01
IOPMAssertion
Keep awake, on demand
Toggle it on in the menu bar. Pause for 30 minutes, an hour, or a custom time.
OPEN SOURCE · macOS 14+ · arm64
Keep your Mac working.
Even with the lid closed.
Lid Awake holds off idle sleep while you work, and lets you keep going with the lid shut. You always have explicit, reversible control over what changes.
Free & open source · Notarized by Apple · No hidden sudo
FEATURES
Everything you need. Nothing you don't.
02
Low Power aware
Battery-safe by default
Set a battery cutoff, respect Low Power Mode, or hold awake only while plugged in.
03
SMAppService
Closed-lid mode, opt-in
Approve a signed helper once, then keep working with the lid shut. Turn it off just as easily.
04
pmset display
Display on or off, your call
Choose whether the screen stays lit or goes dark when the lid closes.
05
CGSession
Lock on close, if you want it
Ask macOS to lock the screen the moment the lid shuts.
06
Sparkle 2 · EdDSA
Signed background updates
Sparkle-powered update checks: signed, notarized, and checked right from the menu bar.
HOW IT WORKS
Simple, and it stays out of your way
Lid Awake runs quietly in the background and only asks for your approval once, when you turn on closed-lid mode.
What you get
- Keeps your Mac awake for as long as you need it.
- Works with the lid closed, once you approve it in System Settings.
- Returns to normal sleep the moment you turn it off, pause, or quit.
- Automatically stops on low battery or Low Power Mode, so it never drains your battery.
SPECS
Under the hood
| PLATFORM | macOS 14 or later |
| ARCHITECTURE | arm64 · Apple Silicon |
| WAKE METHOD | IOPMAssertion · PreventUserIdleSystemSleep |
| CLOSED-LID | pmset -a disablesleep (approved helper) |
| HELPER | LaunchDaemon · SMAppService · XPC |
| UPDATES | Sparkle 2 · signed appcast (EdDSA) |
| DISTRIBUTION | Developer ID · Notarized · DMG + zip · SHA-256 |
| LICENSE | MIT |
INSTALL
Up and running in a minute
Homebrew
brew tap thuongtin/tap && brew install --cask lid-awake
Manual download
- Download the DMG and its .sha256 file from GitHub Releases.
- Verify the checksum:
shasum -a 256 -c LidAwake-0.1.2-macos.dmg.sha256
- Open the DMG and drag Lid Awake to Applications.
macOS 14 or later · Apple Silicon (arm64) only