Claude Accounts + Usage

Multi-account Claude Code for Linux / WSL / Remote-SSH: live usage (5h / 7d / Fable), per-window isolation, workspace → account auto-select, optional post-turn panel failover.

What this is for

Need	How this helps
Two Claude accounts at once	Work in one VS Code window, personal in another — each has its own CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR and credential copy
Open a folder → right account	workspaceRoutes (or Switch Account once) pins a tree to an email; preferred over “last used anywhere”
See usage live	Status bar: 5h session, 7d all-models, Fable (and other model-scoped limits)
Failover when an account is hot	Status-bar meter shows the pressure; optional post-turn panel cutover switches accounts when a turn settles (never mid-stream)
Keep one conversation history	Shared history store so multi-account does not fragment or hide past chats
Keep your MCP servers & settings	User-scope mcpServers (from ~/.claude.json) are merged into each window, and your ~/.claude/settings.json (auto-compact, model, hooks, …) is shared into every window, so both apply under per-window isolation
Keep your skills everywhere	Your personal ~/.claude/skills, agents, and commands are linked into every window, so they work in every account (plugins/ stays per-window — Claude Code manages live state there)

Upstream credit: Parallel Accounts + usage patterns from Claudemeter (both MIT). See NOTICE.

What this is not for

Not a goal	Why
Context consolidation across accounts	Each account is a separate Anthropic identity. History is shared as files so chats are not lost — not a single Claude brain.
One panel, hot-swap mid-turn	Claude Code reads CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR at startup, so an account change reloads the window (only when you switch accounts).
macOS / native Windows Claude	Linux semantics only. Use a WSL or Linux remote window; inert elsewhere.
Replacing Parallel Accounts on Windows UI host	extensionKind: workspace on purpose (avoids UI-host bugs under WSL). Install on the remote/WSL side.
Minting OAuth sessions / API proxy	Claude Code owns login. We copy credentials into per-window dirs; the usage meter may refresh access tokens with the stored refresh token so the poll stays valid — we do not act as an Anthropic proxy.
Project memory / CLAUDE.md	Repo-scoped by Claude Code itself; unrelated to accounts. (Personal ~/.claude skills/agents/commands ARE shared — see above.)
Hiding usage from Anthropic	Meter reads the same usage the product exposes; failover only picks which saved account runs next.

Supported model for more quota: finish the turn → cut over or open another window on a cool account — not transparent context merge.

Why (vs other tools)

Tool	Problem
Parallel Accounts	Multi-account OK; no usage
Claudemeter	Usage OK; extensionKind: ui on Windows host under WSL → wrong binary, re-login thrash
This extension	workspace only + usage + workspace pins + post-turn panel failover

Install / update (VSIX from GitHub)

Not on the Marketplace yet (dogfood via Releases first). Updates are a CLI step, not the Extensions “Update” button.

Latest release (recommended):

cd ~/projects/claude-accounts && npm run install-latest
# downloads the newest *.vsix and runs: code --install-extension …
# then: Command Palette → Developer: Reload Window

Needs gh auth. Uses code, code-insiders, or cursor if on PATH; otherwise prints the path for Extensions → ⋯ → Install from VSIX.
Download only: CLAUDE_ACCOUNTS_SKIP_INSTALL=1 npm run install-latest.

From source:

cd ~/projects/claude-accounts
npm install && npm run compile && npm run package
# then install the printed .vsix the same way

In a WSL VS Code window:

1. Disable Claudemeter and Claude Parallel Accounts (avoid fighting over accounts)
2. npm run install-latest (or Install from VSIX)
3. Reload window

Later: Marketplace or Open VSX would give one-click auto-update. Until then: Releases + install-latest.

Pushing updates (maintainers)

# commit your changes first, then:
npm run ship          # patch bump → tag vX.Y.Z → push → GH Release + VSIX
npm run ship -- minor
npm run ship -- 0.6.0

CI runs tests on every push to main. Tag v* builds the VSIX and attaches it to a GitHub Release.

Status bar example:

$(account) you · 5h 4% · 7d 89% · Fable 96%

Workspace → account (work vs personal)

Hard-map directory trees to an email. Longest matching prefix wins. Emails match case-insensitively.

