Getting Started¶

Welcome to Amplifier! This guide will help you get up and running quickly.

What is Amplifier?¶

Amplifier is a modular AI agent system that lets you build, customize, and run AI-powered development workflows. It follows a Linux kernel-inspired architecture:

Tiny kernel (amplifier-core) - Provides mechanisms only
Pluggable modules - All features live at the edges as replaceable components
Composable configuration - Mix and match capabilities via bundles
Load-time validation - The kernel validates module configurations at load time

Quick Start¶

Install¶

# Try without installing
uvx --from git+https://github.com/microsoft/amplifier amplifier

# Or install globally
uv tool install git+https://github.com/microsoft/amplifier

First Run¶

# Interactive setup (auto-runs on first use)
amplifier init

# Start a conversation
amplifier

The init wizard will: 1. Detect available API keys from environment variables 2. Help you configure your preferred provider 3. Set up default settings

Provider Support¶

Provider	Models	Notes
Anthropic	Claude Sonnet, Opus, Haiku	Recommended, most tested
OpenAI	GPT-4o, GPT-4o-mini, o1	Good alternative
Azure OpenAI	GPT models via Azure	Enterprise users
Google Gemini	Gemini 2.5 Flash, Pro	Large context windows
Ollama	Local models	Free, no API key needed

Set your API key before running:

export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="your-key"
# or
export OPENAI_API_KEY="your-key"
# or
export GOOGLE_API_KEY="your-key"

# Ollama (local, no API key needed)
amplifier provider use ollama

Basic Usage¶

Single Command¶

# Execute a single prompt
amplifier run "Create a Python function to calculate fibonacci numbers"

# Use specific provider/model
amplifier run --provider anthropic --model claude-opus-4 "Complex task"

# Single command via stdin (useful for scripts/pipelines)
echo "Summarize this spec" | amplifier run

Interactive Mode¶

# Start interactive session
amplifier

# Or resume last session
amplifier continue

In interactive mode: - Type naturally, press Enter to send - Use Ctrl-J for multi-line input - Use Ctrl-D to exit - Use /help for slash commands

Session Management¶

# List recent sessions
amplifier session list

# Resume specific session
amplifier session resume <session-id>

# Continue most recent session
amplifier continue

Key Commands¶

# Configuration
amplifier init                           # First-time setup
amplifier bundle list                    # List available bundles
amplifier provider list                  # List providers
amplifier module list                    # List modules

# Running tasks
amplifier run "your prompt"              # Single command
amplifier                                # Interactive mode
amplifier continue                       # Resume last session

# Session management
amplifier session list                   # List sessions
amplifier session resume <id>            # Resume session

# Tools
amplifier tool list                      # List available tools
amplifier tool invoke <tool> <args>      # Invoke tool directly

# Updates
amplifier update                         # Update Amplifier and modules

Next Steps¶

Installation Guide - Detailed installation instructions
CLI Reference - Complete command reference
Bundles Guide - Composable configuration
Agents Guide - Specialized sub-agents

Getting Help¶

# CLI help
amplifier --help
amplifier <command> --help

# Shell completion
amplifier --install-completion

# Documentation
https://github.com/microsoft/amplifier

Example Workflow¶

# 1. Initial setup
amplifier init

# 2. Start a task
amplifier run "Analyze the authentication flow in src/auth.py"

# 3. Continue the conversation
amplifier continue "Now add error handling"

# 4. Review session
amplifier session list