Can I use NonSleep to listen to YouTube or podcasts with the lid closed?

Yes! Simply click 'Custom…' in the menu bar app and enter a timer (e.g. `45m` or `2h`), or run `nonsleep on 45m` in your terminal. You can close your MacBook and enjoy audio playback; your Mac will automatically go to sleep when the timer expires or if the battery drops below 20%.

Why does macOS Gatekeeper show an 'unverified developer' prompt on first launch?

NonSleep is a free, independent open-source project. Apple charges a $99/year developer fee to notarize binaries with an Apple Developer ticket. Without it, macOS flags all ad-hoc signed apps by default. You can bypass this with one click in System Settings › Privacy & Security › Open Anyway, or verify the cryptographic build provenance via `gh attestation verify`.

Why does setup ask for an administrator password, and is it safe?

Setting `pmset -a disablesleep` requires root. Rather than running a background root daemon (which would be a massive security risk), NonSleep installs a tightly scoped one-line rule in `/etc/sudoers.d/nonsleep` allowing ONLY `/usr/bin/pmset -a disablesleep 0` and `1`. It cannot run any other command as root. The installation is protected against TOCTOU race conditions by staging into root storage before `visudo -c` validation.

Does NonSleep collect telemetry or read my agent prompts?

No. NonSleep contains zero network code (no URLSession, no sockets, no telemetry). It runs 100% offline, which you can verify with `lsof -p $(pgrep NonSleepBar) -i` (returns empty). Agent hooks only send lifecycle signals (`UserPromptSubmit`, `Stop`); NonSleep never reads prompt text, code, or tokens.

Will my MacBook overheat in my backpack if I leave a task running?

NonSleep includes built-in hardware safety cut-outs: if macOS reports a 'serious' or 'critical' thermal state, or if battery drops below 20%, NonSleep immediately drops the sleep block and puts the Mac to sleep. However, as good practice, we recommend not running heavy rendering inside a closed insulated backpack.

How is NonSleep different from Amphetamine or Caffeinate?

Amphetamine and Caffeinate are designed to keep the screen from turning off while the laptop is open on your desk. When you close the lid without an external monitor, they cannot prevent sleep. NonSleep is designed specifically for closed-lid (clamshell) operation and integrates directly with AI agent turn lifecycles.

v0.3.0: MCP server, diagnostics & session history

Send the prompt. Shut the lid.Walk away.

You shouldn't have to babysit an open laptop just so Claude, Cursor, or Codex can finish a 30-minute turn. NonSleep keeps your Mac working with the lid closed — and puts it to sleep the second your agent finishes.

Universal binary for M1–M4 Apple Silicon & Intel · Free & Open Source

$git clone https://github.com/Tran-Duc-Duy/nonsleep.git && cd nonsleep && scripts/install.sh

NonSleepFileEditViewHelp

NonSleep: Active

84%

17:45

Stays awake with lid closed

Lid closed · Battery 84% · Clamshell

Active Leases

Claude Code · my-app

pid 48291 · Holding until 18:15

Display Lock:Locked (Touch ID)

Thermal State:38°C (Nominal)

Battery Cut-out:<20% triggers sleep

claude-code — 80x24

~$claude --task "Refactor auth & migrate DB"

[NonSleep] Clamshell closed! pmset disablesleep 1 active.

[NonSleep] Displays powered off. Session locked.

[12/20] Writing unit tests for token expiry...

[Test: OK] 18 tests passing in background

Step 19/20 compiling with lid shut...

Status: Clamshell Task ActiveNonSleep Engine v0.3.0

100% Offline (Zero Network)

Native Swift (2.5 MB)

No Root Daemon

Locks Screen on Close

The Real Developer Pain

Sound Familiar?

We built NonSleep because we were tired of losing hours of coding progress.

Without NonSleep (The 11 PM Nightmare)

1You give Claude Code or Cursor a 30-minute refactoring prompt before going to bed.
2You shut the lid and head to sleep. macOS immediately puts the laptop to sleep.
3Your agent freezes after step 2. The other 18 steps never run.
4You wake up at 7 AM to find zero progress, wasted time, and broken deadlines.