Under a match:

• VS Code auto-selects that account when you open the folder
• Panel cutover will not leave the pin

Multiple VS Code windows

Each window has its own extension host — work and personal can run at once:

1. Window A → /home/YOU/projects/work-client → work Claude
2. Window B → /home/YOU/projects/side-project → personal Claude

Pin trees in settings (or Switch Account once so it learns):

// settings.json (WSL / remote) — use your own paths and emails
{
  "claudeAccounts.failover.strategy": "lowestUsage",
  "claudeAccounts.failover.accountOrder": ["personal@example.com", "work@example.com"],
  "claudeAccounts.workspaceRoutes": [
    { "pathPrefix": "/home/YOU/projects/work-client", "email": "work@example.com" },
    { "pathPrefix": "/home/YOU/projects", "email": "personal@example.com" }
  ]
}

Longer prefixes win: a specific work tree uses work; other repos under projects/ use personal.

Auto-select order for the open folder:

1. workspaceRoutes or learned map from a prior Switch Account (longest prefix; settings win on the same prefix)
2. This window’s last choice for that workspace
3. Global “last used anywhere” — only for a brand-new window with no folder mapping and no working dir yet

Settings pins reassert. If routes map this folder to work, Switch Account → personal reloads for this session, but the next open applies the pin again. Change or remove the route to stick a different default. The Switch picker warns when a settings pin is active.

Reload behavior: if the working dir already has the pin’s credentials, activation binds without reload. If empty (e.g. after /logout) or wrong account, the extension force-stocks the pin and reloads once (metered).

Failover modes (Settings → Claude Accounts)

Applies when no workspace route matched the cwd. Supports N accounts, not just two.

failover.mode	Behavior
notify (default)	Usage pressure shows on the status-bar meter (no popup)
off	Same as notify — meter only

failover.mode is effectively legacy: both values just show the meter, and neither is read anywhere else since the CLI orchestrator was removed. Account switching is driven entirely by panel cutover (below); the failover flags (onSession / onWeekly / onFable + thresholds) still decide what counts as "hot".

Panel cutover (after the turn finishes)

Never switches mid-stream. Watches session file activity + claude processes; when settled (~4s quiet):

failover.panelCutover	Behavior
notify (default)	After idle, offer Switch (or toast while deferred during a turn)
idleReload	After idle, auto-pick next cool account and switchTo (bind + window reload). 5‑min cooldown.
off	No panel cutover

Workspace routes still block auto panel cutover.
Turn idle is inferred from this window’s session/project file activity (not other windows; process-alone is not “busy”).

Strategy (how to pick among many accounts)

failover.strategy	Behavior
lowestUsage (default)	Among cool accounts, pick lowest score = max(enabled dimension %%). If all hot, pick least-bad. Optional accountOrder restricts the pool.
ordered	Walk accountOrder (emails or registry names); first cool wins; if all hot, first in list.

{
  "claudeAccounts.failover.panelCutover": "idleReload",
  "claudeAccounts.failover.strategy": "lowestUsage",
  "claudeAccounts.failover.accountOrder": [
    "personal@example.com",
    "work@example.com",
    "other@example.com"
  ]
}

Empty accountOrder = all accounts known to the policy cache (from usage polls / logins).

What counts as “hot” (triggers account pick)

Meter always shows 5h / 7d / Fable. Failover only uses dimensions you enable:

Setting	Default	Meaning
failover.onSession	true	5h session ≥ threshold → hot
failover.onWeekly	true	7d all-models ≥ threshold → hot
failover.onFable	false	Fable ≥ threshold → not hot for switching

Thresholds: sessionThreshold / weeklyThreshold / fableThreshold (default 90).

Legacy primaryEmail / secondaryEmail still seed accountOrder if that list is empty.

Safety

• Never discovers reserved sidecars; does not migrate forgotten dirs into ~/.claude-shared
• Refuses Windows /mnt/c config paths for usage
• Resolves Linux claude only for auth status
• Does not mint OAuth sessions (Claude Code owns login); usage poll may refresh access tokens via the stored refresh token
• Usage is fetched centrally: one call per account machine-wide per cycle (a per-account lock + shared cache dedupe the windows); for saved accounts, token refreshes run against the account store, so the extension has one rotation source per account no matter how many windows are open (an unsaved window still uses its own copy)
• Same account in several windows: a token refresh in one window rotates the grant; the others quietly re-stock their token file from the account store (no reload, no popup — the tooltip explains if Claude Code errors once before its next restart)
• Forget still signs out that email everywhere — use carefully
• Shared history is for not losing chats, not consolidating identity/context across accounts

Dev

npm run compile
npm test
npm run package

Layout

src/          extension (TypeScript)
scripts/      install-latest.sh + ship.sh
test/         node:test suites