Find Your UUID: Complete Guide for macOS, Windows & Linux

Your Claude Code Buddy is deterministically generated from your account identifier — either an accountUuid (UUID format like acde070d-8c4c-4f0d-9d8a-162843c10333) or a userID (hex string like a1b2c3d4e5f6a7b8c9d0e1f2a3b4c5d6). Both work with our Buddy Checker.

This identifier is stored locally in your Claude configuration file at ~/.claude.json. It is not a credential — it cannot be used to authenticate or impersonate your account. It's simply the seed that determines which of the 18 species, 5 rarity tiers, and countless stat combinations your Buddy will have.

Below we cover every method on all three major platforms, plus troubleshooting for common issues.

The fastest and most reliable method. Open your terminal and run a single command.

macOS (Terminal / iTerm2)

Open Terminal.app (or iTerm2) and run:

cat ~/.claude.json | grep -E 'accountUuid|userID'COPY

You should see output like:

"accountUuid": "acde070d-8c4c-4f0d-9d8a-162843c10333"COPY

Windows (PowerShell)

Open PowerShell (press Win + X → "Windows PowerShell") and run:

Select-String 'accountUuid|userID' ~\.claude.jsonCOPY

The output will show the matching line with your UUID:

Linux (Bash / Zsh)

Open your terminal emulator and run the same command as macOS:

cat ~/.claude.json | grep -E 'accountUuid|userID'COPY

Tip: If you get "No such file or directory", it means Claude Code hasn't created the config file yet. Make sure you've opened Claude Code at least once and signed in.

If you prefer a visual approach, you can open the configuration file directly in any text editor.

File Location

Platform	File Path
macOS	~/.claude.json → /Users/yourname/.claude.json
Windows	~\.claude.json → C:\Users\yourname\.claude.json
Linux	~/.claude.json → /home/yourname/.claude.json

Note: The file starts with a dot (.), which means it's hidden by default on macOS and Linux.

How to Show Hidden Files

• macOS Finder: Press Cmd + Shift + . (period) to toggle hidden files
• Windows Explorer: Click "View" tab → check "Hidden items"
• Linux (Nautilus): Press Ctrl + H to show hidden files

What to Look For

Open the file in VS Code, Notepad, or any text editor. Look for these fields:

You're looking for either:

• "accountUuid" — inside the oauthAccount object (UUID format with dashes)
• "userID" — at the top level of the JSON (hex string without dashes)

Either one works with our Buddy Checker. Copy the value (without quotes) and paste it into the checker tool.

Our Buddy Checker accepts two different identifier formats. Here's how to tell them apart:

Format	Field Name	Example	Where Found
accountUuid	accountUuid	acde070d-8c4c-4f0d-9d8a-162843c10333	Inside oauthAccount object
userID	userID	a1b2c3d4e5f6a7b8c9d0e1f2a3b4c5d6	Top-level field in JSON

Which one should I use? Either works! The Buddy Checker automatically detects the format when you paste it in. You'll see a green indicator for accountUuid format or an amber indicator for userID format.

Are they the same? No — they're different identifiers for the same account. The accountUuid is typically used by OAuth/Team/Pro accounts, while userID is an older format. Both produce valid Buddy results through different code paths in the generation algorithm.

"File not found" or "No such file"

The .claude.json file is created when you first sign into Claude Code. If it doesn't exist:

1. Open Claude Code in your terminal (claude command)
2. Sign in with your Anthropic account
3. Close Claude Code
4. Try the command again — the file should now exist

"Permission denied"

On macOS/Linux, try:

chmod 644 ~/.claude.json && cat ~/.claude.json | grep -E 'accountUuid|userID'COPY

File exists but no accountUuid or userID found

Your config file might have a different structure. Try viewing the entire file:

cat ~/.claude.jsonCOPY

Or on Windows:

Get-Content ~\.claude.jsonCOPY

Look for any field containing a UUID-like string (8-4-4-4-12 format with dashes) or a long hexadecimal string (32+ characters, only 0-9 and a-f).

"Can I ask Claude Code for my UUID?"

This method is not reliable. Claude Code is an AI assistant, and its ability to read local files depends on version, permissions, and sandbox restrictions. We recommend using the terminal command or manual file inspection methods described above.

A common concern: "Is it safe to share my UUID?"

Yes. Your accountUuid and userID are not credentials. They cannot be used to:

• Log into your account
• Access your conversations or data
• Make API calls on your behalf
• Impersonate you in any way

They are simply identifiers used internally by Claude Code to generate your Buddy. Our Buddy Checker runs the generation algorithm entirely in your browser — your UUID is never sent to any server.

That said, if you prefer to keep your UUID private, that's perfectly fine too. You can check your Buddy without sharing it with anyone.

Found your UUID? Here's what to do next:

1. Check your Buddy — paste your UUID into the checker and discover your companion
2. Browse all 18 species — learn about each species' lore, stats, and rarity
3. Share your result — use the Share Card feature to generate a social media-ready image of your Buddy
4. Understand your rarity — learn what your rarity tier means for your stats

Remember: your Buddy is already determined. The same UUID will always produce the same result. Check it now before the official /buddy command launches!