Amplifier Command Reference¶

Launch Microsoft Amplifier with the amplihack bundle for enhanced AI-assisted development.

Synopsis¶

amplihack amplifier [OPTIONS] [-- AMPLIFIER_ARGS]

Description¶

The amplihack amplifier command launches Microsoft Amplifier with the amplihack bundle automatically loaded. Amplifier is a multi-model AI development assistant that supports Claude, GPT-4, and other models through a unified interface.

Key features:

• Automatically discovers and loads the amplihack bundle
• Auto-installs Amplifier via uv if not present
• Supports model and provider selection
• Session resume capability
• Integration with amplihack's auto mode

Prerequisites¶

Options¶

Session Control¶

Model Selection¶

Auto Mode¶

Common Options¶

Usage Examples¶

Interactive Session¶

Start an interactive Amplifier session with the amplihack bundle:

amplihack amplifier

Output:

Using amplihack bundle: /path/to/amplifier-bundle
[Amplifier starts in interactive mode]

Non-Interactive with Prompt¶

Execute a single task:

amplihack amplifier -- -p "Explain the authentication flow in this codebase"

Single Response Mode¶

Get a single response without tool use:

amplihack amplifier --print -- -p "What does this function do?"

Model Selection¶

Use a specific model:

# Use GPT-4o
amplihack amplifier --model gpt-4o --provider openai

# Use Claude Sonnet
amplihack amplifier --model claude-sonnet-4-20250514 --provider anthropic

Resume a Session¶

Continue a previous session:

amplihack amplifier --resume session_20250114_120000_abc123

Auto Mode¶

Run autonomously with a task:

amplihack amplifier --auto -- -p "Implement user authentication with JWT tokens"

# With extended turns for complex tasks
amplihack amplifier --auto --max-turns 25 -- -p "Refactor the entire API layer"

Bundle Discovery¶

The command automatically finds the amplihack bundle using this search order:

1. Current directory: ./amplifier-bundle/bundle.md
2. Package location: Searches up to 5 parent directories from the installed package

If no bundle is found, Amplifier runs without it and displays a warning:

Warning: amplihack bundle not found. Running Amplifier without bundle.
  Expected location: ./amplifier-bundle/bundle.md

Installation Behavior¶

On first run, if Amplifier is not installed:

Installing Amplifier from git+https://github.com/microsoft/amplifier...
This will install Amplifier as a uv tool.
Continue? [y/N] y
✓ Amplifier CLI installed

Non-interactive mode (CI/scripts): Installation proceeds automatically without prompting.

Environment Variables¶

Exit Codes¶

Troubleshooting¶

Amplifier not found after installation¶

Problem: Installation succeeds but amplifier command not found.

Solution: Ensure ~/.local/bin (or uv's tool bin directory) is in your PATH:

# Add to ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc
export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"

Bundle not found¶

Problem: Warning about missing bundle appears.

Solution:

1. Run from the amplihack repository root
2. Or ensure amplifier-bundle/bundle.md exists in your project

uv not found¶

Problem: Error message about missing uv.

Solution: Install uv:

# macOS/Linux
curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh

# Windows
powershell -ExecutionPolicy ByPass -c "irm https://astral.sh/uv/install.ps1 | iex"

API key errors¶

Problem: Authentication errors when running.

Solution: Set the appropriate API key for your provider:

# For Anthropic (Claude models)
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="your-key"

# For OpenAI (GPT models)
export OPENAI_API_KEY="your-key"

Comparison with Other Commands¶

Choose amplifier when you need:

• Multi-model flexibility (switch between Claude, GPT-4, etc.)
• Amplifier-specific features
• The amplihack bundle context without full Claude Code hooks

Related Documentation¶

• Command Selection Guide - Choose the right command
• Auto Mode Guide - Autonomous execution details
• Launcher Model Configuration - Model selection for Claude launcher