Check out my script to batch-process Aider prompts across multiple files.

I have been conducting a systematic evaluation of AI-assisted coding tools, with a particular focus on their utility in large-scale codebase refactoring and compliance tasks. A key limitation I encountered with Aider—despite its otherwise commendable performance in iterative, conversational development—was the challenge of applying a consistent set of instructions or transformations across a discrete batch of source files. Manually opening each file in a chat proved inefficient for bulk operations.

To address this workflow gap, I developed a shell script that automates the batch processing of multiple files through Aider, using a standardized prompt. This is particularly valuable for procurement professionals managing internal tooling, where consistent updates to license headers, security standard implementations, or vendor API library upgrades across numerous files are common.

The script operates on a simple principle: it iterates through a list of specified files, invoking Aider for each with a pre-defined, reusable instruction set. This ensures uniformity and saves considerable time during renewal cycles or when enforcing new contractual obligations into code.

Below is the core script. It requires that you define your prompt and file list. I recommend storing the prompt in a separate file for easy modification and reuse across different projects.

```
#!/bin/bash

# Batch processor for Aider prompts.
# Usage: ./aider_batch.sh

PROMPT_FILE="$1"
shift
FILE_LIST=("$@")

if [ ! -f "$PROMPT_FILE" ]; then
echo "Error: Prompt file '$PROMPT_FILE' not found."
exit 1
fi

for FILE in "${FILE_LIST[@]}"; do
if [ -f "$FILE" ]; then
echo "Processing: $FILE"
# Read the prompt and pass it to Aider via stdin
cat "$PROMPT_FILE" | aider --yes --message-file - "$FILE"
echo "Completed: $FILE"
echo "---"
else
echo "Warning: File '$FILE' does not exist, skipping."
fi
done
```

To utilize this, you would first create a prompt file, for instance, `add_license.txt`:

```
Please update the file to include the standard company MIT license header at the very top. Ensure the existing code functionality is not altered. Only add the header if it is not already present.
```

Then, execute the script by providing the prompt file and the target files:

```
./aider_batch.sh add_license.txt src/utils.py src/models/contract.py src/api/vendor_manager.py
```

This methodology has significantly reduced the effort involved in my recent project to align all internal procurement SaaS tooling with updated open-source policy. The script ensures no file is overlooked and creates a verifiable audit trail of changes applied. For teams concerned with vendor lock-in, this approach also provides a portable, tool-agnostic pattern that could be adapted to other CLI-based coding assistants.

I am interested in hearing from others who have developed similar automation wrappers around AI coding tools. What specific use cases have you addressed, particularly concerning technical debt reduction during vendor platform migrations or large-scale contract-driven modifications?

- PPro