Switch between Claude Code accounts like changing hats.
Run multiple Claude Code subscriptions on the same machine — including concurrently — with per-account config directory isolation and flexible resource sharing.
Claude Code stores credentials at ~/.claude/.credentials.json — one file, one account. If you have multiple subscriptions (personal, work, team), switching accounts means swapping credentials. Running concurrent sessions is even harder.
hats solves this by giving each account its own CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR:
- Each account gets an isolated config directory with its own credentials
- Concurrent sessions are inherently safe — no file swapping, no locking, no races
- Shared resources (settings, hooks, MCP config, CLAUDE.md) are symlinked to a
base/template - Any resource can be selectively isolated per account with
hats unlink - Shell functions let you type the account name as a command
# Install
git clone https://github.com/CommanderCrowCode/hats.git
cd hats && ./install.sh
# Initialize (migrates existing ~/.claude/ if present)
hats init
# Create accounts (opens claude for /login authentication)
hats add work
hats add personal
# Set your default (bare `claude` runs as this account)
hats default work
# Use it
hats swap personal # starts claude as "personal"
hats swap work -- --model opus # pass flags to claude
# Or add shell functions to your .zshrc/.bashrc
eval "$(hats shell-init)"
personal # just type the account name
work --model opus # with argumentsgit clone https://github.com/CommanderCrowCode/hats.git
cd hats
./install.shThis copies hats to ~/.local/bin/. Make sure ~/.local/bin is in your PATH.
- Linux or macOS (no platform-specific dependencies)
python3(for token inspection)- Claude Code installed (
claudeon PATH)
Each account gets its own complete CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR:
~/.hats/
├── config.toml # default account, version
├── claude/
│ ├── base/ # template (shared resources)
│ │ ├── settings.json
│ │ ├── hooks.json
│ │ ├── .mcp.json
│ │ ├── CLAUDE.md
│ │ ├── projects/
│ │ └── ...
│ ├── work/ # CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR for "work"
│ │ ├── .credentials.json # isolated (own tokens)
│ │ ├── .claude.json # isolated (own state)
│ │ ├── settings.json → ../base/settings.json
│ │ ├── CLAUDE.md → ../base/CLAUDE.md
│ │ └── ... → ../base/...
│ └── personal/ # CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR for "personal"
│ └── (same structure)
~/.claude → ~/.hats/claude/work/ # symlink to default account
Running an account is simply:
CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR=~/.hats/claude/work claude "$@"No credential swapping. No locking. No save-back. Claude Code reads and writes directly to the account's own directory.
By default, everything except credentials and state is symlinked to base/:
- Always isolated:
.credentials.json,.claude.json(per-account tokens and identity) - Shared by default:
settings.json,hooks.json,.mcp.json,CLAUDE.md,projects/, etc.
Selectively isolate any resource:
hats unlink personal CLAUDE.md # personal gets its own CLAUDE.md
hats link personal CLAUDE.md # re-share with base
hats status personal # see what's linked vs isolatedConcurrent sessions are inherently safe. Each account has its own directory — sessions never touch each other's files. Token refresh writes to the correct account's .credentials.json automatically.
| Component | Lifetime | Renewal |
|---|---|---|
| Access token | ~8 hours | Auto-refreshed by Claude Code |
| Refresh token | Months | Re-run /login when it expires |
hats init # Initialize, migrate from ~/.claude/ if exists
hats add <name> # Create account (opens claude for /login)
hats remove <name> # Remove an account
hats default [name] # Get or set default account
hats list # Show all accounts with token statushats swap <name> [-- claude-args...]Runs claude with the account's CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR.
hats swap work # interactive session
hats swap work -- --model opus # pass flags to claude
hats swap work -- -p "hello" # print modehats link <acct> <file> # Share a resource with base (symlink)
hats unlink <acct> <file> # Isolate a resource (copy from base)
hats status [account] # Show linked vs isolated resources# Add to .zshrc or .bashrc:
eval "$(hats shell-init)"
# With auto-skip permissions:
eval "$(hats shell-init --skip-permissions)"This generates a function for each account:
work() { CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR="$HOME/.hats/claude/work" claude "$@"; }
personal() { CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR="$HOME/.hats/claude/personal" claude "$@"; }hats fix # Repair broken symlinks, verify auth
hats version # Show versionhats add myaccount
# Claude Code opens — run /login, authenticate, then /exitThat's it. The account directory is created with symlinks to base, and /login stores credentials in the isolated directory.
Claude Code's Remote Control feature requires the user:sessions:claude_code OAuth scope, which is only granted by the full /login flow.
hats list shows [rc] for accounts with Remote Control support and [no-rc] for those without.
$ hats list
hats v1.0.0 — Claude Code Accounts
=======================================
* work ok (expires 2026-03-07 14:30) [rc]
personal ok (access expired, will auto-refresh) [rc]
team ok (expires 2026-03-06 22:15) [no-rc]
3 account(s)
*marks the default account[rc]= Remote Control supported- Access tokens expire every ~8 hours but auto-refresh via the refresh token
| Variable | Default | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
HATS_DIR |
~/.hats |
Hats root directory |
~/.hats/
├── config.toml # Global config (default account)
├── claude/
│ ├── base/ # Template (never run directly)
│ │ ├── settings.json # Shared settings
│ │ ├── CLAUDE.md # Shared instructions
│ │ ├── projects/ # Shared project data
│ │ └── ...
│ ├── <account>/ # Per-account config directory
│ │ ├── .credentials.json # Isolated credentials
│ │ ├── .claude.json # Isolated state
│ │ └── (everything else) → ../base/...
~/.claude → ~/.hats/claude/<default>/ # Symlink so bare `claude` works
hats init automatically detects and migrates v0.2.x setups:
- Moves
~/.claude/contents to~/.hats/claude/base/ - Creates per-account directories from existing
.credentials.<name>.jsonfiles - Symlinks
~/.claudeto the default account - Preserves external symlinks (CLAUDE.md, agents, skills)
Auth errors after idle:
The refresh token may have expired. Run /login inside a session for that account.
Wrong identity showing:
Each account has its own .claude.json state. Run hats fix to verify symlinks, or start a fresh session.
Broken symlinks after Claude Code update:
Run hats fix — it detects broken symlinks and repairs them, and adds symlinks for new resources added to base.
MIT