How to Switch Codex CLI Accounts

Codex CLI keeps one active account in auth.json or a system keyring, with no built-in concept of saved, named accounts. Switching normally means manually backing up and restoring that file. aisw wraps that process in a single command.

Before you start

Install aisw if you haven’t already:

brew tap burakdede/tap && brew install aisw

CLI method

1. Capture the account you’re currently signed into.

aisw init
aisw add codex work --from-live

2. Add a second account.

Interactively, using Codex CLI’s own OAuth flow:

aisw add codex personal

Or from an API key already in your environment:

aisw add codex ci --from-env

3. Switch between them.

aisw use codex work
aisw use codex personal

4. Confirm which account is active.

aisw status

Desktop method (coming soon)

AI Switcher Desktop is currently in private testing and not yet available for public download. The steps below reflect the current build; use the CLI method above until it ships.

1. Open AI Switcher Desktop and go to Overview.
2. In the Codex CLI column, select the profile you want active and click Activate.
3. Or press ⌘K for Quick Switch and type the profile name.

Common problems

If aisw add codex <name> --from-live fails to read the current credentials, Codex CLI may be using a keyring backend aisw doesn’t have permission to read yet — re-run the command after granting keyring access when your OS prompts for it. For anything else, aisw doctor diagnoses common environment issues.