C2Switcher (Windows Edition)

Manage multiple Claude Code accounts with usage tracking, load balancing, and a system tray app

This project is derived from can1357/c2switcher, the original multi-account Claude Code manager created by @can1357. The core concept, load-balancing algorithm, and CLI design all originate there. All credit for the original idea and implementation belongs to them.

The lineage is:

can1357/c2switcher  (original — KDE Plasma widget + CLI)
       ↓
incompletebiped/c2switcher-mint  (Linux port — Cinnamon panel applet)
       ↓
incompletebiped/c2switcher-windows  (this repo — Windows system tray app)

This Windows edition is a substantial adaptation rather than a direct code fork — the system tray UI was rewritten from scratch in PySide6, and Windows-specific changes were made throughout — but the foundational ideas, API approach, and load-balancing logic are entirely derived from the original work. The original is released under the MIT License.

Features

Multi-account management — Add, remove, reorder, and nickname accounts
Auto-detect new logins — Tray app monitors ~\.claude\.credentials.json and auto-imports new accounts
Usage tracking — Monitor 5-hour, 7-day, and Sonnet usage limits with color-coded indicators
Smart load balancing — Automatically picks the optimal account based on usage, drain rates, and active sessions
Session-safe switching — Detects when Claude Code is actively processing and blocks switching mid-request
Auto-switch on rate limit — When your current account hits 95%+ usage, automatically swaps to the optimal account between prompts or after the session ends
Active account indicator — Shows which account Claude Code is currently using
Session tracking — See which accounts are actively being used and where
Light/dark themes — Toggle between themes from the tray popup
Windows system tray app — Monitor all accounts from the system tray with one-click switching
Usage caching — Respects rate limits with 5-minute cache
Wrapper script — c2claude PowerShell command for seamless account switching
Start with Windows — Optional registry entry to launch the tray app at login
Single executable — Builds to a standalone c2switcher.exe via PyInstaller

Disclaimer

This tool uses undocumented OAuth API endpoints to fetch usage data and authenticate accounts. While Anthropic allows users to create multiple accounts (confirmed by multiple people who asked Anthropic Staff), this implementation relies on reverse-engineered API endpoints that may change without notice.

If Anthropic would prefer this tool not exist, please reach out and I'll gladly take it down.

Installation

Prerequisites

Windows 10/11
Python 3.10+
Claude Code CLI installed and configured

Option 1: Install from source

git clone https://github.com/incompletebiped/c2switcher-windows.git
cd c2switcher-windows
pip install -e .

Option 2: Build standalone executable

pip install -e .[build]
pyinstaller build.spec
# produces dist/c2switcher.exe

Place c2switcher.exe somewhere on your PATH, or keep it alongside c2claude.ps1.

Setup the PowerShell wrapper

Copy c2claude.ps1 to a directory on your PATH, or create a PowerShell alias:

Set-Alias c2claude "C:\path\to\c2claude.ps1"

Add your accounts

# Recommended: OAuth login (opens browser)
c2switcher login

# Add more accounts
c2switcher login

# Or import existing credentials from ~/.claude/.credentials.json
c2switcher add

Nickname your accounts

c2switcher nickname 0 main
c2switcher nickname 1 work

Verify it works

# Check that accounts are registered
c2switcher ls

# Fetch usage
c2switcher usage

# Launch Claude with the optimal account
c2claude

System Tray App

Run c2switcher with no arguments (or double-click c2switcher.exe) to launch the system tray app.

