Guide

claude-account runs several Claude Code accounts on one machine and lets each folder decide which one claude uses.

~/work                -> work       (your work account)
~/work/side-project   -> personal   (an override for one folder)
~/personal            -> personal
~/other               -> asks once, then remembers

No more /logout and /login to switch: every account stays logged in, side by side, and claude picks the right one from where you run it.

Unix-like systems only (macOS, Linux; Windows through WSL). Tested on macOS.

Docs: https://switcher.diananerd.com

Install

curl -fsSL https://switcher.diananerd.com | sh

It downloads the binary for your machine from GitHub Releases and checks its SHA-256, then shows what it will change (the binary in ~/.local/bin, a marked block in your shell rc file) and asks: 1) Proceed, 2) Customize, 3) Cancel. It ends with the next steps, and on a fresh install offers to run claude-account setup right away.

No terminal, CI set, or sh -s -- -y: it installs with the defaults without asking. Options: sh -s -- --help.

It first shows what it found (system, Claude Code, any installed copy, shell, PATH) and checks every dependency at once. Nothing changes until the download is verified and runs; every error says what to do and whether anything changed. Running it again is always safe: it upgrades, reinstalls, or finishes an interrupted install, and leaves the same files every time.

Update: claude-account self-update (or run the install command again). It shows upgrade 0.1.0 -> 0.1.1 before changing anything and keeps your profiles and mappings. When a newer release exists, commands you run in a terminal end with a notice (info for a patch, warning for a minor, danger for a major release); claude-account doctor reports it too. Only stable releases are offered; a specific one: self-update --version v0.1.0 (older ones are shown as a downgrade). CLAUDE_ACCOUNT_NO_UPDATE_CHECK=1 turns the check off.

Other ways: build it with Rust 1.88 or newer, then run claude-account shell install and claude-account setup:

cargo install --locked --tag vX.Y.Z \
  --git https://github.com/diananerd/claude-account-switcher

How it works

Claude Code keeps its login and settings in a config dir, ~/.claude by default, and honours CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR to use another one. The login is tied to that dir, so each dir is an independent account.

• A profile is a name for a config dir: its own login, or another name for an existing profile's login (--same-as).
• Your current login in ~/.claude becomes a profile as it is; nothing is moved.
• New profiles live in ~/.local/share/claude-account/profiles/<name> and share your settings, skills, agents, hooks, plugins, memory and history with ~/.claude through symlinks. Only the login and account identity are separate.
• The shell integration defines a claude function that resolves the profile for the current directory and runs the real claude with it.

Daily use

Run claude as always. In a directory with no profile yet, it asks once:

? Claude Code account for ~/other/new-idea
❯ personal  you@example.com
  work      you@company.com

Enter takes the default; type to filter. The choice is remembered for the project (the repository root, so subfolders and worktrees follow).

Need another account? Pick + New profile there (or run claude-account login <new-name>): it creates the profile, opens the browser to log in, and continues with it. claude auth login, or /login inside a session, also logs in whichever profile the folder uses.

To change a project later, run claude-account in it and pick another profile. A running session keeps its account; exit and run claude --continue to resume the conversation under the new one.

Which profile applies

The nearest mapped ancestor wins, so a folder inherits its parent's profile and can override it:

claude-account use work ~/work                    # everything under ~/work
claude-account use personal ~/work/side-project   # except this folder

It resolves the same way through symlinks, in any letter case on case-insensitive disks, and from git worktrees that live outside their repository.

A .claude-account file containing a profile name pins a folder too, and can be committed (claude-account use <profile> --local). The machine mapping wins over a file at the same folder.

Commands

claude-account	switch this project's profile (interactive)
claude-account setup	guided first-time setup
claude-account status	which profile applies here, and why
claude-account use <profile> [dir]	map a project or folder
claude-account forget [dir]	remove a mapping
claude-account list	profiles and logins
claude-account new <name>	create a profile
claude-account login <profile>	log in (opens the browser; --sso for SSO); creates the profile if new
claude-account run <profile> [args]	run claude with a profile once
claude-account doctor	check everything (--fix repairs)
claude-account self-update	update to the latest stable release

Every command and flow works both ways:

• Interactive (in a terminal): it asks only for what you did not pass, with the likely answer preselected. Destructive questions default to no.
• Headless (scripts, CI, --no-input): it never asks. Pass everything as arguments, -y to accept confirmations, --json for machine-readable output. A missing answer is a usage error (exit 2) that names the flag to pass.

Full reference: docs/reference.md.

Status line

Show the active profile in Claude Code's status line by adding this to your status line script:

profile=$(echo "$input" | claude-account statusline)   # "work" or "work (here: personal)"

Claude Code plugin

Optional. Lets Claude show or switch the project's profile (/claude-account:switch) and tells Claude when a session runs under a different profile than its folder.

/plugin marketplace add diananerd/claude-account-switcher
/plugin install claude-account@claude-account-switcher

Update it with /plugin marketplace update claude-account-switcher, then /plugin update claude-account@claude-account-switcher; remove it with /plugin uninstall claude-account@claude-account-switcher. It needs the CLI; without it the skill says how to install it and the hook does nothing.

Uninstall

claude-account uninstall            # shell integration and binary; keeps profiles
claude-account uninstall --purge    # also logs out and deletes the profiles it created

Both show what they will remove and ask first (default no); add -y to skip the question. Or through the installer:

curl -fsSL https://switcher.diananerd.com | sh -s -- --uninstall [--purge]

~/.claude is never touched.

Limitations

• Only launches through your shell are routed. The desktop app and IDE extensions use ~/.claude unless started from a shell that has the integration.
• A session cannot change account while running (relaunch with claude --continue).
• Logging in uses whatever claude.ai account your browser is signed in to; switch there (or use a private window) before claude-account login.

Status

Provided as-is. There is no commitment to regular maintenance and no contribution process: issues and pull requests may go unanswered. For changes or customisation, fork it; AGENTS.md maps the code, and

cargo test                  # unit tests
tests/acceptance.sh         # end-to-end, in a throwaway HOME (needs expect, jq, git)

check that a fork still behaves.

License

MIT