Everyday use

Starting a session

aims claude and aims codex start the real tools with an account’s login. Everything after the tool name goes to the tool unchanged:

aims claude                         # the active account
aims claude --model opus -c         # flags pass straight through
aims claude@work                    # this account, this session only
aims codex@personal exec "fix the failing test"
aims run claude@work -p "explain"   # the same as aims claude@work -p ...

Which account a session gets, in order:

1. @profile on the command line. This also turns automatic failover off for that run.
2. The terminal’s pin, if you set one with aims env (below).
3. The active account (aims use).
4. If that account is limited or logged out, the next usable one in failover order, until the first works again (or for good, with stay). aims says so when it skips one:

› claude: skipping "personal" (limit for 2h10m), using "work"

Switching

aims use work               # every tool that has a "work" profile
aims use codex personal     # one tool

This changes the account for new sessions and moves it to the front of the failover order. A session that is already running keeps its login until it ends; to move it, see continuing on another account.

Continuing on another account

With history shared (the default), conversations are visible to every account, so a conversation started on one account continues on another:

aims claude@work --continue     # Claude Code: the latest conversation here
aims codex@work resume --last   # Codex

aims failover claude --resume combines the switch and the continue.

Pinning one terminal

Sometimes one terminal should stay on one account while others follow the active one:

eval "$(aims env work)"          # this terminal: work, for both tools
eval "$(aims env claude client-x)"
eval "$(aims env --reset)"       # back to following the active account

aims env prints the variables to set (AIMS_CLAUDE_PROFILE, and CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR or CODEX_HOME so even the bare binaries use that login). It prints for your shell; pass --shell fish or --shell powershell to choose. In fish, use aims env work | source.

Plain claude and codex

aims setup --shell (part of aims init) adds one line to your shell’s startup file:

# >>> aims >>>
command -v aims >/dev/null 2>&1 && eval "$(aims shell-init zsh)"
# <<< aims <<<

It defines small claude and codex functions that run aims claude and aims codex, so the commands you already type follow the active account and get failover. It also loads completion for aims. The line does nothing if aims is not installed, and aims clean removes it again.

For fish, aims writes ~/.config/fish/conf.d/aims.fish. For PowerShell it prints the line to add to your $PROFILE.

The dashboard

aims with no arguments opens the dashboard on a terminal. See Dashboard. When the output is a pipe, it prints aims status instead.

Scripts and automation

aims status --json                   # everything the table shows, as JSON
aims claude@work -p "..." < /dev/null
aims init --yes --integrations none  # set up without questions

Headless runs (claude -p, codex exec) read their prompt’s extra input from stdin like the tools do. When nothing arrives on stdin within 3 seconds, aims goes on without it; redirect from /dev/null to skip the wait. Exit codes are the tool’s own.