What it shows

Tray icon: Color-coded by overall usage status:

Green (< 70%) — Plenty of headroom
Yellow (70–90%) — Getting close
Red (> 90%) — Nearly exhausted

Popup (click the tray icon):

Header with refresh and optimal-switch buttons
Usage bars showing per-account utilization
Account cards — one per account, showing:
- Active indicator for the currently active account
- Index, nickname, and email
- Usage indicators: 5-hour, 7-day, and Sonnet
- Time-until-reset countdown
Light/dark theme toggle

Session-safe switching

The tray app detects whether Claude Code is actively processing by checking for established TCP connections from Claude's PIDs via psutil:

State	Optimal button	Manual card click
Claude idle at prompt	Unlocked	Works
Claude streaming a response	Locked	Works (use at your own risk)
No Claude process running	Unlocked	Works

Auto-switch on rate limit

When the current account's usage reaches 95%+ (on either the 5-hour or 7-day window), the tray app automatically switches to the optimal account:

Between prompts — If Claude is open but idle, credentials are swapped seamlessly
After session ends — If Claude Code is closed, credentials are pre-positioned for the next session
During processing — Auto-switch waits until the current request finishes
5-minute cooldown between auto-switches to prevent rapid back-and-forth
Only triggers when there are 2+ accounts registered

Auto-detect new logins

The tray app monitors ~\.claude\.credentials.json for changes. When a new login is detected (refresh token changes), the new account is automatically imported. Regular token refreshes are ignored.

Start with Windows

The tray app can register itself in the Windows startup registry (HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run) to launch automatically at login.

Optional: Claude Code Status Line

Show the active account, nickname, and live usage in the Claude Code status bar.

What it looks like:

[1] BxB Media  5h:20%  7d:3%

The label [index] nickname is purple. Each percentage is color-coded green/yellow/red matching the tray thresholds (< 70% / 70–90% / > 90%).

Why this approach: c2switcher.exe takes ~3–4 seconds to start (PyInstaller + SQLite + DPAPI) — far too slow for a status line. Instead, the tray app writes %APPDATA%\c2switcher\current_account.txt on every refresh (every 60s and on each switch), and the status line reads that file directly via PowerShell (~800ms).

Prerequisite: The tray app must be running. It writes the cache file; the status line just reads it. The file is created on the tray's first refresh after launch.

Setup:

If you're using this repo with Claude Code, run the included slash command — it auto-detects your username and writes the correct config:

/setup-statusline

Or add manually to %USERPROFILE%\.claude\settings.json:

{
  "statusLine": {
    "type": "command",
    "command": "cat /c/Users/YOUR_USERNAME/AppData/Roaming/c2switcher/current_account.txt"
  }
}

Replace YOUR_USERNAME with your Windows username. Restart Claude Code for the setting to take effect.

Troubleshooting:

Symptom	Fix
Nothing shows	Confirm the tray app is running and `%APPDATA%\c2switcher\current_account.txt` exists
Plain text `[1] nickname` with no usage or color	Tray app is running an old build — rebuild with `.\build.ps1` and restart
Escape codes show as literal text (`[38;5;141m...`)	Claude Code version doesn't support ANSI in the statusline — upgrade Claude Code

Rebuilding after source changes:

Always use build.ps1 — it installs to the correct location and creates the Start Menu shortcut:

.\build.ps1

Do not run pyinstaller build.spec directly (that outputs to dist/ and won't update the installed exe). After rebuilding, restart the tray app for changes to take effect.

Claude Code Slash Commands

If you're working on this repo inside Claude Code, the following slash commands are available:

Command	Description
`/setup-statusline`	Auto-configure the Claude Code statusline for c2switcher
`/rebuild`	Run `build.ps1`, report result, and remind you to restart the tray
`/diagnose`	Full health check — tray process, cache file, accounts, token validity
`/add-account`	Guided OAuth login flow with nickname prompt and verification
`/debug-auth`	Deep token inspection — expiry times, stale flags, cross-reference active credentials
`/check-sessions`	Active and recent sessions, stale PID detection, per-account counts

These are defined in .claude/commands/ and require no setup — just open the repo in Claude Code and invoke them.

