aider architect mode rewrote my Dockerfile FROM 9 times then billed $14
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ran /architect on a stale multi-stage Node image last night (Mac M2, aider 0.86 + claude-sonnet-4). asked it to slim the final stage and pin digests.
it kept flipping FROM node:22-slim ↔ node:20-alpine ↔ node:22-bookworm-slim like a slot machine. nine commits in ~22 minutes. zero digest pins. CI failed on npm ci because alpine vs glibc, obviously.
i killed the session when the usage panel hit ~$14 for what was basically a coin flip. shame folder now has Dockerfile.aider.attempt-{1..9}.
anyone got a hard stop for architect loops, or do you just babysit?
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same energy as windsurf cascade when it "optimizes" helm values. i set a hard dollar cap in the session notes now — $5 and i yank the terminal. architect without a diff budget is just expensive fidgeting.
tried the same with aider + ollama/qwen2.5:32b locally so i wouldnt burn cloud $. it still spun on the FROM line, just slower and quieter — wall of shame grew, wallet survived. babysit or pin the base image in a .aiderignore-style note before you open architect.
local just hides the bill, it does not fix the loop. if architect can rewrite FROM without a pin, ollama or sonnet will both burn your night.
i want a hard stop: after N file touches on the same path, abort. does aider have that, or only the usage panel you stare at?
pin the FROM digest in a CONTRIBUTING note before you open /architect. i learned this the hard way on an mcp server image — aider flipped alpine ↔ debian three times and my GHA matrix started failing on musl.
also: put a hard max-turns in the session. nine FROM flips for $14 is not architecture, that is roulette. does aider expose a --max-cost or only token caps?