With NonSleep (The Seamless Morning)

✓You submit the prompt and shut the lid immediately.
✓NonSleep keeps the task cawing with the screen locked tight.
✓At step 20, Claude finishes. NonSleep detects the Stop event and puts the Mac to sleep safely.
✓You wake up to a cool laptop, full battery, and completed, tested code.

Engineered for AI

Why Traditional Tools Fail You

Apple designed caffeinate to stop your display from dimming while you stare at it. NonSleep is designed for when you close the lid and walk away.

The Core Fix

True Clamshell Without a Monitor

Apple kills closed-lid tasks. NonSleep doesn't let it.

Standard tools only block idle sleep. The moment you close the lid without an external monitor, macOS forces sleep. NonSleep controls the only system switch that survives a shut lid: pmset disablesleep 1.

No dummy HDMI plugs. No bulky monitors. Just close your laptop.

Zero Babysitting

Agent-Aware: Sleep When Done

Never guess when a turn finishes.

Connects directly to Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, and omp hooks. While your agent thinks or executes commands, your Mac stays awake. The millisecond it finishes, NonSleep releases the flag so your Mac sleeps.

No more running for 3 hours when the agent was done in 10 minutes.

Hardware Protection

Won't Bake in Your Backpack

Automatic thermal & battery cut-outs.

Opening your backpack to find a scalding hot MacBook with 1% battery is a nightmare. NonSleep continuously watches temperature and battery sensors. If it gets hot or battery drops below 20%, it halts immediately.

Safety first: your Mac always sleeps before battery drains to zero.

Privacy Guarantee

Shut Lid = Instant Screen Lock

Keeps running, but locks down your screen.

Your code keeps compiling, but your session is safe. The moment the clamshell closes, NonSleep turns off the display, prompting macOS to lock the session immediately with Touch ID or password.

If someone opens your laptop at a coffee shop, it's locked tight.

No Stuck Flags

Crash-Proof Leases & Reaper

Never leaves your Mac permanently awake.

Ever run pmset manually and forgotten to turn it off? Your battery died overnight. NonSleep ties every request to a process lease. If your agent crashes or gets kill -9, our background reaper cleans it in 60s.

No forgotten background flags. Normal sleep is always guaranteed.

Lifestyle Feature

Bedtime Podcast & YouTube Timer

Fall asleep to audio with the lid closed.

Want to fall asleep listening to a YouTube video or podcast? Click Custom in the menu bar, type 45m, and shut the lid. Audio plays through speakers or AirPods; your Mac sleeps at 45 minutes.

Works with any duration: 30m, 45m, 2h, 1h30m.

Interactive Preview

Designed for Terminal & Automation

One engine shared between the Menu Bar app and the CLI. Predictable, scriptable, and transparent.

nonsleep — zsh

~$nonsleep status

Stays awake with the lid closed

lid closed · battery power · battery 84% · thermal nominal

leases:

Claude Code · my-app (pid 48291, until 19:42)

Auto: agents working (pid 5085)

agents: claude · pid 48291

Agent Ecosystem

Native Hooks for Every Major Agent

Supports CLI, App, and IDE. Observes PreInvocation, PostToolUse, and fullyIdle Stop state.

Monitored Events

PreInvocationPostToolUseStop

nonsleep integrate antigravity

Direct Comparison

How NonSleep Compares

An objective architectural look across all keep-awake solutions for macOS.

