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How I Use Amp: From Clean Repo to First Win in 15 Minutes
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TL;DR:

📖 Quick Start

The Goal: One Small Win, End-to-End

Don’t aim for perfection. Aim for:

Pick something you can verify in 30 seconds.

Setup: 5 Minutes

Install Amp:

  1. Visit ampcode.com/install and sign in
  2. Install CLI: npm install -g @sourcegraph/amp (or curl/pnpm/yarn)
  3. Install VS Code extension: search “Amp” in extensions

Learn two shortcuts:

Pro tip: Keep the sidebar open. You’ll live there.

⚠️ Common Issues

“Tests not found”: Prompt: “Find all test files in this project and show me how to run them”

“Build command unknown”: Check package.json scripts or AGENTS.md

“Agent changed wrong files”: Be specific: “Only modify @tests/user-auth.test.ts”

“Environment variables missing”: Prompt: “Check .env.example for required vars and create .env”

Pick Your Target

Choose a track based on what’s easiest to verify in your project:

Track 1: Tests (Most Reliable)

Best for projects with test suites. Clear pass/fail feedback.

Good first tasks:

Verification:

npm test              # or: pnpm test, yarn test
npm test -- path/to/test.spec.ts

Track 2: UI Changes (Most Visual)

Best when you don’t have tests but have UI components.

Good first tasks:

Verification:

npm run dev           # or: pnpm dev, yarn dev
npm run storybook     # or: pnpm storybook, yarn storybook

Then check localhost in browser or let Amp take screenshots.

Track 3: Debug & Cleanup (Most Practical)

Best for cleaning up existing code.

Good first tasks:

Verification:

npm run build         # or: pnpm build, yarn build
npm run check         # or: pnpm check, yarn check

Tasks to Avoid (For Now)

🔨 Try It Now: Three Tracks to Your First Win

Pick the track that matches your codebase:

Track 1: Fix with Test Confirmation

Run tests in @tests/, identify one failing test, fix it,
and re-run until it passes. Show me the before/after test output.

Verification: Test goes from red to green

Track 2: UI Change with Screenshot

Add a dark mode toggle to @components/Header.tsx.
Look at localhost:3000, take a screenshot, and verify it renders.

Verification: Screenshot shows working toggle

Track 3: Debug with Temporary Logs

Add temporary console.log statements to trace the auth flow
in @utils/auth.ts. Run the app, capture the logs, then remove
the debug statements and verify build succeeds.

Verification: You understand the flow, logs are gone, build clean

Expected outcome: One verified win in 10-15 minutes.

Build a Feedback Loop

The magic isn’t the AI—it’s the loop:

Agent makes changes
  → You verify (tests/build/screenshot)
    → Agent sees results
      → Agent adjusts
        → Repeat until done

Example loops:

For tests:

npm test -- @tests/failing-test.spec.ts  # or: pnpm test, yarn test

For UI:

npm run storybook  # or: pnpm storybook, yarn storybook
# Then tell Amp to look at localhost:6006

For types:

npm run build  # or: pnpm build, yarn build

Prompt Pattern: Goal → Phases → Confirm Mission

Bad prompt:

Fix the tests

Good prompt:

Run the tests in @tests/, list failures, fix one file at a time, re-run.
Stop after green.

Anatomy of a good prompt:

  1. Goal: “Fix failing tests”
  2. Phases: “List failures, fix one file at a time, re-run”
  3. Success criteria: “Stop after green”

Example: Fixing Failing Tests

Context: You have 3 failing tests in user-auth.test.ts.

Prompt:

Run the tests in @tests/user-auth.test.ts, identify failures,
fix them one at a time, and re-run after each fix.
Stop when all tests pass.

What Amp does:

  1. Runs npm test -- @tests/user-auth.test.ts (uses your package manager)
  2. Sees 3 failures
  3. Fixes first failure
  4. Re-runs tests
  5. Sees 2 failures remaining
  6. Fixes second failure
  7. Re-runs tests
  8. Continues until green

Your job: Review the diffs, stage the good changes.

Diff Review Flow: Your Safety Net

The pattern:

  1. Amp makes changes (files show as modified)
  2. You review in git diff or VS Code
  3. Stage good changes: git add <file> or click ”+” in VS Code
  4. Discard bad changes: git restore <file> or click ”-”
  5. Commit the good stuff: git commit -m "Fix user auth tests"

Why this works:

Verification: What “Done” Means

For tests:

npm test  # or: pnpm test, yarn test
# All green

For builds:

npm run build  # or: pnpm build, yarn build
npm run check  # or: pnpm check, yarn check
# No errors, types pass

For UI:

For features:

npm test  # or: pnpm test, yarn test
# Existing tests still pass, manual verification in browser

Common Snags and Fixes

🔨 Try It Now: Troubleshooting Practice

Task: Use these fix prompts when you hit issues

For “Agent changed unrelated files”:

Discard changes to all files except @[specific-file].
Only modify the files I specified.

For “Agent stuck in retry loop”:

Start a new thread with: "The previous approach failed because [reason].
Try [alternative approach] instead."

For “No clear verification”:

After making changes, run [specific command] and show me the output
to prove it worked.

Expected outcome: Recover from common issues quickly instead of abandoning the task.

Environment & Output Issues

“Environment variables not found”

“Tests are flaky”

“Output is too long”

Scope & Iteration Issues

“Agent changed unrelated files”

“Agent keeps retrying the same fix”

Real Example: Dark Mode Toggle

Goal: Add dark mode toggle to header component.

Prompt:

Add a dark mode toggle to @components/Header.tsx.
Use the existing theme context.
Look at localhost:3000/header in Storybook,
take a screenshot to verify it renders correctly.

What happens:

  1. Amp reads Header.tsx and theme context files
  2. Adds toggle button with moon/sun icons
  3. Connects to theme context
  4. Opens Storybook in browser
  5. Takes screenshot
  6. Shows you the result

Your review:

Time elapsed: 5-7 minutes, including your review.

Takeaways

What works:

What doesn’t:

Try This Next

Level 1 (5-10 min):

Level 2 (10-20 min):

Level 3 (20-30 min):

Next: Agent Workflows That Stick — Make this success repeatable with patterns that avoid context rot.

Practice Path:

  1. What is an Agent
  2. You are here: First Win in 15 Minutes
  3. Workflows That Stick
  4. Power Patterns
  5. Planning Workflow

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