Manage Multiple Claude Code Accounts.md

Manage Multiple Claude Code Accounts

Run two Claude Code accounts simultaneously on macOS without re-authenticating by using separate configuration directories.

Steps

1. Create Separate Config Directories

   mkdir ~/.claude-account1
   mkdir ~/.claude-account2

2. Add Aliases to Shell Config

   • Open ~/.zshrc (or ~/.bashrc for Bash) in an editor:

     nano ~/.zshrc

   • Add:

     alias claude-account1="CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR=~/.claude-account1 claude"
     alias claude-account2="CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR=~/.claude-account2 claude"

   • Save and reload:

     source ~/.zshrc

3. Authenticate Each Account

   • For account 1:

     claude-account1

     Log in; credentials save to ~/.claude-account1.
   • For account 2:

     claude-account2

     Log in; credentials save to ~/.claude-account2.

4. Switch or Run Simultaneously

   • Run claude-account1 or claude-account2 in separate terminal tabs (Cmd + T).
   • Each uses its own config and usage limits.

Notes

• Requires separate Anthropic accounts (different emails).
• Check Anthropic’s terms to ensure compliance.
• Update Claude Code: npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code.
• If re-authentication occurs, verify CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR with echo $CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR.

I was doing the exact same thing manually — separate config dirs, shell aliases, the whole setup.

Eventually got tired of maintaining it by hand (settings not syncing, plugins missing on the second account, version nag issues, backups cross-contaminating) so I packaged the whole thing into an npm tool:

npmjs.com/package/claude-code-accounts

It automates the dir setup, symlinks your settings/plugins/skills across accounts (so you configure once, works everywhere), handles shell config automatically, and lets you choose what to share vs keep separate.

You get a claude-work command that shares everything except credentials.

Hey

With Opus 4.7 dropping and tokens burning through subscriptions faster than ever, I built a small tool to solve a problem many of us have — multiple Claude subscriptions sitting in separate directories, each with their own isolated settings.

The problem: You have 2-3 Claude accounts (personal, work, client) but each one lives in its own ~/.claude-* directory. Skills, agents, memory, project configs — all duplicated. Add a useful skill to one, the others don't see it.

The fix: https://github.com/Digital-Threads/aimux — think of it as tmux but for Claude subscriptions. One shared brain, multiple billing accounts.

How it works:

• All your memory, skills, agents, commands, settings, and projects stay in one place — shared across every subscription
• Each subscription keeps its own credentials and auth — completely isolated
• Switch between accounts in one command: aimux run w launches work, aimux run o launches personal
• Any flags pass straight through to Claude: aimux run w --resume, aimux run o -m claude-sonnet-4-6
• Set a default model per profile — e.g. keep Opus 4.6 or 4.6[1m] which still runs on the old tokenizer, so you can work without watching your token balance drain in real time

Setup takes about 30 seconds:
npm install -g @digital-threads/aimux
aimux init # auto-detects your existing Claude directories
aimux status # see what you've got
aimux run # pick a profile and go

Works on macOS and Linux. Tested with 3 subscriptions running side by side — same skills, same memory, different billing.

If you're juggling multiple Claude accounts and tired of things being out of sync, give it a shot. Happy to help set it

You can do something similiar with tku:

tku account list
Accounts (claude):
  * default              org: 652311d5  Claude Max (5x)
    business             org: cc4e31d9  team (5x)

* = currently active

Typical workflow for two accounts:

# already logged into account A via Claude Code
tku account add work

# log into account B (Claude Code drives this, not tku)
claude /logout
claude /login

tku account add personal

# from now on:
tku account use work
tku account use personal

All other properties like memory, skills, agents ... are shared between accounts.