Both Claude Desktop + standalone Claude Code CLI installed -> subscription usage silently billed to Extra Usage; only uninstalling the CLI fixes it (/login to subscription does not)

Summary. On an active Max subscription, having both Claude Desktop and the standalone Claude Code CLI installed on the same machine silently misroutes usage to Extra Usage / API credits instead of the subscription plan. Switching the CLI to the subscription via /login does not stop it — only uninstalling the standalone CLI does.

Environment.

• Plan: Claude Max, usage far from limits (~9% 5-hour / ~15% weekly)
• Both Claude Desktop and standalone Claude Code CLI installed (Windows)

What I observed. Extra Usage drained heavily over months despite a barely-used Max plan. /status on the CLI showed it on API Usage Billing (Anthropic Console account) — same account/email as my Max subscription:

Auth token:   none
API key:      /login managed key
Organization: <my-email>'s Organization
Banner:       Opus 4.8 (1M context) - API Usage Billing

What did NOT fix it. /login -> "Claude account with subscription" (banner changed to Claude Max) — the Extra Usage drain continued.

What DID fix it. Uninstalling the standalone CLI (keeping only Claude Desktop). After removal, zero Extra Usage has been drawn while working through Desktop.

Likely root cause. Desktop and the CLI share the same credential store / env vars, and an API/Console identity takes precedence over a subscription login. With both clients installed, the API-billing identity appears to win and silently bypass the subscription — at full API rates, with no warning, and (on Max plans) no per-credential report to detect it. The trigger seems to be the parallel install itself, since re-logging the CLI into the subscription did not help.

Suggested fixes. (1) If a subscription is active, never silently use API billing — warn/confirm; (2) make active billing mode unmissable; (3) per-credential usage visibility on Max plans.

Related / likely same root cause: #32544, #44669, #32286, #45572.