Capability	NonSleep (Ours)	Amphetamine	Caffeinate	Agent Caffeine	Amped
Close lid without external monitor NonSleep uses pmset disablesleep 1, allowing true standalone clamshell mode.		Needs monitor/power
Auto-sleep when AI agent finishes NonSleep hooks into Claude, Cursor, Codex, and omp; auto-sleeps on turn completion.
Custom timer (e.g. 45m for YouTube) GUI allows typing custom duration like 45m or 2h with automatic sleep when done.			CLI only
Auto-lock screen on lid close Displays are turned off on clamshell close, enforcing macOS password/TouchID lock.
Thermal & Low Battery Cut-outs Protects against battery drain to 0% and backpack heat build-up.	Auto (<20% or Hot)	Battery % only			Battery only
Zero Background Root Daemon NonSleep uses a tightly scoped sudoers rule for pmset only. No root daemon.
100% Offline (Zero Telemetry) NonSleep contains 0 network code, verified with lsof -i (completely empty).				Closed-source
Open Source & Verifiable (SLSA) Every release is cryptographically signed and verified via GitHub Artifact Attestations.	MIT + SLSA Provenance	Proprietary	Apple Built-in	Proprietary	GPL-3.0
Memory Footprint Pure Swift AppKit/SwiftUI native compilation. Zero Electron overhead.	~25 MB RAM (3.9 MB CLI)	~40 MB	< 5 MB	~70 MB	~30 MB

Pure Swift

Real Measurements on Apple Silicon

No Electron bloat. Starts in 30ms, takes ~25 MB RAM, and uses 0.0% CPU when idle.

App Bundle SizeUniversal Mach-O

2.5 MB

Full macOS menu bar app + bundled CLI binary + Retina icons.

vs100x smaller than typical Electron apps (150–350 MB)

CLI Binary SizeStandalone Executable

452 KB

Pure native Swift executable compiled with zero external dependencies.

vsZero runtime dependencies, no Node/Python interpreter required

Idle CPU UsageEvent-Driven

0.0% – 0.1%

Registers Darwin kernel clamshell callbacks; zero CPU wakeups or busy loops.

vsDoesn't drain battery while running in the background

CLI Execution Time30 Milliseconds

0.03s

Subcommands (status, reap, on, off) execute in ~30ms and immediately exit.

vs0.00s user CPU time, instant terminal responsiveness

Resident Memory (RAM)Native AppKit / SwiftUI

3.9 MB / ~25 MB

3.9 MB peak memory for CLI; ~25 MB resident private memory for menu bar app.

vsFraction of memory compared to Electron or Chromium apps (300–800 MB)

On-Disk StorageZero Database Bloat

< 10 KB

Tiny config (~300 B) + ephemeral leases (~150 B) auto-purged on task exit.

vs0 SQLite database, 0 log files, 0 persistent junk

Interactive Sleep Timer Simulator

For YouTube, podcasts, audiobooks, or long compilation tasks.

Native Feature in v0.2.0

Enter any duration format:

Presets:

Simulated System StateLid Closed & Playing Audio

Lease: Manual until +45m (45 min)

Flag: pmset -a disablesleep 1 (managed)

Display: Turned off (session locked)

Mac sleeps automatically at +45mAuto-cutoff if battery < 20%

Audit-Ready

100% Offline. We Don't Want Your Code.

Zero network code, zero third-party dependencies, and zero telemetry. Audited by security engineers.

100% Offline (Air-Gapped)

Zero network imports (URLSession, Network, sockets). Zero telemetry, tracking, or crash analytics. Verify yourself via `lsof -p $(pgrep NonSleepBar) -i` (returns empty).

Zero Third-Party Dependencies

Links exclusively against the Swift standard library and Apple system frameworks (AppKit, SwiftUI, IOKit). Eliminates supply-chain poisoning risks completely.

TOCTOU-Proof Sudoers Setup

Draft rules are staged directly into /etc/sudoers.d/ as 0440 root:wheel before visudo -c verification, preventing local processes from swapping files mid-check.

Cryptographic SLSA Build Provenance

All release binaries are compiled on public GitHub Actions with pinned commit SHAs and signed with GitHub Artifact Attestations (SLSA Level 3).

Verify Release Provenance Locally:

gh attestation verify NonSleep-0.3.0-macOS.zip --owner Tran-Duc-Duy

Clear Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know about safety, permissions, and everyday workflows.

Standard tools like caffeinate rely on IOPMAssertion, which macOS ignores when the lid closes without an external display connected. NonSleep controls the system flag `pmset -a disablesleep 1`, which is the only switch macOS respects when the lid is shut. NonSleep binds this flag to time-limited, process-monitored leases so the machine always returns to normal sleep when work finishes.