amplihack Expert Knowledge
What is amplihack?
Engineering system for coding CLIs (Claude, Copilot, Amplifier): 5 mechanisms, 23-step workflow, 30+ agents, 80+ skills. Core entry point: /dev <task> — unified task orchestrator with auto-classification, parallel workstream detection, and goal-seeking execution loop.
Quick Reference
Top Commands
| Command | Purpose | Use When |
|---|---|---|
| /dev | Orchestrate | Any non-trivial task |
| /analyze | Review | Check compliance |
| /fix | Fix errors | Common error patterns |
| /amplihack:ddd:* | Doc-driven dev | 10+ file features |
| /multitask | Parallel tasks | Sprint/batch work |
Top Agents
| Agent | Role |
|---|---|
| architect | Design |
| builder | Code |
| reviewer | Quality |
| tester | Tests |
Workflows
| Name | Steps |
|---|---|
| DEFAULT_WORKFLOW | 23 |
| INVESTIGATION | 6 |
| FIX | 3 |
Navigation Guide
Quick: SKILL.md | Architecture: reference.md | How-To: examples.md | Deep: all
Core Concepts
5 Mechanisms: Workflow (process), Command (entry), Skill (auto), Agent (delegate), Hook (runtime)
Composition: Commands → Workflows → Agents → Skills
Execution: /dev orchestrates — classifies task, detects parallel workstreams, executes via smart-orchestrator recipe, goal-seeking loop (3 rounds max)
Entry point: /dev <task> → dev-orchestrator skill → smart-orchestrator recipe → default-workflow recipe
dev-orchestrator Architecture
Entry point: /dev <task> or any non-trivial prompt
Routing:
- Q&A →
amplihack:core:analyzerresponds directly - Operations → bash (simple) or
amplihack:core:builder(complex) - Development/Investigation → smart-orchestrator recipe (full orchestration)
Execution flow:
- Classify task (architect agent → JSON decomposition)
- Detect workstreams (1 = single session, 2-5 = parallel via multitask)
- Register session in tree (depth/capacity enforcement)
- Execute rounds (up to 3, goal-seeking reflection loop)
- Summarize results with PR links and GOAL_STATUS
Session tree: Prevents infinite recursion
AMPLIHACK_MAX_DEPTH=3(default) — increase to 5 for deep orchestrationAMPLIHACK_MAX_SESSIONS=10(default) — max concurrent sessions per tree
Status signals:
GOAL_STATUS: ACHIEVED— all criteria metGOAL_STATUS: PARTIAL -- [gaps]— another round will runGOAL_STATUS: NOT_ACHIEVED -- [reason]— final failure status
Related Docs
- reference.md: Architecture (5 mechanisms, 5 layers, hooks)
- examples.md: Scenarios (5+ real examples)
- @~/.amplihack/.claude/context/PHILOSOPHY.md: Core principles
- @~/.amplihack/.claude/workflow/DEFAULT_WORKFLOW.md: 23 steps
- @~/.amplihack/.claude/agents/amplihack/: All agents
- @~/.amplihack/.claude/commands/amplihack/: All commands
- @~/.amplihack/.claude/tools/amplihack/hooks/: Hook system
- amplifier-bundle/recipes/smart-orchestrator.yaml: Core orchestration recipe
- amplifier-bundle/tools/session_tree.py: Recursion guard (depth limits)
- amplifier-bundle/tools/orch_helper.py: JSON extraction helper