Video & audio
Exports, renders, encodes and transcodes.
- Final Cut Pro
- Premiere Pro
- DaVinci Resolve
- Compressor
- HandBrake
- Logic Pro
- Shotcut
- ffmpeg
A menu bar app for macOS
Awake while it works.
Asleep when it's done.
Hold Sleep notices when any app is busy — a video export, a Chrome download, a build, an AI agent — and keeps your Mac awake until it finishes. Then it lets your Mac sleep. Even with the lid closed.
See it work
Same work. Two Macs.
Both start an export, a download and an AI agent — then you walk away. Only the right one has Hold Sleep.
Exporting Iceland 4K0%
Chrome · macOS.dmg0%
Claude Code · refactor0%
🌙
Asleep
Finder9:41
9:41Exporting Iceland 4K0%
Chrome · macOS.dmg0%
Claude Code · refactor0%
Your Mac can sleepNothing busy right now
🌙
Asleep
1 / 6
Two identical Macs. Only the right one runs Hold Sleep.
01 · The problem
Your Mac falls asleep in the middle of your work.
You start a 40-minute export and walk away. You come back to a sleeping Mac and an export stuck at 38%. Caffeine-style apps fix that — until you forget to switch them off and your battery is gone by morning.
02 · How it works
Notice. Hold. Let go.
No timers to set, nothing to remember. Hold Sleep reads the same signals Activity Monitor does — and decides for you.
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01 · Notice
It sees which apps are working
Processor, disk and network use per app, plus the “don't sleep” signals apps announce. Blips are ignored; sustained work counts.
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02 · Hold
It keeps your Mac awake
Only while something is busy — and, if you like, with the lid closed. The screen can still turn off to save power.
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03 · Let go
It lets your Mac sleep
A minute after the work stops, Hold Sleep steps aside. Lid closed? Your Mac goes to sleep right away, just as if you'd shut it.
03 · Works with everything
If it's working, Hold Sleep knows.
There's no list to maintain. Any app or command-line tool that's genuinely busy counts — these are just the usual suspects.
Downloads & uploads
Big files in any browser or client.
- Chrome
- Safari
- Arc
- Firefox
- Transmission
- App Store
- curl
AI coding agents
Recognised by name, along with every command they run.
- Claude Code
- Codex
- Gemini CLI
- Aider
- OpenCode
- Cursor Agent
- Copilot CLI
- Goose
Builds & dev tools
Compiles, tests, containers and long scripts.
- Xcode
- Docker
- npm
- cargo
- Gradle
- Android Studio
- your scripts
Sync & backup
Uploads and syncs that need the Mac on.
- Dropbox
- Google Drive
- OneDrive
- Backblaze
- rsync
Everything else
Finder copies, unzipping, installs, imports into Photos — if it's busy, it counts.
- Finder
- Archive Utility
- Photos
- Installer
04 · Built for AI agents
Let the agent work. Go to sleep yourself.
Hand Claude Code or Codex a long task and close the lid. Hold Sleep keeps the Mac awake while the agent thinks, edits and runs tests — and lets it sleep once the agent goes quiet.
- Knows agents by name — Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, Aider, OpenCode and more.
- Follows their commands too. The builds and tests an agent starts count as the agent working.
- Waits through thinking pauses. A quiet minute while the model writes isn't the end of the job.
05 · Lid closed
Close the lid. The work keeps going.
macOS always sleeps when you close a MacBook. Hold Sleep can change that — only while something is busy — and puts your Mac to sleep the moment the work is done.
- One-time approval. Your administrator password adds a rule that lets Hold Sleep switch sleep on and off — nothing else.
- Sleeps right after. When the last task finishes with the lid shut, your Mac goes to sleep immediately.
- Crash-proof. If Hold Sleep ever quits unexpectedly, a watchdog switches sleep back on within seconds.
06 · Smart, not stubborn
Awake for real work. Never for nothing.
An app that keeps your Mac up all night is worse than none. Hold Sleep is careful about what counts.
Ignores blips
A short spike in an app doesn't count. Work has to last before Hold Sleep steps in.
