Multi-account support with automatic rate-limit failover

[skacaniku]

Problem

Users with multiple Claude subscriptions (e.g., personal + company/team) must manually run /login and re-authorize through the browser every time they want to switch accounts. This is particularly painful when hitting rate limits — the workflow becomes:

1. Hit rate limit on account A
2. /login → browser opens → authorize with account B → wait for redirect
3. Continue working on account B
4. Hit rate limit on account B
5. /login → browser opens → authorize with account A (rate limit may have reset by now)
6. Repeat

This cycle happens multiple times per day for heavy users and breaks flow significantly.

Current behavior

• Claude Code stores a single active authentication token (macOS Keychain)
• Switching accounts requires /login → browser auth flow each time
• No way to store multiple credentials or create "profiles"
• No awareness of rate limit status across accounts

Proposed solution

Multi-account profiles with optional automatic failover:

1. Named profiles: Allow storing multiple authenticated accounts simultaneously

   claude /login --profile personal
   claude /login --profile work
   claude --profile work   # start session with specific account
   

2. Quick switch (no re-auth): Switch between already-authenticated profiles within the same session

   /switch personal
   /switch work
   

3. Automatic rate-limit failover (opt-in): When one account hits its rate limit, automatically switch to the next available profile and continue the session seamlessly — preserving conversation context in the same terminal tab.

   // ~/.claude/settings.json
   {
     "profiles": {
       "personal": { "priority": 1 },
       "work": { "priority": 2, "fallback": true }
     },
     "autoFailover": true
   }

Why this matters

• Power users with multiple subscriptions are paying for capacity they can't fully use
• The manual switching friction (~30-60 seconds each time) compounds across a workday
• Context is lost or disrupted every time you have to stop and re-auth
• This is a same-tab, same-session need — workarounds like separate terminals or $HOME hacks don't preserve conversation continuity

Environment

• macOS (Darwin), Claude Code CLI
• Two active Claude Pro/Team subscriptions on different accounts

🤖 Generated with Claude Code

[github-actions]

Found 3 possible duplicate issues:

1. Feature Request: Multi-Account Profile Support #20131
2. [FEATURE] Support for multiple accounts / profiles #24963
3. [FEATURE] Add the ability to manage multiple Claude accounts within the Claude Desktop app with easy switching between profiles. #18435

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🤖 Generated with Claude Code

[github-actions]

This issue has been automatically closed as a duplicate of #20131.

If this is incorrect, please re-open this issue or create a new one.

🤖 Generated with Claude Code

[github-actions]

This issue has been automatically locked since it was closed and has not had any activity for 7 days. If you're experiencing a similar issue, please file a new issue and reference this one if it's relevant.