Amazon Q Developer vs AmpComparisonUpdated 2026-03-16
SUMMARY
Amazon Q Developer (CLI) uses markdown configuration while Amp (CLI) uses markdown. They differ on 2 of 11 compared features. Both tools provide AI-assisted development but take different approaches to project configuration.
FEATURE COMPARISON
| Feature | Amazon Q Developer | Amp |
|---|---|---|
| Config format | markdown | markdown |
| Hierarchy support | ✗ | ✓ |
| Global config | ✓ | ✓ |
| Project config | ✓ | ✓ |
| Subdirectory scoping | ✗ | ✓ |
| File inclusion / imports | ✗ | ✗ |
| Ignore file | ✗ | ✗ |
| IDE integration | CLI | CLI |
| Schema / structure | Free-form (Markdown) | Free-form (Markdown) |
| Git committed | ✓ | ✓ |
| Encoding | UTF-8 | UTF-8 |
FILE MAPPING
| Purpose | Amazon Q Developer | Amp |
|---|---|---|
| Project rules | .amazonq/rules/*.md | .agents/checks/*.md |
| Settings / configuration | .amazonq/mcp.json | settings.json |
SIDE-BY-SIDE CODE SAMPLES
Amazon Q Developer
.amazonq/rules/*.md
markdown
# React Component Standards
## Purpose
Ensure consistent React component patterns across the frontend codebase.
## Priority
High
## Instructions
- Use functional components with TypeScript
- Define props interfaces above the component
- Use React.FC only when children are expected
- Colocate styles using CSS Modules (*.module.css)
- Extract hooks into separate files when reused
- Memoize expensive computations with useMemo
- Use React.lazy for route-level code splitting
Amp
AGENTS.md
markdown
# Agent Instructions
## Project Context
Go microservices monorepo using Bazel for builds.
## Build & Test
- Build all: bazel build //...
- Test all: bazel test //...
- Integration tests: docker compose up -d && bazel test //integration/...
- Lint: golangci-lint run ./...
## Code Conventions
- All services follow standard layout in /cmd and /internal
- Use structured logging with slog
- Error wrapping with fmt.Errorf("op: %w", err)
- See @docs/api-style-guide.md for API conventions
## Cross-Repo References
- Shared proto definitions in sourcegraph/proto
- Common Go libraries in sourcegraph/lib
## Security
- Never log sensitive data (tokens, passwords, PII)
- All external inputs must be validated
- Use parameterized queries for database access
KEY DIFFERENCES
Amazon Q Developer: Not supported. Amp: Supported.
Amazon Q Developer: Not supported. Amp: Supported.
WHICH SHOULD I USE?
Choose based on your IDE/CLI preference. If you use Amazon Q Developer, configure .amazonq/rules/*.md. If you use Amp, configure AGENTS.md. Many projects include config files for multiple tools so each team member can use their preferred editor.
PORTABILITY TIP
sync-instructions.sh
bash
# Maintain a single source of truth:
cp AI-INSTRUCTIONS.md CLAUDE.md
cp AI-INSTRUCTIONS.md .cursorrules
cp AI-INSTRUCTIONS.md AGENTS.md
SEE ALSO
Tool pages:
File references:
agentconfig.ing2026-03-16COMPARE(1)