depending on the LLM you have aider use, it will be either `editor-whole` or `editor-diff`.
+
+## Terms of service
+
+Be sure your LLM web chat provider allows you to copy and paste code according to their terms of service.
+This feature has been designed to be compliant with the 
+terms of service (TOS) of most LLM web chats.
+
+There are 4 copy/paste steps involved when coding with an LLM web chat:
+
+1. Copy code and context from aider.
+2. Paste the code and context into the LLM web chat.
+3. Copy the reply from the LLM web chat.
+4. Paste the LLM reply into aider.
+
+Most LLM web chat TOS prohibit automating steps (2) and (3) where code
+is copied/pasted in the web chat.
+Aider's copy/paste mode leaves those as 100% manual steps for the user to complete,
+but streamlines steps (1) and (4) which are not related to any LLM web chat TOS.