Claude Switch

A single-binary CLI tool for managing multiple Claude Code accounts. No dependencies. No Go. No Node.js. No Python. Just download and run.

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Why?

If you use Claude Code with multiple accounts (work, personal, client projects), switching between them means manually copying credential files every time. Claude Switch makes it a one-command operation.

Features

• One-command switch — cs use work and you're done
• Profile management — Import, list, remove profiles
• Auto-backup — Credentials are backed up before every switch
• Health check — cs doctor diagnoses your setup
• Cross-platform — Linux, macOS, Windows (amd64 & arm64)
• Zero dependencies — Single binary, no runtime required
• Secure — Credentials stored with 0600 permissions, no telemetry

Installation

One-liner (Linux & macOS)

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/caeser1996/claude-switch/main/scripts/install.sh | bash

Installs claude-switch and a cs shortcut to /usr/local/bin. Use INSTALL_DIR to override:

INSTALL_DIR=~/.local/bin curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/caeser1996/claude-switch/main/scripts/install.sh | bash

Homebrew (macOS & Linux)

brew install caeser1996/tap/claude-switch

Manual download

Download the pre-built binary for your platform from GitHub Releases:

Platform	File
Linux x86-64	claude-switch_X.Y.Z_linux_amd64.tar.gz
Linux ARM64	claude-switch_X.Y.Z_linux_arm64.tar.gz
macOS Intel	claude-switch_X.Y.Z_darwin_amd64.tar.gz
macOS Apple Silicon	claude-switch_X.Y.Z_darwin_arm64.tar.gz
Windows x86-64	claude-switch_X.Y.Z_windows_amd64.zip

tar -xzf claude-switch_*_linux_amd64.tar.gz
sudo mv claude-switch /usr/local/bin/
sudo ln -s /usr/local/bin/claude-switch /usr/local/bin/cs

From source (for contributors)

Requires Go 1.24+.

go install github.com/caeser1996/claude-switch@latest

Or clone and build:

git clone https://github.com/caeser1996/claude-switch.git
cd claude-switch
make build
# Binary is in ./bin/claude-switch

Quick Start

# 1. Log into your work Claude account, then save it
cs import work -d "Work account"

# 2. Log into your personal account, then save it
cs import personal -d "Personal account"

# 3. Switch between them anytime
cs use work        # → Switched to "work"
cs use personal    # → Switched to "personal"

# 4. See all profiles
cs list

Commands

Account Management

Command	Description
cs import <name>	Save current Claude session as a named profile
cs login <name>	Run claude login then auto-import as a profile
cs use <name>	Switch to a profile (auto-detects .claude-profile)
cs switch	Interactive profile selector (TUI)
cs list	List all profiles (* = active)
cs status	Show auth status and token expiry for all profiles
cs remove <name>	Delete a profile
cs current	Show active profile name
cs info <name>	Detailed info about a profile

Execution

Command	Description
cs exec <profile> -- <cmd>	Run command with profile's credentials (no switch)
cs limits	Show usage limits for active profile

Sharing & Encryption

Command	Description
cs export <name>	Export profile as encrypted .csprofile file
cs import-file <file>	Import profile from encrypted file

Shell Integration

Command	Description
cs alias	Generate shell aliases (claude-work, claude-personal, etc.)
cs completion <shell>	Shell completions (bash, zsh, fish, powershell)

Maintenance

Command	Description
cs doctor	Run health checks on your installation
cs backup list	Show available backups
cs backup restore <ts>	Restore from a backup
cs config show/edit/path	View or edit configuration
cs update	Self-update to the latest release
cs version	Show version info

Flags

Flag	Description
--verbose, -v	Verbose output
--no-color	Disable colored output

How It Works

Claude Switch stores copies of your Claude Code credential files in isolated profile directories:

~/.claude-switch/
├── config.json              # Which profile is active
├── profiles/
│   ├── work/
│   │   └── .credentials.json
│   └── personal/
│       └── .credentials.json
└── backups/
    └── 20260219-143022/     # Auto-backup before each switch
        └── .credentials.json

When you run cs use work:

1. Current credentials are backed up
2. Work profile credentials are copied to ~/.claude/
3. Config is updated to mark "work" as active

That's it. No symlinks, no env vars, no magic.

Per-Project Profiles

Create a .claude-profile file in any project directory:

echo "work" > ~/projects/company-app/.claude-profile

Now when you run cs use (with no argument) inside that directory, it automatically switches to the work profile. The file is searched up the directory tree, so it works in subdirectories too.

Encrypted Profile Sharing

Share profiles securely between machines or team members:

# Export (encrypts with AES-256-GCM)
cs export work -o work.csprofile
# Enter passphrase: ********

# Import on another machine
cs import-file work.csprofile
# Enter passphrase: ********

Shell Aliases

Generate convenience aliases for your shell:

cs alias >> ~/.bashrc    # or ~/.zshrc
source ~/.bashrc

# Now you can use:
claude-work              # switch to work + launch claude
claude-personal          # switch to personal + launch claude
cs-work                  # just switch to work

Configuration

The config file lives at ~/.claude-switch/config.json:

{
  "active_profile": "work",
  "profiles": {
    "work": {
      "name": "work",
      "email": "you@company.com",
      "description": "Work account",
      "created_at": "2026-02-19T14:30:00Z",
      "is_active": true
    }
  },
  "settings": {
    "auto_backup": true,
    "max_backups": 10,
    "color_output": true
  }
}

Security

• All credential files are stored with 0600 permissions (owner read/write only)
• Profile directories use 0700 permissions
• No credentials are printed or logged (even in verbose mode)
• Backups are auto-pruned (default: keep 10 most recent)
• Encrypted exports — AES-256-GCM encryption for shared profiles
• Token expiry detection — Warns when tokens are expired or expiring soon
• No telemetry, no phone-home, fully open source

Development

# Run tests
make test

# Run linter
make lint

# Build for current platform
make build

# Build for all platforms
make build-all

# Clean build artifacts
make clean

Roadmap

• cs exec <profile> -- claude "prompt" — Isolated parallel execution
• cs limits — Usage/rate limit display
• cs completion bash/zsh/fish — Shell completions
• cs backup list/restore — Backup management
• cs update — Self-update from GitHub releases
• cs login <name> — Login and auto-import
• cs export / import-file — Encrypted profile sharing (AES-256-GCM)
• cs status — Token expiry and auth health
• cs switch — Interactive TUI profile selector
• cs alias — Shell alias generation
• .claude-profile — Per-project auto-switch
• Token refresh detection and warnings
• Git hook integration (auto-switch based on repo)
• Profile encryption at rest

License

MIT License. See LICENSE for details.

Author

Sumanta Mukhopadhyay — GitHub