91 lines
3.3 KiB
Markdown
91 lines
3.3 KiB
Markdown
---
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name: anti-sleep
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description: "Keep a Mac awake with caffeinate during long builds, downloads, or supervised automation runs."
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category: operations
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risk: critical
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source: community
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source_repo: davidondrej/skills
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source_type: community
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date_added: "2026-07-07"
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author: davidondrej
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tags: [macos, caffeinate, operations]
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tools: [claude, codex]
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license: "MIT"
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license_source: "https://github.com/davidondrej/skills/blob/main/LICENSE"
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---
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# Anti-Sleep (macOS caffeinate)
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## When to Use
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- Use when the user wants the Mac to stay awake during a long supervised task.
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- Use when a build, download, or automation run should not be interrupted by sleep.
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Keep the Mac awake using the built-in `caffeinate` command. No install needed.
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## Quick start — the standard command
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```bash
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caffeinate -d -i -t 7200 # full power: screen stays on + no idle sleep, for 2 hours
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```
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Duration is `-t <seconds>`: 2h = 7200, 7h = 25200, overnight (9h) = 32400.
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## Aggressiveness levels
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| Flags | Effect |
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|---|---|
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| `-i` | prevents idle **system** sleep only (screen may still dim/lock) |
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| `-d` | prevents **display** sleep (screen stays on) |
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| `-d -i` | **default choice** — screen on + system awake |
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| `-d -i -s` | adds `-s`: prevents sleep even on AC power semantics; `-s` only works when plugged in |
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| `-u -t 1` | simulates user activity — wakes the display right now |
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Default to `-d -i -t <seconds>` unless the user says otherwise.
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## Tie to a process instead of a timer
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```bash
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caffeinate -d -i -w <PID> # stays awake until that process exits (great for builds)
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caffeinate -i npm run build # wraps a command; exits when the command finishes
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```
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## Run it in a visible terminal (cmux pane)
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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):
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```bash
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cmux send --surface surface:<N> "caffeinate -d -i -t 25200\n"
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```
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Otherwise run it as a background Bash task. Never block your own foreground shell with it.
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## Verify and monitor
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```bash
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pgrep -fl caffeinate # is it running? shows exact flags
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ps -o etime= -p <PID> # how long it's been running
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pmset -g assertions | grep -i deny # confirm sleep assertions are active
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```
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**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.
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**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.
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## Keyboard backlight
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`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.
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## Stop early
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```bash
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pkill -f "caffeinate -d -i" # or Ctrl+C in the pane running it
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```
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After starting: confirm to the user the PID, the flags, and the wall-clock time it will expire.
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## Limitations
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- Adapted from `davidondrej/skills`; verify local paths, tools, credentials, and agent features before acting.
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- For commands, remote access, scheduling, browser automation, or file-changing workflows, get explicit user approval and confirm the target environment first.
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