Three Commands to Amplifier

Install, init, run — on a thin kernel

Getting Started

Getting started is three commands, not a config marathon

Install or try instantly, run amplifier init, then fire a prompt. Zero to a working agent in minutes.

And the fast path is real — here's the one line that proves it.

1
Install (or try instantly)
uv / uvx from github.com/microsoft/amplifier
2
amplifier init
Interactive setup wizard
3
amplifier run "…"
Single prompt on the foundation bundle

Proof

One uvx line runs Amplifier without installing anything

Try it without a global install, or install the tool for keeps — both come straight from the microsoft/amplifier repo.

The line runs. Now the wizard makes it yours.

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

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

Step Two — Setup

`amplifier init` is a wizard that auto-detects your provider key

Setup is guided, not hand-edited config. init auto-runs the first time there's no config, and manages providers and routing for you.

So where does it find your key? From the environment.

# First-time setup (auto-runs if no config)
amplifier init

# init — Interactive setup:
# manage providers and routing

How Setup Works

init reads your provider key straight from the environment

It auto-detects keys already set in your shell and wires up routing — no manual configuration barrier to cross.

Key detected, routing wired — now you can run.

ANTHROPIC_API_KEY — Anthropic Claude
OPENAI_API_KEY — OpenAI
AZURE_OPENAI_API_KEY — Azure OpenAI
GEMINI_API_KEY / GOOGLE_API_KEY — Google Gemini

How Running Works

One command fires a prompt; bare `amplifier` opens chat

amplifier run "…" runs a single prompt on the foundation bundle by default. Sensible defaults mean run just works out of the box.

The on-ramp is smooth. But smooth on-ramps have a catch.

# Single command (uses foundation bundle by default)
amplifier run "Create a Python function..."

# Interactive chat mode
amplifier

The Catch

But a slick starter CLI usually becomes a cage

You inherit its opinions and its command surface — and when your needs outgrow them, you can't get out. What got you started fences you in.

Amplifier's answer: don't make the entry point the product.

The Payoff

That CLI is only a reference implementation on a thin kernel

amplifier-app-cli rides the ultra-thin amplifier-core kernel — a small, few-dependency package. Use the reference CLI as-is, fork it, or replace it with your own.

The entry point is disposable — you're never trapped.

5

runtime deps in the core kernel (click, pydantic, pyyaml, tomli, typing-extensions)

3

ways to use it: as-is, fork, or replace

16

built-in agents in the default foundation bundle (v2.0.0)

Takeaway

Start in three commands today; build your own CLI tomorrow

install → init → run gets you talking to a model in minutes. Because it all sits on amplifier-core, the same kernel is there when you want to go further.

Status: Shipped & installed — v2026.07.22-51194ef (core 1.6.0)

Sources

Research Methodology

Data as of: installed CLI reported version 2026.07.22-51194ef (core 1.6.0). Latest checked-out commits: amplifier-app-cli 2026-03-03, amplifier-core 2026-02-17.

Feature status: Shipped and installed; the reference CLI is positioned as a reference implementation you can use as-is, fork, or replace.

Research performed:

Upstream/version: git remote -v (microsoft/amplifier-app-cli), amplifier --version
Install & usage: read_file amplifier-app-cli/README.md (Installation, Quick Start, Providers)
Init & keys: amplifier --help; grep -oE '"[A-Z_]+_API_KEY"' amplifier_app_cli/provider_env_detect.py
Defaults: grep -rn 'default.*foundation' runtime/config.py commands/run.py
Kernel deps: grep -A8 'dependencies = [' amplifier-core/pyproject.toml
Foundation agents: ls amplifier-foundation/agents/ | wc -l (16); head -30 amplifier-foundation/bundle.md (v2.0.0)
Timeline & authors: git log --reverse, git log -1, git shortlog -sn --all

Gaps: The core README's "~2,600 lines" figure could not be reproduced against this checkout (measured 7,271 lines excluding tests) and is not asserted. The live step-by-step amplifier init screen flow beyond env detection was not executed. Version numbering differs between installed release and checked-out mirrors.

Primary contributors: Brian Krabach (primary author of amplifier-app-cli, 641 commits); Diego Colombo (26), Marc Goodner (12), Samuel Lee (6). amplifier-core initial extraction by Brian Krabach.