Claude Profiles
Use a different Claude Code account in each VS Code window: work in one, personal in another, and a client's in a third.
Get started in 3 steps
- Open Claude Profiles from the Activity Bar. The account you already use appears as Main.
- Add another account. Give it a name, and sign in in your browser.
- Switch. Hover over an account and click Switch, then Switch and reload.
Each window keeps its own account, and other windows are unaffected.
The panel
- This window is highlighted, with a check on its avatar.
- After reload marks an account you've switched to but haven't reloaded for yet.
- The star marks the account new windows use. Change it from the ⋯ menu.
- Not set up and Not signed in accounts show a Sign in button. The panel notices when you've finished signing in.
- Existing
~/.claude-* folders appear under Found on this computer. Click Add to use one.
- The ⋯ menu (or right-click) has everything else: open a terminal for the account, reveal its folder, rename it, change its color, sign in to another account, sign out, change its folder, or remove it from the list. Removing can be undone.
Keyboard
| Key |
Action |
| ↑ ↓ Home End |
Move between accounts |
| Enter |
Switch to the focused account (or sign in to it) |
| F2 |
Rename |
| Delete |
Remove from the list (you can undo) |
| Shift+F10 |
Open the actions menu |
Every action is also in the Command Palette under Claude Profiles.
How it works
Claude Code decides which account to use from the CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR environment variable. Main is Claude's standard setup, with no CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR. Every other profile is a folder of its own, such as ~/.claude-Work, with its own sign-in, settings and history.
When you switch a window to a profile, the extension:
- Remembers the choice for that window, so reopening the folder brings it back.
- Sets
CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR for the Claude Code panel and new terminals in that window.
- Reloads the window, if you choose Switch and reload. Claude sessions that are already open keep their old account until then.
The status bar shows this window's account in its color. It turns yellow when something needs attention, for example a reload or a sign-in.
Locked windows
If Claude Code's claudeCode.environmentVariables setting contains CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR, every window is locked to that account. The panel says so and offers Unlock and reload, which removes the setting. The account it pointed to becomes the one new windows use, so nothing changes until you switch.
Shell commands
On macOS and Linux, Add Shell Commands… (in the ⋯ menu at the top of the panel) adds a command per account to your shell startup file. For example, claude-work runs Claude with the Work account. A backup of the file is saved first. zsh, bash, sh and fish are supported.
Settings
| Setting |
Default |
Description |
claudeProfileSwitcher.profiles |
Main only |
Your accounts. Easiest to edit from the panel. |
claudeProfileSwitcher.defaultProfile |
empty (Main) |
The account new windows use until you pick one |
claudeProfileSwitcher.reloadAfterSwitch |
ask |
ask confirms before reloading; always switches and reloads right away |
claudeProfileSwitcher.colorStatusBar |
true |
Show the status bar item in the account's color |
claudeProfileSwitcher.manageSymlink |
false |
Also point ~/.claude at the account you switch to |
claudeProfileSwitcher.symlinkPath |
~/.claude |
The symlink used by the setting above |
Account colors can be adjusted per theme with workbench.colorCustomizations (for example "claudeProfiles.blue").
Troubleshooting
An account says "Not signed in", but I signed in before.
Claude stores each sign-in under the exact folder path, so a differently spelled path (~/.claude-personal rather than ~/.claude-Personal) counts as a separate sign-in. Click Sign in.
The status bar shows a reload icon.
You switched account, or settings changed in another window. Reload this window to apply it.
Sign-in doesn't start.
Signing in needs the Claude Code CLI (claude). The extension also looks for the copy bundled with the Claude Code extension.
Requirements
- VS Code 1.94 or later
- Claude Code (the VS Code extension, the CLI, or both)
License
Proprietary. Copyright © 2026 UniCorp, Inc. All rights reserved. See LICENSE.
