Amp Adds macOS Satellites for Building iOS and Mac Apps
Amp can now boot a cloud Mac during a thread to build, test and run iOS and macOS apps. The feature, macOS Satellites, is in beta and billed hourly. For developers working on Apple platforms, it changes how an agent verifies its own changes.
Key points
- Amp starts a macOS Satellite automatically when a task needs macOS; code is edited on the orb while builds and tests run on the Mac.
- A new Mac is ready in about 30 seconds, with Xcode and the simulators already installed.
- Pricing: mac.medium at $2 per hour (6 CPUs, 14 GB) and mac.large at $4 per hour (12 CPUs, 28 GB).
- Every Mac starts fresh and stays alive for 20 minutes after the work ends; archive the thread or ask Amp to stop the Mac to delete it sooner.
- The feature is in beta; join the waitlist under Settings > Experimental Features.
Amp can now work on Apple platforms itself. Its thread still runs on a Linux machine called an orb, but when a task needs Xcode or the simulators, Amp boots a fresh cloud Mac in about 30 seconds, syncs code from the orb, and builds, tests and runs the app there. Screenshots and logs return to the thread, and you can watch the Mac's screen or take control of it.
The feature, macOS Satellites, is in beta behind a waitlist in Settings under Experimental Features. Mac time draws from your plan's orb usage at a higher rate: mac.medium at $2 per hour and mac.large at $4 per hour, with credits covering the overflow. Each Mac starts clean and is kept for 20 minutes after Amp finishes, so follow-ups reuse its build cache.
Real-world use
- Building an iOS or iPadOS app in the simulator and checking a layout change with screenshots
- Running a Mac app's build and test loop while its backend stays on the orb
- Recording an agent's UI changes on a Mac so a reviewer can see what was checked
Why it matters
Developers building for Apple platforms can hand build, run and simulator checks to Amp without keeping their own Mac busy. Because Mac time is billed hourly on top of orb usage, it's worth watching how long a thread keeps a Mac running.