Music isn't work
Playing music, a video or sitting in a call doesn't hold your Mac awake — those apps handle that themselves.
Waits a beat
A short pause between files won't put your Mac to sleep. Choose the wait: 30 seconds to 10 minutes.
Battery guard
Stops below the battery level you choose, or only works when plugged in. Respects Low Power Mode.
Apps that never stop
Some apps ask macOS to stay awake forever. Hold Sleep sees through that and only counts real activity.
Always in control
Pause for an hour, keep awake on request, or switch it off from anywhere with ⌥⌘L.
07 · Your rules
Ignore any app with one click.
A virtual machine that's always busy? A sync client you don't care about? Hover it in the menu and choose Ignore. Hold Sleep stops watching it entirely.
- From the menu while it's busy, or from Settings › Ignored Apps anytime.
- Apps and command-line tools — ignore Docker, a script or an agent alike.
- Live activity view shows exactly what each app is doing, so you know what you're ignoring.
08 · Privacy
It watches the work, never you.
Hold Sleep only looks at activity counters — the same numbers Activity Monitor shows. Everything stays on your Mac.
On-deviceAll measuring happens on your Mac. No cloud, no servers.
Counters onlyCPU, disk and network totals per app. Never your files, screen or keystrokes.
No accountNo sign-up and no analytics. Nothing about your apps leaves your Mac.
Two requestsChecking your license key and, once a day, looking for app updates.
Pricing
One-time payment. Yours to keep.
No subscription. Pay once, get your license key instantly, and paste it into the app.
Hold Sleep
$9.99 one-time
- Every feature — any app, AI agents, lid-closed mode, battery guard, ignore list.
- Your key arrives instantly, on screen and by email.
- Free updates, installed from inside the app.
- Move it between Macs — deactivate on one, activate on the next.
- Secure checkout by Dodo Payments, with sales tax and VAT handled for you.
FAQ
Questions, answered.
How does Hold Sleep know an app is busy?
Every few seconds it looks at how hard each app is working: processor, disk and network use, plus the “don't sleep” signals apps like Chrome and video editors announce to macOS. Short blips are ignored; sustained work counts. Helper processes are grouped with their app, so Chrome's many helpers count as Chrome.
When does my Mac go back to sleep?
One minute after the last busy app goes quiet (you can choose 30 seconds to 10 minutes). After that macOS sleeps on its usual schedule — or immediately if the lid is closed.
Does it work with the lid closed?
Yes. In Settings › Battery & Lid, Hold Sleep asks for your administrator password once to add a rule that lets it run exactly one command: pmset disablesleep. It only keeps a closed Mac awake while work is running. Don't keep a running, closed Mac in a bag — it can get warm.
Which AI agents does it recognise?
Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, Aider, OpenCode, Goose, Amp, Cursor Agent, Copilot CLI, Qwen Code, Crush and more — plus every build, test or script they run.
Will it drain my battery?
Hold Sleep itself uses well under 1% of one processor core. It stops keeping your Mac awake below a battery level you choose (20% by default), can work only when plugged in, and respects Low Power Mode.
Can I stop it watching an app?
Yes — hover the app in the menu and choose Ignore, or add it in Settings › Ignored Apps. Ignored apps are never measured.
Does it keep the screen on?
No, not by default. Your display can turn off as usual; only system sleep is held off. If you want the screen on too, there's a setting for that.
Is there a free trial?
No — try the interactive demo above instead. Hold Sleep is a one-time purchase, and purchases are final as described in the Privacy & Refund Policy.
How do I get the app after paying?
The download link is on the page you land on after checkout, next to your license key. The key also arrives by email within a minute. Open Hold Sleep, go to Settings › License, paste it and press Activate.
What do I need to run it?
A Mac running macOS 14 Sonoma or later, Apple silicon or Intel.
How do I get help?
Email support@holdsleep.com. For anything about your purchase, include your payment ID (it starts with pay_) or your license key.
Let the work finish.
Then let it sleep.
Hold Sleep for macOS — one-time $9.99.