Menu bar app for macOS

Keep your Mac awake
with the lid closed.

Start a long task, shut the laptop, and your Mac keeps working. Clawake keeps it awake through a closed lid, so Claude Code runs, builds, and servers stay alive and reachable from anywhere, no dropped sessions.

Download for Mac See how it works

FreemacOS 13 and upUniversal (Apple Silicon & Intel)

Notarized by Apple No account, no tracking Free to use Under a megabyte Universal, Apple Silicon & Intel
The whole app

One switch in your menu bar.

Click the car, flip it on. Your live status and optional guards are right there, and there is nothing to configure.

The Clawake menu bar panel: switched on and keeping the Mac awake, showing power, temperature, and lid-closed status
Why Clawake

Built to stay out of your way.

Everything you need to keep a Mac working, and nothing you have to babysit.

Works with the lid closed

Shut the lid and drop it in your bag. Clawake keeps the Mac awake through a closed lid, with no external monitor required.

Your session survives

A Claude Code run, a build, an SSH session, a local server: they keep running instead of freezing the moment the Mac would sleep.

Don't lock the screen

Optionally keep the display on and unlocked so nothing interrupts a long task. Turn it off and the screen locks as normal.

Small and native

Written in Swift and under a megabyte. It lives in the menu bar with no Dock icon and nothing running in the background.

Guards built in

Pause on low battery or high heat, and keep awake only on AC power. It stays out of trouble on its own, no watching required.

One switch, no setup

On or off. No account, no menus to learn, no configuration. Notarized by Apple, and gone in one drag to the Trash when you're done.

Setup in a minute

Three steps, then forget it.

1

Install

Download the DMG and drag Clawake to your Applications folder. It is notarized, so it opens with no warning.

2

Turn it on

Click the car in your menu bar and flip the switch. To keep it awake with the lid shut, approve it once in Login Items.

3

Close the lid

Pack it away or leave it on your desk. Your run keeps going, and you can pick it back up from anywhere.

FAQ

Common questions.

Everything about how Clawake keeps your Mac awake and what it does not touch.

Does it keep a Claude Code session running with the lid closed?

Yes. Clawake keeps the Mac awake, so a long Claude Code run, an agent task, a build, or any terminal process keeps going after you close the lid. Pair it with remote access to check in from your phone or another computer.

Does it work without an external monitor or power adapter?

Yes. Clawake keeps your Mac awake with the lid closed, on battery or on power, with no external display attached. It is a universal app that runs natively on Apple Silicon and Intel.

Can I reach my Mac remotely while the lid is closed?

Yes. Because the Mac stays awake instead of sleeping, remote access, SSH, and background servers keep working while it sits closed at home or travels in your bag.

Does it work with a corporate screen-lock policy?

Yes. Use the Enterprise build, or turn off "Don't lock the screen" in the standard build. Then Clawake only keeps the system awake, so the screen still locks on your company's schedule while your session keeps running behind the lock.

Will my Mac overheat with the lid closed?

Clawake watches the temperature and pauses automatically if the Mac runs hot, then resumes once it cools. You can set the cutoff or turn the guard off, and it can also pause on low battery.

How do I uninstall it?

Drag Clawake to the Trash. If you enabled lid-closed keep-awake, it restores normal sleep and removes its helper as part of that, leaving nothing behind.

Clawake app icon

Keep it awake.

One download, one switch. Free, and off your Mac in a single drag whenever you want.

Download for Mac

Free · macOS 13 and up · Universal (Apple Silicon & Intel)

For managed Macs

Deploying across a team?

The Enterprise build keeps Macs awake but never prevents the screen from locking, and it hides that control, so it stays compliant with your corporate screen-lock policy out of the box.

Enterprise build →