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macOS system utility, 2026

Lid Awake

Keeps a MacBook awake with the lid closed, but only while it is plugged in.

Download the installergithub.com/chengboonrong/lid-awake/releases/latestGitHub repositorygithub.com/chengboonrong/lid-awake
current=$(pmset -g | awk '/SleepDisabled/ {print $2}')
current=${current:-0}

if pmset -g ps | head -1 | grep -q "AC Power"; then
  want=1
else
  want=0
fi

[ "$current" = "$want" ] && exit 0

pmset -a disablesleep "$want"
logger -t lid-awake-on-ac "disablesleep -> $want"

# Unplugged while the lid is already closed: sleep now rather than stay awake in a bag.
if [ "$want" = 0 ] && ioreg -r -k AppleClamshellState -d 4 | grep -q '"AppleClamshellState" = Yes'; then
  pmset sleepnow
fi

Overview

A small macOS utility with no app and no menu bar icon. On AC power, sleep is disabled, so closing the lid does not sleep the Mac. On battery, normal sleep comes back. If you unplug while the lid is already closed, the Mac sleeps right away instead of staying awake in your bag.

Engineering approach

  • A root LaunchDaemon runs one short shell script every 10 seconds.
  • The script changes nothing unless the wanted state differs from the current one.
  • Both installer routes end at the same script, and a single command removes it all and restores normal sleep.

Every 10 seconds

  1. Read power source
  2. Compare with SleepDisabled
  3. Set disablesleep if different
  4. Unplugged and lid closed? Sleep now

Run the logic

disablesleep is 1No change, the script exits

Stack

POSIX shell, launchd, pmset, ioreg, pkgbuild

Technical challenges

Unplugging into a bag

Problem
Sleep stays disabled until something turns it back on, even with the lid shut on battery.
Solution
When power drops, the script reads the clamshell state from ioreg and calls pmset sleepnow if the lid is closed.

A root script must not be replaceable

Problem
launchd runs the script as root, so any user who can edit it gains root.
Solution
It installs into a root-only folder, /Library/PrivilegedHelperTools, not /usr/local/sbin, which is user-owned on Intel Homebrew Macs.

Installing without an app

Problem
People expect a double-click, but there is nothing to put in Applications.
Solution
A payload-free package whose postinstall step is the same install script used from source.

Outcome and status

Version 1.0.1 is released on GitHub as a package of about 2 KB.

Known limits

  • The repo does not state a supported macOS range.
  • The package is not signed by Apple, so macOS asks you to approve it in Privacy & Security.
  • While plugged in, the Mac does not idle-sleep either.
  • It does not watch temperature, and it conflicts with other tools that change disablesleep.