How to run multiple Claude Code accounts on one Mac

Stay signed in to a work and a personal Claude Code account at once, and start either one without logging out.

Last checked 23 Oct 2026

The documented way

Anthropic documents this in Claude Code's authentication guide, under Log in with multiple accounts: give each account its own configuration directory, and set the CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR environment variable to that directory when you start claude. In Anthropic's words, each directory has its own settings, session history, and claude.ai login or API key.

Their example is one alias in your shell file, here in zsh, the default shell on macOS:

~/.zshrc

alias claude-work='CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR=~/.claude-work claude'

Open a new terminal and run claude-work. The first time, Claude Code walks you through the login and setup for the new directory; claude keeps your other account in ~/.claude. The login happens in your browser, so sign the browser into the second claude.ai account first.

The two logins stay apart because Claude Code keys its macOS Keychain entry to the configuration directory: a session with a different CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR reads a different entry. The same page names one exception: two Claude Console sign-ins without an API key are not kept apart, because Claude Code stores that kind of sign-in outside the directory.

What the alias leaves to you

No view of every account. Each session shows its own account's usage, in /usage or the status line, and nothing shows all of them side by side.
Remembering which account has room. When one account hits its limit, you work out which alias still has room and type that one.
Settings and sessions start apart. CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR moves all settings, session history and plugins to the new directory, so your settings.json, CLAUDE.md, skills, commands, agents and plugins do not follow, and claude -c on the other account does not find the conversation you were in. You can link what you want to share yourself, before the first run, for example:

$ mkdir -p ~/.claude-work
$ ln -s ~/.claude/settings.json ~/.claude-work/settings.json
$ ln -s ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md ~/.claude-work/CLAUDE.md
$ ln -s ~/.claude/projects ~/.claude-work/projects

With projects linked, the conversations are shared, and claude -c on the other account continues the most recent conversation in the current directory. Every further tool, Codex CLI with CODEX_HOME for example, takes its own aliases and links.

What Altseat adds

Altseat is a macOS menu bar app built on the same mechanism: one directory per account, signed in with Claude Code's own login. It adds the bookkeeping the alias leaves to you.

One alias per account, and Altseat
	One alias per account	Altseat
Setting up	An alias per account and per tool, in your shell file	Each account added once, in the Accounts window or with `altseat add`
Usage	Each tool's own usage view, one account at a time	Session and week for every Claude Code and Codex account, in the menu bar
At a limit	Remember which account has room, then type its alias	In Claude Code, the agent writes a short handoff near the limit and the same conversation continues on the next account with room, in the same terminal. Otherwise type `claude` or `codex` as always: the next account with room starts, and the terminal says which
Settings and sessions	Each new directory starts empty; link what you share by hand	Linked to the tool's default directory, so `claude -c` continues on the next account

For Claude Code it also hands over near a limit: when the active account reaches 95 % of its session or weekly window and another one you added has room, the agent writes a short handoff, the session ends after its current step, and the same conversation continues on the next account with room, in the same terminal, with one line from altseat saying so. It runs between two Claude Code processes, never under a running one, and one switch in the Accounts window turns it off.

Altseat never changes the login of a running process, runs no proxy, and never copies or refreshes a login. The Claude Code page has the details and the limits of this version.

Set up Altseat

Download Altseat (free for 2 accounts; a Mac with Apple Silicon and macOS 14 or later), drag it to Applications and open it.
Choose Set up, then open a new terminal window. Set up adds the claude, codex and kimi shell functions to ~/.zshrc and Altseat to Claude Code's status line. An alias of your own keeps working beside them: with CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR already set, the claude function runs Claude Code untouched.
Add the second account, then sign it in once:
```
$ altseat add work
$ CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR=~/.claude-work claude
```
Altseat sets up a new, empty directory for each account and links the shared settings into it. A directory that already holds its own settings or sessions, such as one your alias made, is refused, so give the account a new name and sign in there once.
Type claude. It starts the active account, or the next one in your order with room when the active one is at its limit, and says which.

Whose accounts

Use accounts that are yours, or that you are authorised to use, such as a work account your employer gave you. Anthropic's Consumer Terms say you may not share your account login or make your account available to anyone else, and its Usage Policy applies to every account. Each account keeps its own limits. Whether more than one subscription suits your situation is between you and Anthropic.

Let the menu bar keep count.

Add your accounts once, see each one's session and week, and keep typing claude. Free for 2 accounts.

Download for macOS See pricing

macOS 14 or later, Apple Silicon, zsh.