Setup guide - From MiniMax and Aider docs
Use MiniMax in Aider
Aider's documented OpenAI-compatible path (OPENAI_API_BASE + OPENAI_API_KEY, model prefixed with openai/) combined with MiniMax's documented OpenAI-compatible base URL https://api.minimax.io/v1.
Last verified 3 steps3 official sources
Steps
- Step 1.
Install aider.
Terminalpython -m pip install aider-install aider-install - Step 2.
Configure your API key and endpoint using MiniMax's OpenAI-compatible base URL.
Terminal# Mac/Linux: export OPENAI_API_BASE=https://api.minimax.io/v1 export OPENAI_API_KEY=<your MiniMax API key> # Windows: setx OPENAI_API_BASE https://api.minimax.io/v1 setx OPENAI_API_KEY <your MiniMax API key> # ... restart shell after setx commands - Step 3.
Change into your codebase and start aider, prefixing the MiniMax model name with openai/.
Terminalcd /to/your/project aider --model openai/MiniMax-M3
Caveats
- Combination: aider documents the generic OpenAI-compatible mechanism; the base URL and model ids come from MiniMax's docs. Neither side publishes a MiniMax-specific aider guide.
- Aider will show model warnings for models it is not familiar with (see aider's model warnings page).
- MiniMax-M3.1-Flash-Preview requires an M Plan Subscription Key; pay-as-you-go keys should use MiniMax-M3 or an M2.x model.
- MiniMax's OpenAI-compatible API ignores presence_penalty, frequency_penalty and logit_bias, only supports n=1, and accepts temperature in [0, 2].
More setup guides
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Related reading
- MiniMax H3: An Omni-Modal Video Model With Native Audio, 2K Output, and Open Weights ComingMiniMax H3 turns text, image, video and audio input into 2K video with native stereo sound at 0.80 CNY per second, with open weights promised to follow.
- MiniMax M2.5 for Developers: The Anthropic-Compatible Budget Frontier ModelMiniMax M2.5 hits 80.2% on SWE-bench Verified and plugs into the Anthropic SDK with two environment variables. Here is what you need to know before switching.
- Aider vs Claude Code in 2026: Git-First Open Source vs Subagent RuntimeAider vs Claude Code: git-first, model-agnostic Aider against the Claude Code runtime of subagents and hooks. Compare architecture, cost, governance and fit.
- Aider vs Claude Code: Open Source vs Commercial AI Coding CLIAider is open source and works with any model. Claude Code is Anthropic's commercial agent. Here is how they compare for TypeScript.
FAQ
How do I use MiniMax in Aider?
Aider's documented OpenAI-compatible path (OPENAI_API_BASE + OPENAI_API_KEY, model prefixed with openai/) combined with MiniMax's documented OpenAI-compatible base URL https://api.minimax.io/v1.
Which MiniMax model ids work in Aider?
The official docs read for this guide list MiniMax-M3, MiniMax-M2.7, MiniMax-M2.7-highspeed, MiniMax-M2.5, MiniMax-M2.5-highspeed and MiniMax-M3.1-Flash-Preview. Requests go to https://api.minimax.io/v1.
Is this an official MiniMax and Aider setup?
The steps draw on both MiniMax's and Aider's docs. It was last checked against 3 official pages on October 17, 2026.
Sources
Last verified against 3 official pages.
- aider.chathttps://aider.chat/docs/llms/openai-compat.html
- platform.minimax.iohttps://platform.minimax.io/docs/api-reference/text-openai-api.md
- platform.minimax.iohttps://platform.minimax.io/docs/m-plan/other-tools.md
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