Installation¶

This guide walks you through installing Amplifier, a powerful AI development platform that extends Claude's capabilities with specialized tools, agents, and workflows.

Prerequisites¶

Before installing Amplifier, ensure your system meets these requirements:

Required¶

Python 3.11 or higher - Amplifier requires modern Python features
Check your version: python --version or python3 --version
Download from python.org if needed

Recommended¶

Git - For version control and cloning repositories
Terminal - Command-line access (Terminal on macOS/Linux, PowerShell or WSL on Windows)
Anthropic API Key - Required for Claude access
Get yours at console.anthropic.com

Quick Install¶

For most users, the fastest way to get started:

# Install UV package manager
curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh

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

# Run setup wizard
amplifier init

# Verify installation
amplifier version

Detailed Installation Steps¶

Step 1: Install UV Package Manager¶

UV is a fast, reliable Python package installer and resolver. Amplifier uses UV for efficient dependency management.

On macOS and Linux:

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

On Windows (PowerShell):

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

Verify UV installation:

uv --version

You should see output like uv 0.x.x.

Alternative: Install UV with pip:

pip install uv

Step 2: Install Amplifier¶

Once UV is installed, you can install Amplifier as a tool:

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

This command will: - Download the latest version of Amplifier from GitHub - Install all required dependencies in an isolated environment - Make the amplifier command available in your terminal

Alternative: Install from a local clone:

git clone https://github.com/microsoft/amplifier.git
cd amplifier
uv tool install -e .

Step 3: Run the Setup Wizard¶

The setup wizard helps you configure Amplifier for first use:

amplifier init

The wizard will guide you through:

API Key Configuration - Enter your Anthropic API key
Default Model Selection - Choose your preferred Claude model
Workspace Setup - Configure your default workspace directory
Bundle Installation - Install recommended bundles (optional)

Example wizard session:

Welcome to Amplifier Setup!

? Enter your Anthropic API key: sk-ant-***************
✓ API key validated successfully

? Select default model:
  > claude-sonnet-4-20250514 (recommended)
    claude-opus-4-20250514
    claude-haiku-4-20250514

? Workspace directory: ~/amplifier-workspace
✓ Workspace created at /home/user/amplifier-workspace

? Install recommended bundles? (Y/n): Y
✓ Installing foundation bundle...
✓ Installing python-dev bundle...
✓ Installing recipes bundle...

Setup complete! Run 'amplifier chat' to start.

Step 4: Verify Installation¶

Confirm everything is working correctly:

# Check version
amplifier version

# View available commands
amplifier --help

# Test connection
amplifier test-connection

# List installed bundles
amplifier bundle list

Expected output for amplifier version:

Amplifier v1.0.0
Python 3.11.5
UV 0.4.0
Claude API: Connected

Platform-Specific Notes¶

macOS¶

Note: Homebrew installation is not currently supported. Use uv tool install as described above -- it is the recommended installation method for all platforms.

Shell configuration:

Add to your ~/.zshrc or ~/.bash_profile:

export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"

Linux¶

System dependencies:

On Debian/Ubuntu:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install python3-pip git curl

On Fedora/RHEL:

sudo dnf install python3-pip git curl

Shell configuration:

Add to your ~/.bashrc:

export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"

Windows¶

Recommended: Use WSL2 (Windows Subsystem for Linux)

Install WSL2: wsl --install
Open Ubuntu terminal
Follow Linux installation steps

Native Windows installation:

Use PowerShell (not CMD)
Install Python from Microsoft Store or python.org
Ensure Python is in your PATH

Common Windows issue:

If you see "command not found" errors, add Python to PATH:

[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("Path", "$env:Path;$env:LOCALAPPDATA\Programs\Python\Python311\Scripts", "User")

Configuration¶

API Key Setup¶

Amplifier needs your Anthropic API key to communicate with Claude. You can configure it in several ways:

Option 1: Setup wizard (recommended)

amplifier init

Option 2: Environment variable

export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="sk-ant-your-key-here"

Add to your ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc to persist.

Option 3: Configuration file

Create ~/.amplifier/settings.yaml:

api_key: sk-ant-your-key-here
default_model: claude-sonnet-4-20250514
workspace: ~/amplifier-workspace

Option 4: Command-line flag

amplifier chat --api-key sk-ant-your-key-here

Workspace Configuration¶

Your workspace is where Amplifier stores projects, skills, and bundles:

# Set default workspace
amplifier config set workspace ~/my-workspace

# View current configuration
amplifier config show

Common Issues¶

Issue: "command not found: amplifier"¶

Solution:

Ensure the installation directory is in your PATH:

echo $PATH | grep -q "$HOME/.local/bin" || export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"

Make it permanent by adding to your shell config file.

Issue: "API key not configured"¶

Solution:

Run the setup wizard or set the environment variable:

amplifier init
# or
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="your-key-here"

Issue: "Python version too old"¶

Solution:

Upgrade Python to 3.11 or higher:

# macOS with Homebrew
brew install python@3.11

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt install python3.11

# Windows
# Download from python.org

Issue: "Permission denied" during installation¶

Solution:

Don't use sudo. Use uv tool install which installs to your user directory automatically:

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

Issue: UV installation fails¶

Solution:

Install via pip instead:

pip install uv

Then retry Amplifier installation.

Issue: SSL certificate verification failed¶

Solution:

Update your system's CA certificates:

# macOS
brew install ca-certificates

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt install ca-certificates

Verifying Your Installation¶

Run this comprehensive check:

# Check all components
amplifier doctor

# Test API connection
amplifier test-connection

# List available tools
amplifier tools list

# View system info
amplifier info

Next Steps¶

Now that Amplifier is installed, you're ready to start building:

First Conversation - Have your first chat with Amplifier
Key Commands - Learn essential commands
First Bundle - Create your first custom bundle
Core Concepts - Understand Amplifier's architecture

Getting Help¶

If you encounter issues not covered here:

Documentation: amplifier.dev/docs
GitHub Issues: github.com/microsoft/amplifier/issues
Community Discord: discord.gg/amplifier
Email Support: support@amplifier.dev

Updating Amplifier¶

To update to the latest version:

# With uv
uv tool upgrade amplifier

# View changelog
amplifier changelog

Uninstalling¶

If you need to remove Amplifier:

# With uv
uv tool uninstall amplifier

# Remove configuration
rm -rf ~/.amplifier

# Remove workspace (optional)
rm -rf ~/amplifier-workspace

Ready to start? Run amplifier chat and say hello to your AI development assistant!