IN THE FIELD GUIDE
holdmylid
holdmylid.app
Hold My Lid is a macOS menu bar app that keeps your Mac awake while AI coding agents like Claude Code, Codex, and others work, even with the lid closed. It holds a macOS power assertion only while an agent is mid-task and lets the Mac sleep again as soon as the agents go idle.
THE PRODUCT, BEYOND THE PITCH
Editorially reviewed · Sources checked Sep 11, 2026
A good fit for
- Users running AI coding agents like Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Gemini, and others on macOS who want to keep their Mac awake with the lid closed.
Know the limitations
- Requires macOS 14 or later and works on both Apple Silicon and Intel Macs.
- Cannot guarantee staying awake in all situations; it honestly reports when it cannot guarantee wakefulness.
What you can do
- Keeping Mac awake with lid closed while AI coding agents run tasks to allow uninterrupted coding workflows.
- Automatically releasing the wake lock to let the Mac sleep as soon as coding agents finish their tasks.
Features
- Agent-driven wake lock that holds wake assertions only while a watched agent is working, allowing idle agents to let the Mac sleep.
- Accurate state detection via lifecycle hooks reporting Working / Idle per session for Claude Code, Codex, and OpenCode.
- Battery guardrails including configurable cut-off threshold, “only when plugged in” mode, and respect for Low Power Mode.
- Display control to turn the display off on lid close, while agents run, or N seconds after they finish.
- Notifications and chimes with banner and one of 10 bundled sounds when it engages, finishes, or hits battery limit.
Integrations
- Supports lifecycle hooks integration with Claude Code, Codex CLI, OpenCode, Gemini, Pi, Copilot CLI, Hermes, and process detection for Cursor, Cline.
Platforms & data export
- macOS 14 or later on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs.
THE COST FOR YOUR TEAM
Go beyond the starting price.
Published plan prices for your team size and usage. Results update as you type. Taxes, currency conversion and unlisted add-ons are excluded, and anything the source did not state is called out rather than guessed.
Known monthly subtotal
$0.00/month
1 of 1 tools could not be priced with these inputs, so this is not the full cost.
| Tool / plan | Monthly | Per year | What this assumes |
|---|---|---|---|
| No pricing recorded yet. Check the official site, or ask the owner to add it. | |||
A practical workflow
- Keeps Mac awake only while agents are working by monitoring lifecycle hooks or process detection, then releases wake lock when idle.
- Provides notifications and sounds when it engages, finishes, or hits battery limits.
- Allows toggling the app on or off globally with a keyboard shortcut (⌥⌘L).
Based on the sources below. Editorial review does not imply hands-on product testing.
Alternatives to explore
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