awake
Keep your machine awake and your status Available.
A small menu bar app and command-line tool. It stops your computer from sleeping, and keeps Teams, Slack and similar apps from switching you to Away. Set a timer, and it switches itself off.
Free and open source · MIT License · Source on GitHub
Stays Available
Chat apps go by how long you haven't touched the keyboard or mouse. awake resets that timer and checks that the reset really worked.
Stops when you want
Keep awake indefinitely or for 30 minutes up to 24 hours. When the time is up, awake switches off and lets you know.
macOS, Windows, Linux
A tray app for everyday use and a CLI for scripts and servers. Both keep VPNs, downloads and remote sessions alive.
Download
macOS
macOS 11 or later · Apple silicon and Intel
On a Mac with Homebrew: brew install --cask nolliebigspin/tap/awake-tray · All files and checksums
Command line
Prefer the terminal? The awake command does the same as the app.
1 Install
macOS & Linux · Homebrew
brew install nolliebigspin/tap/awakemacOS & Linux · install script
curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -LsSf https://github.com/nolliebigspin/awake/releases/latest/download/awake-cli-installer.sh | shWindows · PowerShell
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -c "irm https://github.com/nolliebigspin/awake/releases/latest/download/awake-cli-installer.ps1 | iex"2 Use
awake- Keep awake until you press Ctrl+C.
awake --for 3h- Stop automatically after 3 hours. Also
30m,1h30mand so on. awake status --test- Check which methods work on this machine.
awake install- Start at login. Undo with
awake uninstall.
All options: awake --help or the README.
Questions
Why does macOS ask for Accessibility access?
On current macOS, the only way to reset the idle timer that chat apps read is a tiny synthetic mouse move, and posting input needs Accessibility access. Without it, awake still keeps the Mac awake, but Teams may show you as Away. The app's menu has a Fix Accessibility access… item that opens the right settings pane, and Awake notifies you if it ever can't keep you Available.
Does it work on Linux with Wayland?
X11 works fully. On Wayland it depends on the desktop: KDE works, GNOME needs a one-time uinput setup. awake status --test tells you what works, and the README explains the details.
Can I use it on my work computer?
awake simulates keyboard and mouse input (an F15 key press or a 1 px mouse move). Security software on managed devices may flag or block this, and it may be against your employer's IT or presence policy. Check with your IT department first. You are responsible for how you use it.
Does awake collect any data?
No. There is no account, telemetry or tracking. The app only contacts GitHub when you click Check for updates. See the privacy policy.