CCS - Claude Code Switch

One command, zero downtime, multiple accounts

Switch between multiple Claude accounts, GLM, and Kimi instantly.
Stop hitting rate limits. Keep working continuously.

Languages: English | Tiếng Việt | 日本語

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🚀 Quick Start

🔑 Prerequisites

Before installing CCS, make sure you're logged into Claude CLI with your subscription account:

claude /login

Primary Installation Methods

Option 1: npm Package (Recommended)

macOS / Linux / Windows

npm install -g @kaitranntt/ccs

All major package managers are supported:

# yarn
yarn global add @kaitranntt/ccs

# pnpm (70% less disk space)
pnpm add -g @kaitranntt/ccs

# bun (30x faster)
bun add -g @kaitranntt/ccs

Option 2: Direct Install (Traditional)

macOS / Linux

curl -fsSL ccs.kaitran.ca/install | bash

Windows PowerShell

irm ccs.kaitran.ca/install | iex

💡 Performance Tip: Traditional installs bypass Node.js routing for faster startup, but I prioritize npm updates due to easier deployment automation.

Configuration (Auto-created)

CCS automatically creates configuration during installation (via npm postinstall script).

~/.ccs/config.json:

{
  "profiles": {
    "glm": "~/.ccs/glm.settings.json",
    "kimi": "~/.ccs/kimi.settings.json",
    "default": "~/.claude/settings.json"
  }
}

Custom Claude CLI Path

If Claude CLI is installed in a non-standard location (D drive, custom directory), set CCS_CLAUDE_PATH:

export CCS_CLAUDE_PATH="/path/to/claude"              # Unix
$env:CCS_CLAUDE_PATH = "D:\Tools\Claude\claude.exe"   # Windows

See Troubleshooting Guide for detailed setup instructions.

Windows Symlink Support (Developer Mode)

Windows users: Enable Developer Mode for true symlinks (better performance, instant sync):

1. Open Settings → Privacy & Security → For developers
2. Enable Developer Mode
3. Reinstall CCS: npm install -g @kaitranntt/ccs

Without Developer Mode: CCS automatically falls back to copying directories (works but no instant sync across profiles).

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Your First Switch

⚠️ Important: Before using GLM or Kimi profiles, you need to update your API keys in their respective settings files:

• GLM: Edit ~/.ccs/glm.settings.json and add your GLM API key
• Kimi: Edit ~/.ccs/kimi.settings.json and add your Kimi API key

# Use Claude subscription (default) for high-level planning
ccs "Plan the implementation of a microservices architecture"

# Switch to GLM for cost-optimized tasks
ccs glm "Create a simple REST API"

# Switch to Kimi for its thinking capabilities
ccs kimi "Write integration tests with proper error handling"

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The Daily Developer Pain Point

Developers face multiple subscription scenarios daily:

1. Account Separation: Company Claude account vs personal Claude → you must manually switch contexts to keep work and personal separate
2. Rate Limits Hit: Claude stops mid-project → you manually edit ~/.claude/settings.json
3. Cost Management: 2-3 Pro subscriptions ($20/month each) vs Claude Max at 5x cost ($100/month) → Pro tier is the practical ceiling for most developers
4. Model Choice: Different tasks benefit from different model strengths → manual switching

Manual context switching breaks your workflow. CCS manages it seamlessly.

Why CCS Instead of Manual Switching?

Feature	Benefit
Account Isolation	Keep work separate from personal
Cost Optimization	2-3 Pro accounts vs Max at 5x cost
Instant Switching	One command, no file editing
Zero Downtime	Never interrupt workflow
Rate Limit Management	Switch accounts when limits hit
Cross-Platform	macOS, Linux, Windows

The Solution:

ccs work          # Use company Claude account
ccs personal      # Switch to personal Claude account
ccs glm           # Switch to GLM for cost-effective tasks
ccs kimi          # Switch to Kimi for alternative option
# Hit rate limit? Switch instantly:
ccs glm           # Continue working with GLM
# Need different company account?
ccs work-2        # Switch to second company account

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📁 Shared Data Architecture

v3.1 Shared Global Data: Commands and skills are symlinked across all profiles via ~/.ccs/shared/, eliminating duplication.

Directory Structure:

~/.ccs/
├── shared/                  # Shared across all profiles
│   ├── commands/            # Custom slash commands
│   └── skills/              # Claude Code skills
├── instances/               # Profile-specific data
│   ├── work/
│   │   ├── commands@ → ~/.ccs/shared/commands/  # Symlink
│   │   ├── skills@ → ~/.ccs/shared/skills/      # Symlink
│   │   ├── settings.json    # Profile-specific config
│   │   └── sessions/        # Profile-specific sessions
│   └── personal/
│       └── ...

