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Getting Started

Get your first AI session running in under 5 minutes.

Install & Configure

# Install with uv (recommended)
uv tool install git+https://github.com/microsoft/amplifier

# Run setup wizard
amplifier init

That's it! The setup wizard will configure your LLM provider (Anthropic, OpenAI, etc.).

Stay Updated

Amplifier is in active development. Run amplifier update daily to get the latest features and fixes.

Alternative installation options

See Installation Options for pipx, development installs, and troubleshooting.

Start Amplifier

amplifier

This opens an interactive session where you can chat with the AI:

amplifier> What is the capital of France?
[AI responds...]

amplifier> Can you write a Python function to sort a list?
[AI responds with code...]

amplifier> /help
[Shows available commands...]

amplifier> /quit

Commands

Command Description
/help Show available commands
/tools List available tools
/agents List available agents
/status Show session information
/clear Clear conversation history
/quit or /exit Exit

Working with Code

Amplifier excels at code-related tasks. Start it in a project directory:

cd your-project
amplifier

amplifier> Explain the structure of this project
[AI analyzes your codebase...]

amplifier> Review main.py for potential issues
[AI reviews the file...]

amplifier> Write a unit test for the User class
[AI generates tests...]

Using Tools

With the dev profile, Amplifier has access to powerful tools:

amplifier --profile dev

amplifier> List all Python files in this directory
[AI uses filesystem tool to list files...]

amplifier> Search for TODO comments in the codebase
[AI uses search tool...]

The AI can now read/write files, execute shell commands, search the codebase, and browse the web.

Session Management

Continue your most recent conversation:

amplifier continue

amplifier> Now add error handling to that function
[AI continues where you left off...]

Using Profiles

Profiles are pre-configured capability sets:

# List available profiles
amplifier profile list

# Set default profile
amplifier profile use dev

# Or use a profile for one session
amplifier --profile dev
Profile Description
foundation Minimal - just LLM access
base Basic tools (filesystem, bash)
dev Full development (tools + agents + search)

Using Agents

Agents are specialized assistants for specific tasks:

amplifier> @explorer What is the architecture of this project?
[Explorer agent analyzes codebase...]

amplifier> @bug-hunter Find issues in auth.py
[Bug hunter agent reviews code...]
Agent Purpose
explorer Breadth-first codebase exploration
bug-hunter Systematic debugging
zen-architect System design with simplicity focus

Next Steps