Amp 2026-09-26: Free Agent and Shareable Runners#
Part of the Amp Version Tracker series. | ampcode.com | News
Build 0.0.1790452833 closes a 53-day gap since the last tracked release 0.0.1785875347, and the theme is where your agent runs. Amp added runners that execute threads on a machine you own, made the product free when you bring your own compute and model access, and shipped Fable 5.1 to power a new "ultra" mode.
Runners: Threads on Hardware You Control#
The clearest thread through September is the runner, a process on your own machine that Amp drives to execute threads. Four changelog entries built it out, the last being shared runners on September 24.[1]
| Change | What It Does |
|---|---|
| One runner, many targets | A single runner serves multiple directories, Git repositories, or specific projects, so you point one process at everything you work on instead of starting one per repo (Sep 17).[1] |
| Worktrees from the composer | A runner creates Git worktrees, directories, and projects straight from the thread composer, with access to your secrets, so a new thread can spin up its own isolated checkout (Sep 22).[1] |
| The Mac app is a runner | The macOS app starts a runner automatically and takes a folder to run background threads against, with no separate CLI step (Sep 24).[1] |
--share runners | A runner launched with --share becomes reachable by every workspace member through ampcode.com, so a teammate can drive a thread against your machine's checkout (Sep 24).[1] |
Free When You Bring Your Own Compute#
On September 13, Amp changed its pricing: the product is free when you supply your own compute and your own model subscriptions or API keys.[1] Free pricing requires your own compute, and a runner is what puts the running on your machine. The model half was already in place through the Dial, which can link a ChatGPT subscription to drive its run modes, added back on August 10.[1]
Fable 5.1 and the Dial#
Amp keeps model choice on the Dial rather than a raw picker. You turn it to low, medium, or high, and September 1 added an "ultra" notch powered by Fable 5.1.[1] The September 10 "Customize Your Dial" update lets you bind a specific model, or a custom agent, to each notch, so the tiering is configurable without becoming a per-request dropdown.[1]
Two workflow changes landed alongside the models. "Steer, Don't Queue" (September 8) routes a new message to a running agent immediately instead of queuing it for the next turn, so you can redirect work mid-run.[1] And a project can now span multiple repositories in one thread (August 27), with commit authoring picking from verified names and emails rather than a mailmap file (August 28).[1]
What This Tells Us#
The two most recent tracked builds sit on opposite sides of one question: where does the agent run. The August release built out orbs, hosted sandboxes that clone your repo with their own credentials. This one adds runners that do the reverse, executing threads on a machine you own, from the Mac app or the CLI, against your own worktrees and secrets. Both surfaces now ship, and Free Agent makes the local path cost nothing beyond the model access and hardware you already pay for.
Amp's free bring-your-own-compute tier lets you run the loop on your own machine and keys, and the Dial can link a ChatGPT subscription or pin a model per mode, while orbs stay available for work you want off your laptop.
Model choice is set through the Dial's notches rather than a per-request picker. You set the Dial and let it route, with Fable 5.1 behind the top notch. Shareable runners extend that to a team: one --share flag turns a personal checkout into a workspace resource.
Sources#
- Amp News: entries dated August 10, August 27, August 28, September 1, September 8, September 10, September 13, September 17, September 22, and September 24, 2026.