Overview
Amp is a coding agent developed by Sourcegraph that runs as an editor extension (e.g., VS Code, Cursor) and as a command-line tool. It combines high-capacity language models with a tool/plugin ecosystem to perform complex tasks, make code edits, and enable shared sessions for collaborative work. Amp is designed for large codebases and team workflows where context, reproducibility, and automation matter.
Key Features
- Multi-platform: editor extensions and CLI with integrations for popular IDEs.
- Large-context reasoning: supports extended context windows for multi-step workflows and code review.
- Collaboration: shareable threads and workspace features for team knowledge sharing.
- Extensible tooling: support for MCP servers and local toolboxes to expose custom capabilities.
- Free mode: ad-supported usage in the CLI.
Use Cases
- Code generation and refactoring: automated edits, multi-file refactors, and suggestions.
- Developer productivity: inline suggestions (Amp Tab), quick fixes, and code navigation aids.
- Automation and CI: non-interactive CLI mode for scripting and CI pipelines.
- Team collaboration: sharing threads and workspace-based collaboration for reproducible debugging.
Technical Characteristics
- Model integrations: uses high-capacity models (e.g., Claude Sonnet series) and can integrate additional model providers.
- Tooling via MCP: Model Context Protocol support for integrating external tools and services.
- Security & permissions: configurable permission rules and sandboxing for safe tool invocation.
- Programmatic outputs: streaming JSON and other machine-friendly outputs for automation.
