Skip to content

Install

Setup has three steps: install the swipe binary, add the shell hook, and write a profiles.json.

1. Install the binary

swipe is a single binary with no dependencies.

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/octanelabsdev/swipe/main/install.sh | sh

This installs swipe in ~/.local/bin. If that folder is not on your PATH, the script tells you the line to add.

irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/octanelabsdev/swipe/main/install.ps1 | iex

This installs swipe.exe in %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\swipe and adds that folder to your user PATH.

cargo install --git https://github.com/octanelabsdev/swipe

This needs Rust 1.88 or newer, and puts swipe in ~/.cargo/bin.

The scripts download the latest release from GitHub and check its SHA-256 checksum before they install anything. They don't need admin rights. To install a specific release, set SWIPE_VERSION (for example SWIPE_VERSION=v0.1.0). To use a different folder, set SWIPE_INSTALL_DIR.

Check that it works:

swipe --version

2. Add the shell hook

The hook defines a claude command that runs through swipe. swipe then starts the real claude with the right account. Add one line to your shell's startup file:

echo 'eval "$(swipe init zsh)"' >> ~/.zshrc

echo 'eval "$(swipe init bash)"' >> ~/.bashrc

Add-Content $PROFILE 'swipe init powershell | Out-String | Invoke-Expression'

Open a new terminal afterwards. If you had an alias such as alias claude-work=... or alias claude=..., you can delete it. The hook removes any existing claude alias so it can't shadow the hook.

Git Bash on Windows

Git Bash uses the bash hook. cmd.exe has no shell functions, so it isn't supported; use PowerShell or Windows Terminal instead.

3. Write profiles.json

swipe reads ~/.config/swipe/profiles.json. Create it:

{
  "default": "personal",
  "profiles": {
    "personal": { "config_dir": "~/.claude" },
    "work": { "config_dir": "~/.claude-work", "paths": ["~/code/acme"] }
  }
}
  • config_dir is the Claude Code config directory for that account. ~/.claude is Claude Code's own default.
  • paths are the folders, and everything under them, that use this profile.
  • default is used everywhere else.

Every field is described in profiles.json.

4. Check it

cd ~/code/acme && swipe which
# work  /Users/you/.claude-work

cd ~ && swipe which
# personal  /Users/you/.claude

Then run claude as usual. A one-line banner names the profile it picked:

swipe: work (/Users/you/.claude-work)

The first time you use a new config directory, Claude Code asks you to log in to that account. After that, each directory keeps its own login.

Updating and uninstalling

To update, run the install command again. It replaces the binary with the latest release.

To uninstall, delete the binary: ~/.local/bin/swipe, or %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\swipe on Windows. If you installed with Rust, run cargo uninstall swipe.

To uninstall, also remove the hook line from your shell startup file. Your config directories are left exactly as they are; if you used swipe sync, see Sharing files between accounts first.