No MCP needed
Aider doesn't speak MCP, and it doesn't need to. It runs inside the box as an ordinary terminal program — no client, no plugin, nothing to configure.
Aider lives in a terminal, and a terminal is exactly what a box gives you.
SSH in, run aider, and it works on a machine that isn't yours to lose — with
the repo, the test suite and the dependency cache already there next time.
# 1. create a box
$ containarium create aider-box
# 2. open a shell that survives disconnects
$ containarium connect aider-box --session aider
# 3. inside the box
$ curl -LsSf https://aider.chat/install.sh | sh
$ aiderWhere it runs
Aider commits its own changes and can run shell commands and tests as it goes, and --yes-always stops it asking. That speed is the point — as long as the machine it's running on is one you're happy to hand over.
Its commands and test runs happen next to your SSH keys and every other checkout, and the session ends when your terminal does.
A Linux machine that holds one repo. Run it inside a --session and the conversation survives dropped Wi-Fi; reattach from any machine.
Aider doesn't speak MCP, and it doesn't need to. It runs inside the box as an ordinary terminal program — no client, no plugin, nothing to configure.
The virtualenv, node_modules and build cache stay put, so the next run starts working instead of reinstalling.
Keep each project in its own box with its own toolchain, and run several at once. We run five agents this way.
Connecting
containarium connect aider-box --session aider attaches to a named tmux session on the box. Disconnect, and Aider keeps running; run the same command later to pick up the conversation.
Run containarium ssh-config sync and the box appears as a normal SSH host. Keep your editor open on it while Aider works in the terminal, and review each commit as it lands.
Using another agent? The same box works with Claude Code, Cursor, Cline, Codex CLI, Gemini CLI, Goose, OpenHands, or your own agent. Need a GPU in it? That works too.
FAQ
Create a Containarium box, connect to it with containarium connect aider-box --session aider, install Aider inside the box, and run it there. Everything Aider edits and runs stays inside the box.
Aider has no native MCP support. It doesn't need it here: Aider runs inside the box as a normal terminal program.
Yes. containarium connect with --session attaches to a named tmux session on the box, so Aider keeps running when you disconnect and you can reattach later.
Start free on the hosted cloud, or self-host the open source on your own VM.