Operator Insights

Failures, incidents and rollbacks1

1. 

   Johann RehbergerSecurity researcherEmbrace The Red

   Security research on Amp, July to August 2025.

   Its own announcement, published Aug 5, 2025Read the write-up (opens the announcement in a new tab)

   Observation

   A security researcher found Amp could write outside the project and run attacker code; Sourcegraph fixed it.

   Takeaway

   Restrict what the agent may write outside the repository, and track the vendor's security fixes.

   What happened

   Rehberger found in early July 2025 that Amp could write files outside the project folder without approval, so a prompt injection could allowlist bash commands or add a malicious MCP server and run arbitrary code. He reported the incident to Sourcegraph, which fixed it promptly (Aug 5, 2025).

   “Interestingly, when researching I noticed that Amp can write files outside the project folder without developer approval.”

   • Public practitioner write-up
   • Disclosed and fixed vulnerability

   Deployment details

   Security research on Amp, July to August 2025.

   • Public practitioner write-up
   • Disclosed and fixed vulnerability

   Team

   One researcher

   Duration

   Early July 2025

   Workload

   Security testing

   Product version

   Amp

Left it or turned it down1

1. 

   Jo Kristian BergumCEOHornet

   Hornet's engineering team, March 2026.

   X, published Mar 25, 2026Read the write-up (opens X in a new tab)

   Observation

   Hornet migrated off Amp to Codex and Claude Code after Amp declared coding agents dead.

   Takeaway

   A vendor's public change of direction is a churn trigger; ask for the roadmap in writing before a team commits.

   What happened

   Bergum wrote on X on Mar 25, 2026 that after Amp announced that coding agents were dead without a clear path forward, his team migrated off Amp to tools closer to the models, Codex and Claude Code.

   “…so we migrated off Amp to primitives closer to the models (codex and claude code)…”

   • Public practitioner write-up (posts on X)
   • Self-reported

   Deployment details

   Hornet's engineering team, March 2026.

   • Public practitioner write-up (posts on X)
   • Self-reported

   Team

   Hornet engineering

   Workload

   Retrieval engine for agents

   Product version

   Amp, then Codex and Claude Code

Run it beside another tool2

1. 

   Michael ReddingPrincipal Product ManagerIndeed

   Engineering organization of about 2,000 engineers, mid-2026.

   DX Engineering Enablement podcast, published Jun 29, 2026Listen to the episode (opens DX Engineering Enablement podcast in a new tab)

   Observation

   Indeed runs Amp beside Claude Code, Cursor and Windsurf, and engineers use several at once.

   Takeaway

   In a mixed portfolio, Amp has to win engineers one task at a time; measure its share beside the others.

   What happened

   After retiring Copilot and Cody, Indeed's agentic portfolio by mid-2026 was mostly Claude Code, with a little Cursor, some Windsurf and, at the bottom, Amp. Its usage shares add to more than 100% because developers use several tools at the same time.

   “And if you’re interested, our breakdown rate, we’re mostly Claude Code, a little bit Cursor, some Windsurf, and then down at the bottom, Amp. If you actually add up these percentages, it’s definitely more than 100%. So we also see that our devs are using multiple tools at the same time.”

   • Podcast episode (DX Engineering Enablement, published on YouTube Jun 29, 2026)
   • Organization metrics reported

   Deployment details

   Engineering organization of about 2,000 engineers, mid-2026.

   • Podcast episode (DX Engineering Enablement, published on YouTube Jun 29, 2026)
   • Organization metrics reported

   Team

   Indeed engineering, about 2,000 engineers

   Workload

   Product development

   Product version

   Amp beside Claude Code, Cursor and Windsurf

   Measurement

   Share of use by tool

1. ChangelogSep 17, 2025ChangelogChangelog's co-founder runs Amp and Claude Code side by side, with one reviewing the other.

   

   Adam StacoviakCo-founder and podcast hostChangelog

   His own long-running project, September 2025.

   Its own announcement, published Sep 17, 2025Listen to the episode (opens the announcement in a new tab)

   Observation

   Changelog's co-founder runs Amp and Claude Code side by side, with one reviewing the other.

   Takeaway

   Amp's cost per task decides how much of the work it keeps when a cheaper agent runs beside it.

   What happened

   Stacoviak defined a product-manager role that reviews the output of other agents, and ran Amp beside Claude Code on the same work, using Claude Code partly because it costs him less.

   “...in this case one of them was Amp and the other one was Claude Code, because that one's cheaper for me. You're really expensive, by the way.”

   • Podcast episode
   • Self-reported

   Deployment details

   His own long-running project, September 2025.

   • Podcast episode
   • Self-reported

   Team

   One founder

   Workload

   Long-running personal project

   Product version

   Amp beside Claude Code

Adopted it2

1. WestpacAug 7, 2026WestpacWestpac is pairing its engineering teams with Amp Labs engineers to change how the bank builds software.

