Amp runs each thread on an orb, a machine of its own. Connect BoxCompute as your orb provider and each Amp thread gets its own BoxCompute computer, a Linux VM billed to your BoxCompute credit. BoxCompute runs the provider for you, so nothing is installed or kept running on your machine. This requires early access.
Connect Amp
- In Amp, open Settings → Orbs → Add Orb Provider, name it (for example
BoxCompute) and copy theaop_live_…token. Amp shows it only once. - In BoxCompute, open Menu → Settings → Amp, paste the token and choose Connect. It shows Connected within a few seconds; if Amp refuses the token, Settings says so and you can paste a new one.
- In Amp, start a new thread and choose Orb → Self-Hosted → the provider you named.
What happens to the computer
- A new thread creates a Large computer (1.5 vCPU, 3 GiB of memory) named after the thread, in your first workspace. It appears under Computers. Starting a stopped one takes about 40 seconds.
- An idle thread is paused by Amp. Its computer stops and keeps its files; the next message starts it again.
- A thread you delete in Amp deletes its computer.
- At your account’s computer limit, BoxCompute deletes the computer of your least recently used paused Amp thread to make room. Amp sets that thread up again the next time it runs. Your other computers are never touched.
Billing
The computer’s running time is charged to your BoxCompute credit at the Large rate, like any other computer. Amp’s own usage is billed by Amp. If your credit runs out, the computer stops; add credit and send the thread a message to start it again.
Disconnect
In Settings → Amp, choose Disconnect. New Amp threads can no longer use BoxCompute. Computers that existing threads created stay until you delete them.
Security
- Your provider token is stored encrypted and is used only to run Amp’s provider for your account. Settings shows only its last four characters.
- The short-lived token Amp issues for each thread is written to its computer as a file and kept where only root can read it, never in a command line.
- Amp runs inside the computer as
user, with sudo, and with the computer’s internet access. Treat it like any computer you give an agent.