Keep a Mac awake during long builds, downloads, or supervised automation using the built-in caffeinate command. Set a duration or follow a running process, control display sleep, check whether it is active, and stop it early.
Keep a Mac awake with caffeinate during long builds, downloads, or supervised automation runs.
Run score Not tested
See how to installReview the instructions the agent will receive before you install.
Keep the Mac awake using the built-in caffeinate command. No install needed.
caffeinate -d -i -t 7200 # full power: screen stays on + no idle sleep, for 2 hours
Duration is -t <seconds>: 2h = 7200, 7h = 25200, overnight (9h) = 32400.
| Flags | Effect |
|---|---|
-i | prevents idle system sleep only (screen may still dim/lock) |
-d | prevents display sleep (screen stays on) |
-d -i | default choice — screen on + system awake |
-d -i -s | adds -s: prevents sleep even on AC power semantics; -s only works when plugged in |
-u -t 1 | simulates user activity — wakes the display right now |
Default to -d -i -t <seconds> unless the user says otherwise.
caffeinate -d -i -w <PID> # stays awake until that process exits (great for builds)
caffeinate -i npm run build # wraps a command; exits when the command finishes
Prefer running it in the user's own terminal pane so it's visible and easy to Ctrl+C. In cmux (read the cmux skill first if interacting with panes):
cmux send --surface surface:<N> "caffeinate -d -i -t 25200\n"
Otherwise run it as a background Bash task. Never block your own foreground shell with it.
pgrep -fl caffeinate # is it running? shows exact flags
ps -o etime= -p <PID> # how long it's been running
pmset -g assertions # inspect PreventUserIdleSystemSleep / PreventUserIdleDisplaySleep # confirm sleep assertions are active
Gotcha: caffeinate prints nothing and holds the prompt — it looks "stuck" or like Enter wasn't pressed. It isn't stuck. Verify with pgrep, not by looking at the terminal.
Expiry: with -t it exits silently when time runs out — no notification. If the user asks "is it still on?" after hours, check pgrep first; it may simply have expired.
caffeinate cannot keep the keyboard backlight on — it has its own inactivity timer with no CLI/API on Apple Silicon (researched 2026-07). Fix is manual, one-time: System Settings > Keyboard > "Turn keyboard backlight off after inactivity" > Never.
kill <recorded-caffeinate-PID> # or Ctrl+C in the pane running this task
Record the PID of the process started for this task; verify its command before stopping it. Do not stop unrelated caffeinate sessions by a broad pattern.
After starting: confirm to the user the PID, the flags, and the wall-clock time it will expire.
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