Benefits:

• No duplication of commands/skills across profiles
• Single source of truth for shared resources
• Automatic migration from v3.0 (runs on first use)
• Windows fallback: copies if symlinks unavailable (enable Developer Mode for true symlinks)

What's Shared:

• .claude/commands/ - Custom slash commands
• .claude/skills/ - Claude Code skills

What's Profile-Specific:

• settings.json - API keys, credentials
• sessions/ - Conversation history
• todolists/ - Task tracking
• logs/ - Profile-specific logs

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🏗️ Architecture Overview

v3.0 Login-Per-Profile Model: Each profile is an isolated Claude instance where users login directly. No credential copying or vault encryption.

flowchart TD
    subgraph "User Input"
        USER["User runs: ccs <profile> [args...]"]
    end

    subgraph "Profile Detection Engine"
        DETECT[ProfileDetector]
        PROFILE_CHECK{Profile exists?}

        subgraph "Profile Types"
            SETTINGS["Settings-based<br/>glm, kimi, default"]
            ACCOUNT["Account-based<br/>work, personal, team"]
        end
    end

    subgraph "CCS Core Processing"
        CONFIG["Read config.json<br/>and profiles.json"]

        subgraph "Profile Handlers"
            SETTINGS_MGR["SettingsManager<br/>→ --settings flag"]
            INSTANCE_MGR["InstanceManager<br/>→ CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR"]
        end
    end

    subgraph "Claude CLI Execution"
        CLAUDE_DETECT["Claude CLI Detection<br/>CCS_CLAUDE_PATH support"]

        subgraph "Execution Methods"
            SETTINGS_EXEC["claude --settings &lt;path&gt;"]
            INSTANCE_EXEC["CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR=&lt;instance&gt; claude"]
        end
    end

    subgraph "API Layer"
        API["API Response<br/>Claude Sonnet 4.5<br/>GLM 4.6<br/>Kimi K2 Thinking"]
    end

    %% Flow connections
    USER --> DETECT
    DETECT --> PROFILE_CHECK
    PROFILE_CHECK -->|Yes| SETTINGS
    PROFILE_CHECK -->|Yes| ACCOUNT

    SETTINGS --> CONFIG
    ACCOUNT --> CONFIG

    CONFIG --> SETTINGS_MGR
    CONFIG --> INSTANCE_MGR

    SETTINGS_MGR --> SETTINGS_EXEC
    INSTANCE_MGR --> INSTANCE_EXEC

    SETTINGS_EXEC --> CLAUDE_DETECT
    INSTANCE_EXEC --> CLAUDE_DETECT

    CLAUDE_DETECT --> API

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⚡ Features

• Instant Switching - ccs glm switches to GLM, no config editing
• Concurrent Sessions - Run multiple profiles simultaneously in different terminals
• Isolated Instances - Each profile gets own config (~/.ccs/instances/<profile>/)
• Cross-Platform - macOS, Linux, Windows - identical behavior
• Zero Downtime - Switch instantly, no workflow interruption

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💻 Usage Examples

Basic Profile Switching

ccs              # Use Claude subscription (default)
ccs glm          # Use GLM fallback
ccs kimi         # Use Kimi for Coding
ccs --version    # Show CCS version and install location

Concurrent Sessions (Multi-Account)

# Create multiple Claude accounts
ccs auth create work       # Company account
ccs auth create personal   # Personal account
ccs auth create team       # Team account

# Terminal 1 - Work account
ccs work "implement feature"

# Terminal 2 - Personal account (runs concurrently)
ccs personal "review code"

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🗑️ Uninstall

Package Managers

# npm
npm uninstall -g @kaitranntt/ccs

# yarn
yarn global remove @kaitranntt/ccs

# pnpm
pnpm remove -g @kaitranntt/ccs

# bun
bun remove -g @kaitranntt/ccs

Official Uninstaller

macOS / Linux

curl -fsSL ccs.kaitran.ca/uninstall | bash

Windows PowerShell

irm ccs.kaitran.ca/uninstall | iex

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🎯 Philosophy

• YAGNI: No features "just in case"
• KISS: Simple bash, no complexity
• DRY: One source of truth (config)

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📖 Documentation

Complete documentation in docs/:

• Installation Guide
• Configuration
• Usage Examples
• Troubleshooting
• Contributing

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🤝 Contributing

We welcome contributions! Please see our Contributing Guide for details.

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📄 License

CCS is licensed under the MIT License.

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Made with ❤️ for developers who hit rate limits too often

⭐ Star this repo | 🐛 Report issues | 📖 Read docs