Amp 2026-11-15 build: model selector, Boxes, local Portals#
Published by Alex Sorokoletov
Part of the Amp Version Tracker series. | ampcode.com | News
Amp build 0.0.1794744038, a week on from 0.0.1794139239, adds a per-thread model selector in place of the four-mode Dial, introduces Boxes (always-on machines you deploy apps to), and extends Portals so you can open what a build serves on your own runner. These shipped between November 9 and November 12, 2026.[1][2][3]
What shipped this week#
| Change | What You Get |
|---|---|
| Model selector | Pick a model and effort level per thread, switch mid-thread, and see which account pays for each; the four-mode Dial (low, medium, high, ultra) is removed (Nov 12).[1] |
| Boxes | Always-on machines you deploy Amp-built apps to: one VM hosting several apps, each on its own onamp.dev URL, billed by the minute (Nov 10).[2] |
| Portals on your runner | Open a dev server or site a build serves on your own macOS machine from the thread's Portal tab, private by default (Nov 9).[3] |
A model selector in place of the Dial#
Amp had said it would not ship a model selector; this build adds one.[1] You pick a model and its effort level for each thread and can switch in the middle of a thread, and the selector shows whether a subscription, an API key, or Amp credits will be billed for the model you pick.[1] Each model carries its own system prompt and tools, which switch when you change models.[1] After a switch, the new model reads the whole thread uncached, so the first message following a switch costs more.[1]
New threads start on Staff Pick, currently Claude Opus 5.5. Under Settings → Model Selector, "New Threads Start On" offers Staff Pick, your last-used model, or one fixed model.[1] The top of the selector lists Claude Opus 5.5 (Staff Pick), GPT-6 Astra, GLM-5.3-Flash, and GPT-6.1 Sol, with Claude Fable 5.2 under Other Models.[1] Existing threads keep the model they were using, and custom agents built in the Dial now appear under Other Models.[1]
The four Dial modes mapped, with settings unchanged, to these models:
| Old Dial mode | Default model |
|---|---|
| low | GLM-5.3-Flash |
| medium | Claude Opus 5.5 |
| high | GPT-6 Astra |
| ultra | Claude Fable 5.2 |
Boxes#
A box is an always-on computer you deploy personal or internal apps to, with an agent running on it.[2] You develop in orbs, test work in progress through portals, then ask the agent to spawn a box and deploy.[2] One box is a single VM that can host several apps, each on its own onamp.dev URL, and it is permanent: you redeploy to it from any orb, with no containers involved.[2] You can keep a deployment private or require visitors to Sign In With Amp, and you can share a box with your workspace so the whole team deploys new versions.[2] Each box carries its own runner, so you can start agent threads on the box to work on the live app, such as cleaning up a database.[2]
Boxes bill by the minute and run always-on by default; you can schedule on and off hours to cut cost.[2] The sizes and per-hour prices:
| Size | Specs | Per hour |
|---|---|---|
| b1.tiny | 0.5 vCPU (bursts to 2), 2 GB | $0.025 |
| b1.small (default) | 1 vCPU (bursts to 2), 4 GB | $0.042 |
| b1.medium | 2 vCPUs, 8 GB | $0.069 |
| b1.large | 4 vCPUs, 16 GB | $0.139 |
Those prices are the Enterprise plan; Personal and Team boxes cost less, and the details are in the Amp docs at /docs/boxes.[2]
Portals on your runner#
Portals, already available in orbs, now work on your own machines.[3] Ask Amp to start a dev server or build a site on your runner and open it from the thread's Portal tab, wherever you are; the announcement's example is a macOS runner showing a disk-usage overview in a Portal pane.[3] Turn it on with Allow Portals under Settings → Runner in the macOS app, or start the runner with amp --no-tui --remote-control-portals.[3] Portals on your runner are private to you by default. To share them, start a shared runner with --share or turn on Share With Workspace in the macOS app, and everyone in the workspace can open its portals.[3]
The model and the machine both become standing choices#
Switching models mid-thread re-reads the whole thread uncached, so shopping models inside one thread carries a token cost the Dial's effort framing kept out of view.[1] If you change models often, the first message after each switch is the expensive one, which makes "stay on one model per thread" the cheap default.
Boxes and runner portals both make the place your code runs something you own and keep. A box is permanent and billed by the minute, so an idle box keeps billing whether or not you use it, and scheduling its on and off hours is what holds that bill down.[2] Runner portals extend the same open-it-from-anywhere access that orbs already had to the machine on your own desk.[3]
Sources#
- Amp News: "Bye Bye, Dial," November 12, 2026.
- Amp News: "Boxes," November 10, 2026.
- Amp News: "Portals on Your Runner," November 9, 2026.
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