Getting Started¶

Installation¶

From source (requires Rust)¶

Install Rust if you don't have it, then:

cargo install --path .

Or build manually:

git clone https://github.com/jose2kk/clam.git
cd clam
cargo build --release
# Binary at target/release/clam

The result is a single statically-linked binary with no runtime dependencies.

Create Your First Profile¶

clam add work

This creates a profile directory at ~/.clam/profiles/work/ and auto-activates it (since it's the first profile).

Inherit your global config¶

If you already have Claude Code configured with custom settings, extensions, or tools, pass --inherit to symlink them into the new profile:

clam add work --inherit

This shares items like settings.json, custom agents, skills, and MCP tools. Session-specific data (auth tokens, history, cache) stays isolated.

Tip

Use --inherit if you have custom Claude Code extensions you want across all profiles. Skip it for a clean slate.

Create Additional Profiles¶

clam add personal

Additional profiles are created but not auto-activated. The first profile you create remains active until you explicitly switch.

Switch Profiles¶

clam use personal

See Your Profiles¶

clam list

Output:

  work
* personal

The * marks the active profile.

Launch Claude Code¶

clam run

This launches claude with CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR pointing at the active profile's directory, and strips any stale CLAUDE_* / ANTHROPIC_* env vars from your shell.

To launch with a specific profile without switching:

clam run --profile work

Set Up Shell Integration¶

Add this to your ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc:

eval "$(clam env)"

This exports CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR and CLAM_PROFILE for the active profile into your current shell session. See Shell Integration for more details.