How to use two Claude Code accounts on one computer

Give each account its own configuration folder. Claude Code reads the folder from the CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR environment variable, and each folder holds its own login, settings and history. You can set this up by hand with a shell alias, or let ccam do it.

By hand, with an alias

This is the approach Claude Code's documentation describes. Add a line per extra account to ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc:

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

Open a new terminal and run claude-work. Claude Code asks you to log in, because the folder is new. From then on, claude is your first account and claude-work the second.

This works well for two accounts. Things to know:

• Each folder starts empty: no settings, no CLAUDE.md, no MCP servers, no agents or skills. You copy or link what you need, and keep the copies in step yourself.
• Aliases exist only in interactive shells. Scripts, Makefiles and other programs do not see them.
• MCP servers live in .claude.json, next to the login, so they cannot simply be linked between folders.
• Conversations stay in the account where they started, so you cannot continue one in another account.
• There is nothing that shows the usage of all accounts at once.

With ccam

ccam automates the same idea and adds the missing parts:

curl -fsSL https://ccam.dev/install.sh | sh
ccam add personal
ccam add work --shortcut ccwork

Now ccam personal and ccam work start the two accounts, and so does ccwork, the shortcut you gave the work account. Because they are real programs rather than aliases, they also work in scripts. Settings, CLAUDE.md, MCP servers and extensions are shared from the start, and you can turn on shared conversation history to continue a conversation on the other account with ccam next --continue.

If you already use ~/.claude, run ccam import instead of adding that account again, or ccam migrate to copy its settings, MCP servers and extensions into the shared settings.

Which one to choose

For two accounts and nothing shared, an alias is enough. When you want shared settings and MCP servers, more accounts, usage at a glance or continuing conversations, ccam saves the bookkeeping. The comparison lists the differences side by side.