Claude Code Work and Personal Accounts on One Computer

A work account and a personal account can share one development machine, but signing out and back in for every repository makes mistakes easy. The useful boundary is not the label on a terminal tab. It is the selected profile, the process that receives it, and the repository rule that confirms the choice.

Save work and personal accounts as profiles

Use short names that make the intended boundary obvious. Capture the account already active on the machine, then add the other account through Claude Code's normal sign-in flow.

aisw init
aisw add claude work --from-live
aisw add claude personal
aisw list claude

These names are local labels. AI Switcher does not create a Claude account or proxy requests. It stores the managed profile locally and applies the state Claude Code expects when you select it.

Switch before starting a new session

Select the account that matches the repository, verify it, and then start Claude Code. Claude Code's native /login flow can change the current login. When using an aisw profile, switching is a boundary for a new process, so it does not rewrite the credentials or environment of a session that is already running.

aisw use claude work
aisw status --tool claude
aisw verify
claude

aisw use claude personal
aisw verify
claude

If Claude Code still shows the previous account, close the old process and open a fresh terminal or VS Code integrated terminal. A process can retain its original environment after the profile selection changes.

Bind each repository to the right account

Profile switching is deliberate, but repository bindings provide a second check for work and client code. Create a context, bind the repository, and start with warn mode while you audit the mapping.

aisw context create work --claude work
cd ~/src/company-app
aisw workspace bind . --context work
aisw workspace guard --mode warn

Once the mapping is correct, strict mode turns an account mismatch into an explicit stop. That is useful for production repositories, client work, or any project that should never launch under a personal account.

Windows and VS Code considerations

The account workflow is the same on Windows. Use PowerShell or the VS Code integrated terminal to select and verify the profile, then launch a new Claude Code process. The--credential-backend system-keyring option controls aisw's managed profile secret storage, not Claude Code's upstream authentication backend.

aisw add claude work --credential-backend system-keyring
aisw add claude personal --credential-backend system-keyring
aisw use claude work
aisw verify

Claude Code's storage behavior can vary by installation. If OAuth state is kept in a shared live Keychain or credential store, isolated profile state may not be durable for that credential. Use the supported storage mode for the installed build and letaisw verify show whether the live state matches the selected profile.

Keep the boundary easy to inspect

Before a work session, run aisw status --tool claude andaisw verify. For a visual check, AI Switcher Desktop shows the active profile and lets you switch it without copying credential files by hand.

For the command-by-command setup, read the work and personal Claude Code guide. If an old account remains active, follow the Claude Code troubleshooting steps.