CLI Usage

Adding Accounts

Option 1: OAuth Login (Recommended)

c2switcher login

Option 2: Import Existing Credentials

c2switcher add                                            # Add current account
c2switcher add --nickname work                            # With a nickname
c2switcher add --creds-file ~/path/to/credentials.json    # From a specific file

Viewing Accounts

c2switcher ls

Editing Nicknames

c2switcher nickname 0 "My Work Account"    # By index
c2switcher nickname work "Work Pro"        # By current nickname
c2switcher nickname [email protected] "Main"  # By email

Removing Accounts

c2switcher remove 0                        # By index (prompts for confirmation)
c2switcher remove work                     # By nickname
c2switcher remove [email protected]           # By email
c2switcher remove 0 --yes                  # Skip confirmation

If the removed account is currently active in ~\.claude\.credentials.json, the credentials file is also cleared.

Checking Usage

c2switcher usage            # Rich table output
c2switcher usage --force    # Bypass 5-minute cache
c2switcher usage --json     # JSON output for scripting

Color indicators:

Green (< 70%) — Plenty of headroom
Yellow (70–90%) — Getting close
Red (> 90%) — Nearly exhausted

Switching Accounts

c2switcher switch 0                    # By index
c2switcher switch work                 # By nickname
c2switcher switch [email protected]     # By email

Finding the Optimal Account

c2switcher optimal                       # Auto-switch to best account
c2switcher optimal --dry-run             # Show best without switching
c2switcher optimal --token-only --quiet  # Get token for scripts

Cycling Through Accounts

c2switcher cycle       # Rotate to next account

Checking Current Account

c2switcher current
c2switcher current --format=prompt     # For shell prompts: [0] main
c2switcher current --json

Generating Analytics Reports

# Session insights (top projects, daily cadence, heatmaps)
c2switcher report-sessions --output ~/c2switcher_session_report.png --days 30

# Usage risk forecast (burn rates, reset timeline)
c2switcher report-usage --output ~/c2switcher_usage_report.png --window-hours 24

The `c2claude` Wrapper

PowerShell script that combines account selection with running Claude Code:

c2claude                   # Use optimal account (default)
c2claude -0                # Use account 0
c2claude -1                # Use account 1
c2claude -a work           # Use account by name/email/index
c2claude --cycle           # Cycle to next account
c2claude -p "explain this" # Pass arguments to claude

The wrapper handles session registration, load balancing, account stickiness, and cleanup on exit.

Command Reference

Core Commands

Command	Aliases	Description
`login`		OAuth login and add account
`add`		Import existing account credentials
`remove`		Remove an account from c2switcher
`nickname`		Set or update an account nickname
`reorder-accounts`		Reorder accounts by specifying new order
`ls`	`list`, `list-accounts`	List all accounts
`usage`		Show usage across accounts
`current`		Show currently active account
`force-refresh`		Force token refresh for account(s)
`report-sessions`		Generate session analytics report
`report-usage`		Generate usage risk forecast report
`optimal`	`pick`	Find and switch to optimal account
`switch`	`use`	Switch to specific account
`cycle`		Rotate to next account
`list-sessions`		List active sessions
`session-history`	`history`	Show past sessions with usage deltas
`apikey`		Manage API keys

Session Commands (used by `c2claude`, not typically manual)

Command	Description
`start-session`	Register a new Claude session
`end-session`	Mark a session as ended

How It Works

Database

All data is stored in %APPDATA%\c2switcher\store.db (SQLite):

Account credentials and metadata
Usage history with timestamps
Session tracking (PID, working directory, duration)

Token Refresh

Tokens are automatically refreshed when within 10 minutes of expiry. Force a manual refresh:

c2switcher force-refresh          # All accounts
c2switcher force-refresh work     # Specific account

Usage Caching

API calls are cached for 5 minutes to avoid rate limiting. Use --force to bypass.

