Caffeine is a portable keep-awake utility for Windows and macOS. It keeps the display on, prevents idle system sleep so long-running processes can continue, and can attempt to preserve an active presence in applications. It does not permanently change the operating system's power settings.
Open windows/Caffeine.cmd to activate Caffeine. Open it again, use Deactivate in the lower-right counter window, or choose Deactivate and exit from the tray icon to stop it.
The optional windows/Install desktop shortcut.cmd creates or updates a Desktop shortcut.
See windows/README.md for Windows usage, options, and limitations.
Run macos/Caffeine.command. On its first run it creates ~/Applications/Caffeine.app; after that, the same launcher toggles Caffeine on or off. The lower-right window shows the elapsed time and includes a Deactivate button.
You can also run macos/Install Caffeine.command explicitly to install or update the application without activating it.
See macos/README.md for the one-time executable-permission step, macOS privacy permissions, advanced preferences, and limitations.
- Keeps the display awake and prevents automatic idle sleep only while Caffeine is active.
- Shows
Caffeined, a live elapsed-time counter, and an easy way to deactivate the process. - Uses a 240-second inactivity threshold by default before attempting a harmless
F15activity pulse. - Does not move the pointer or type text.
- Stops only when you deactivate it; there is no automatic time limit.
- Runs locally, does not collect input contents, and does not use the network.
| Capability | Windows | macOS |
|---|---|---|
| Prevent display and idle sleep | Native Windows execution-state API | Built-in caffeinate utility |
| Presence activity pulse | Windows SendInput |
macOS System Events |
| Extra permission for the pulse | Normally none | Accessibility and Automation approval may be required |
| Visual status | Lower-right window and tray icon | Lower-right native window |
The activity pulse is best-effort on both platforms. Slack, Discord, or another application may ignore injected activity or apply its own presence rules. Caffeine never overrides a status you selected manually, such as Away, Do not disturb, or Invisible.
Using activity simulation may violate an organization's policies. Use it only when permitted, or disable the presence simulation and use only the keep-awake behavior.
.
|-- windows/ Windows launcher, PowerShell implementation, icon, and documentation
|-- macos/ macOS launcher, application sources, installer, icon, and documentation
|-- LICENSE
`-- README.md
This project is available under the MIT License.