Problem
There is no CLI way to choose which logged-in Claude account a headless/agent spawn uses. orca worktree create --agent claude and orca terminal create --command "claude …" launch Claude on the runtime's default managed account, and switching the active account is UI-only (no orca command exposes account/profile selection — verified via orca agent-context).
This blocks headless orchestration when you have multiple Claude accounts logged in (e.g. a personal account and a paid work account). Orca clearly supports multiple accounts (~/Library/Application Support/orca/claude-accounts/<id>/…, and claude-runtime-auth/system-default-auth.json points at one of them), but a script/agent can't say "spawn this worker on account X".
Current workaround (fragile)
To force a non-default paid account, I have to bypass --agent claude entirely and launch via a shell function that sets CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR:
orca terminal create --command "CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR=/path/to/config claude --model … --dangerously-skip-permissions"
But that makes the terminal a raw terminal, not a tracked Claude agent (no ✳ agent status / spinner / notifications), because Orca decides "this is a claude agent" from the command's leading token. Starting the command with a claude-prefixed wrapper restores agent detection, but the account still depends on ambient shell state the runtime doesn't control.
Proposal
Let the CLI select the account for a spawn, e.g.:
orca worktree create --agent claude --account <id|email> …
orca terminal create --agent claude --account <id|email> …
orca account list # enumerate logged-in Claude accounts (id, email, plan)
orca account list alone would already help scripts discover the available accounts; --account on the spawn commands closes the loop for headless multi-account orchestration.
Environment
macOS, Orca desktop runtime, orca CLI. Verified: claude-accounts/ has multiple accounts; system-default-auth.json = one of them; no CLI command references account/profile selection.
Problem
There is no CLI way to choose which logged-in Claude account a headless/agent spawn uses.
orca worktree create --agent claudeandorca terminal create --command "claude …"launch Claude on the runtime's default managed account, and switching the active account is UI-only (noorcacommand exposes account/profile selection — verified viaorca agent-context).This blocks headless orchestration when you have multiple Claude accounts logged in (e.g. a personal account and a paid work account). Orca clearly supports multiple accounts (
~/Library/Application Support/orca/claude-accounts/<id>/…, andclaude-runtime-auth/system-default-auth.jsonpoints at one of them), but a script/agent can't say "spawn this worker on account X".Current workaround (fragile)
To force a non-default paid account, I have to bypass
--agent claudeentirely and launch via a shell function that setsCLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR:But that makes the terminal a raw terminal, not a tracked Claude agent (no ✳ agent status / spinner / notifications), because Orca decides "this is a claude agent" from the command's leading token. Starting the command with a
claude-prefixed wrapper restores agent detection, but the account still depends on ambient shell state the runtime doesn't control.Proposal
Let the CLI select the account for a spawn, e.g.:
orca account listalone would already help scripts discover the available accounts;--accounton the spawn commands closes the loop for headless multi-account orchestration.Environment
macOS, Orca desktop runtime,
orcaCLI. Verified:claude-accounts/has multiple accounts;system-default-auth.json= one of them; no CLI command references account/profile selection.