Load Balancing Algorithm

The optimal account selection uses a multi-factor scoring system:

Drain rate (core metric) — headroom / hours_until_reset where headroom = 99% − current utilization. Higher drain rate = more capacity available per hour = better candidate.
Five-hour throttling — Penalizes accounts with high short-term usage to prevent burst rate limits. Score is halved at 90%+ five-hour utilization.
Burst protection — Skips accounts where current usage + expected burst (based on historical deltas) >= 94%.
Pace alignment — Adjusts score based on whether usage is ahead of or behind the expected pace for the reset window.
Session awareness — Among similar candidates, prefers accounts with fewer active and recent sessions.
Round-robin — Accounts within 0.05 %/hr of each other are treated as equivalent and rotated fairly.

Accounts at 99%+ utilization are excluded entirely.

Session Tracking

Each c2claude invocation registers a session, selects an account, runs Claude, and cleans up on exit. Dead sessions are auto-cleaned via multi-factor liveness checks using psutil.

Files and Paths

Path	Purpose
`%APPDATA%\c2switcher\store.db`	SQLite database (accounts, usage, sessions)
`%APPDATA%\c2switcher\load_balancer_state.json`	Round-robin state for fair rotation
`%APPDATA%\c2switcher\.lock`	File lock for concurrent operation safety
`%APPDATA%\c2switcher\theme.json`	Theme preference (light/dark)
`%APPDATA%\c2switcher\headers.json`	HTTP header configuration
`%APPDATA%\c2switcher\current_account.txt`	Cache file for status line (written by tray app)
`~\.claude\.credentials.json`	Active Claude Code credentials

Environment Variables

Variable	Description
`DEBUG_SESSIONS=1`	Enable verbose session tracking logs
`C2SWITCHER_DEBUG_BALANCER=1`	Show detailed load balancer scoring

Differences from c2switcher-mint

	Mint (Linux)	Windows
Desktop integration	Cinnamon panel applet (JavaScript)	System tray app (PySide6 + pystray)
Process detection	`ss` (socket statistics)	`psutil`
Data directory	`~/.c2switcher/`	`%APPDATA%\c2switcher\`
Wrapper script	`c2claude` (Bash)	`c2claude.ps1` (PowerShell)
Startup	Desktop autostart	Windows registry (`HKCU\...\Run`)
Distribution	`pipx install`	`pip install` or standalone `.exe` via PyInstaller
Installer	`setup.sh`	Manual

Troubleshooting

"c2switcher: command not found"

Ensure the install location is on your PATH. If installed via pip:

# Check where it was installed
pip show c2switcher
# Or for the exe build, add dist/ to your PATH

Token refresh fails

c2switcher login

Log in with the affected account — the existing account record is updated automatically by UUID match.

Verify Claude works: claude -p hi --model haiku

Sessions not tracked properly

Dead sessions auto-cleanup, but you can check manually:

c2switcher list-sessions

Tray app doesn't show usage

Make sure c2switcher is on your PATH and that accounts have been added:

c2switcher ls
c2switcher usage

Development

git clone https://github.com/incompletebiped/c2switcher-windows.git
cd c2switcher-windows
pip install -e .
c2switcher --help

The CLI entry point is c2switcher, and the Python package lives under c2switcher/. The system tray app source is in c2switcher/presentation/tray/.

Credits

Based on c2switcher-mint, itself a fork of can1357/c2switcher.

Tip: Add c2claude.ps1 to your PowerShell profile as an alias for maximum laziness.

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
Latest commit History 14 Commits
.claude/commands		.claude/commands
.vscode		.vscode
c2switcher		c2switcher
rsrc		rsrc
temp/c2switcher-mint		temp/c2switcher-mint
.gitignore		.gitignore
.pre-commit-config.yaml		.pre-commit-config.yaml
.secrets.baseline		.secrets.baseline
CLAUDE.md		CLAUDE.md
README.md		README.md
build.ps1		build.ps1
build.spec		build.spec
c2claude.ps1		c2claude.ps1
icon_spec.md		icon_spec.md
pyproject.toml		pyproject.toml

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