# PRD for Aider — a scoped brief for your terminal pair programmer

> Generate a build-ready spec for Aider: prioritized features, typed data model, and a non-goals list — so your terminal AI pair programmer builds the right thing.

Canonical: https://draftlytic.com/prd-for/aider
Last updated: 2026-07-11

Aider is an open-source AI pair programmer you run in your terminal against your local Git repo — it edits real files and commits as it goes. That tight Git loop is great for fast iteration, but it still needs to know what you're building: a vague prompt gets you plausible-looking commits that drift from your actual plan.

Draftlytic turns a one-line idea into a structured, editable spec you can reference from your terminal: prioritized features, a typed data model, a navigation map, and an explicit non-goals list. Export it as Markdown to keep open next to your Aider session, or push it straight to the GitHub repo Aider is already committing to.

## How a Draftlytic PRD fits Aider

- Export the spec as Markdown and keep it in a terminal pane next to your Aider session as the brief for each prompt.
- Push the PRD to a connected GitHub repo so it sits in the same repo Aider is committing to.
- Prioritized features (must-have first) give you a clear order to prompt Aider through, feature by feature.
- The typed data model grounds Aider's file edits in concrete entities and fields instead of ad hoc guesses.
- Explicit Non-Goals stop Aider from adding scope you didn't ask for in a given commit.
- Per-feature acceptance criteria at Detailed depth give you a quick way to verify each commit against a real definition of done.

## FAQ

### How do I use a Draftlytic spec with Aider?

Export the PRD as Markdown and reference it in your prompts feature by feature. Paid users can also push it to a connected GitHub repo so the spec lives in the same repo Aider is committing to.

### Why not just describe features to Aider as I go?

That works fine for small tweaks, but for a real build, a scoped spec keeps priorities, data model, and non-goals consistent across many small commits instead of re-deciding them at every prompt.

### Does this fit Aider's file-by-file workflow?

Yes — the prioritized feature list gives you a natural order to prompt through one feature (and its files) at a time, instead of one large undifferentiated request.