   

   Andrew McMullanChief Data, Digital and AI OfficerWestpac

   Australian bank. Strategic partnership with Amp Frontier Corporation. Amp Labs engineers working alongside Westpac teams.

   Its own announcement, published Aug 7, 2026Read the release (opens the announcement in a new tab)

   Observation

   Westpac is pairing its engineering teams with Amp Labs engineers to change how the bank builds software.

   Takeaway

   Pair an agent program with a skills program, and state the delivery goal before the work starts.

   What happened

   Westpac announced its Amp Frontier Corporation partnership on August 7, 2026. Amp is setting up Amp Labs in Australia as a special purpose company with AI engineers working alongside Westpac teams on major programs. The goal is to cut digital delivery from months to weeks. McMullan describes an investment in skills and capability. The release reports no results yet.

   “In support of this, Amp will establish Amp Labs in Australia, a special purpose company with dedicated AI engineers that will work alongside Westpac teams as the bank continues its transformation.”

   • Public organization write-up: Westpac media release
   • Delivery goal stated, no results reported

   Deployment details

   Australian bank. Strategic partnership with Amp Frontier Corporation. Amp Labs engineers working alongside Westpac teams.

   • Public organization write-up: Westpac media release
   • Delivery goal stated, no results reported

   Team

   Westpac engineering teams working with Amp Labs engineers

   Workload

   Major technology programs and digital experiences

2. Mitchell HashimotoOct 11, 2025mitchellh.comMitchell Hashimoto shipped a Ghostty feature with Amp, planning each step with the Oracle and publishing every session.

   

   Mitchell HashimotoCreatorGhostty

   Open-source terminal emulator. macOS update notifications on the Sparkle framework. Every session published in full.

   mitchellh.com, published Oct 11, 2025Read the write-up (opens mitchellh.com in a new tab)

   Observation

   Mitchell Hashimoto shipped a Ghostty feature with Amp, planning each step with the Oracle and publishing every session.

   Takeaway

   Plan before prompting and review the plan before code. Schedule cleanup sessions to keep agent output maintainable.

   What happened

   Hashimoto planned the feature and prototyped the UI before starting agent work. For vague tasks, they asked Amp to plan before coding and consulted the Oracle on all plans. Between sessions, Hashimoto edited by hand and used cleanup sessions to restructure the output. The work took 16 sessions and US$15.98 in tokens, over about 8 hours across 3 days. Hashimoto believes the feature shipped faster than it would have without Amp.

   “The work took a total of 16 separate sessions totalling $15.98 in token spend on Amp…”

   • Public practitioner write-up: the author's blog, with every session linked
   • Cost and time reported by the author

   Deployment details

   Open-source terminal emulator. macOS update notifications on the Sparkle framework. Every session published in full.

   • Public practitioner write-up: the author's blog, with every session linked
   • Cost and time reported by the author

   Team

   Mitchell Hashimoto, working on Ghostty

   Duration

   About 8 hours over 3 days

   Workload

   Unobtrusive update notifications in Ghostty for macOS

   Product version

   Amp with the Oracle, October 2025

   Measurement

   16 sessions and US$15.98 in token spend

Reported by others1

1. G-J van RooyenOct 28, 2025G-J's SubstackOctoco's co-founders introduced Amp to senior staff with a written method that ties thread length to cost.

   

   G-J van RooyenCo-founderOctoco

   Software company. Senior engineering staff. Guide first written as an internal Slack post.

   G-J's Substack, published Oct 28, 2025Read the guide (opens G-J's Substack in a new tab)

   Observation

   Octoco's co-founders introduced Amp to senior staff with a written method that ties thread length to cost.

   Takeaway

   Give engineers a written starting method with the tool, including how thread length drives cost.

   What happened

   Van Rooyen and their co-founder encourage Octoco's senior staff to try Amp and published the internal guide. It recommends large tasks with clear outcomes and Oracle reviews or phased refactoring plans. Each phase gets a new thread, with 4 to 10 messages per thread. Repository instructions go in AGENTS.md because long threads cost more and produce worse results.

   “The paid version of Amp is extremely powerful, but can get expensive if you hold it wrong.”

   • Public practitioner write-up (co-founder's account)
   • Team practice described, no metrics
   • Main model stated

   Deployment details

   Software company. Senior engineering staff. Guide first written as an internal Slack post.

   • Public practitioner write-up (co-founder's account)
   • Team practice described, no metrics
   • Main model stated

   Team

   Octoco senior staff

   Workload

   Agentic coding tasks, code review, and phased refactoring

   Product version

   Amp with handoff and the Oracle, October 2025

   Model

   Claude Sonnet 4.5 as the main agent