Abstract Coupling between aerosols, atmospheric circulation, and tropical sea surface temperature (SST) patterns is an important part of anthropogenic influence on climate but is not well understood. Using idealized, cloud‐resolving simulations with a slab ocean, we examine the hydrologic and circulation responses to uniform and spatially varying aerosol enhancement. The equilibrium responses are decomposed into forcings attributable to aerosol‐cloud interactions and feedbacks associated with SST gradient adjustment. Aerosol enhancement within convective regimes forces an increase in deep convective mass flux but has only a modest, feedback‐driven impact on large‐scale circulation. Enhancement within subsiding regimes does not affect convective mass flux but strengthens the large‐scale circulation through direct forcing and SST gradient feedbacks; the forcing component is explained by changes in low‐level buoyancy and convective organization. These results highlight the mediating roles of convective organization and SST patterns in aerosol‐cloud‐circulation coupling on long timescales.