Lidless icon
Lidless icon

Lidless

A tiny macOS menu-bar app that keeps your Mac running even with the lid closed — so coding agents (Claude Code, Codex, etc.) keep working while you move around.

Lidless screenshot 1

Cost / License

  • Free
  • Open Source (MIT)

Application type

Platforms

  • Mac
Lidless alternatives  
0likes
55alternatives
0articles

Features

Properties

  1.  Privacy focused
  2.  Lightweight

Features

  1.  No Tracking
  2.  Ad-free
  3.  No registration required
  4.  Works Offline

 Tags

Lidless News & Activities

Highlights All activities

Recent activities

Lidless information

AlternativeTo Category

OS & Utilities

GitHub repository

  •  71 Stars
  •  2 Forks
  •  0 Open Issues
  •   Updated  
View on GitHub

Popular alternatives

View all
Lidless was added to AlternativeTo by Paul on and this page was last updated .
No comments or reviews, maybe you want to be first?

Official Links

AppStores & Other Links

What is Lidless?

A tiny macOS menu-bar app that keeps your Mac running even with the lid closed — so coding agents (Claude Code, Codex, etc.) keep working while you move around.

Features:

  • One-click keep awake with the lid closed (menu bar toggle).
  • Privileged background helper (SMAppService) so toggling never asks for a password.
  • Watchdog: if the app crashes or is force-quit, the helper auto-restores normal sleep — the Mac can't get stuck awake.
  • Safety guards: pause when running hot, only-while-charging, and a low-battery cutoff.
  • Auto-off timer: optionally turn keep-awake off after 15 min – 4 hours, with a live countdown.
  • Automatic updates via Sparkle — EdDSA-signed appcast, notarized DMGs.
  • Launch at login, and a clean menu with battery/power status.

How it works:

macOS sleeps when you close the lid. The reliable way to override that on Apple Silicon is the SleepDisabled flag in IOPMrootDomain (what sudo pmset -a disablesleep 1 sets). caffeinate does not prevent lid-close sleep — only this flag does.

The app talks to a root helper over XPC; the helper flips the flag with no admin prompt and runs a heartbeat watchdog. If the app stops checking in (>90s), the helper restores sleep.