🔌 Android tooling
Keep your Mac awake while adb talks to your device
A big adb push, an APK install, or a logcat stream you're watching can all outlast your idle timer - and adb spends a lot of time simply waiting on the device. AwakeMate keeps the Mac awake through the whole thing.
Free 14-day trial · one-time $39.99 · no telemetry · macOS 13+
When your Mac sleeps mid-adb
You start an adb push of a large asset bundle, or leave adb logcat streaming while you reproduce a bug. adb often sits waiting on the device with the CPU near idle, so the Mac decides nothing is happening and sleeps - dropping the transfer or cutting your logcat short right when the bug fires.
AwakeMate keeps it awake while adb runs
AwakeMate recognises Android Debug Bridge by its process name adb, on-device, with no permissions needed - not for the process scan and not for talking to the device. As long as the adb server is running, the Mac is held awake.
Detected process: adb
Tip: leave "Sleep when tools go idle" off
Keep idle-sleep off for adb. It often waits on the device - during a push, an install, or a quiet stretch of logcat - so the CPU looks idle even though work is in flight. Idle-sleep would cut that short, so leave it off and stay awake the whole session.
Get the most out of it
- Watch
adbalongside the emulator or Android Studio so device installs and on-device runs stay covered end to end. - Keeping logcat open to catch an intermittent bug? With adb watched, the Mac stays awake as long as the stream is running.
More questions about adbtap to expand
adb sits idle waiting on the device - will my Mac still stay awake?
Yes. That's why idle-sleep is left off for adb. AwakeMate keeps the Mac awake for as long as adb is running, so a quiet wait during a push or logcat never lets the machine sleep.
Will a long file push or APK install complete without the Mac sleeping?
Yes. While adb is running, the Mac is held awake, so a large adb push or install runs to completion even if you step away.
Does adb detection need any permissions?
None. Process detection works with no permissions, and AwakeMate doesn't touch the device connection itself - it only reads the short process name adb on-device. Notifications are the only thing it ever asks for, and only if you want them.
Best way to keep a Mac awake while adb pushes files or streams logcat?
Watch adb in AwakeMate and it handles the rest. As long as the adb server is running - through a big adb push, an install, or a logcat stream you're tailing - it keeps the Mac awake automatically. You don't run caffeinate before each transfer or remember to stop it afterwards.
Why use AwakeMate when I could just caffeinate or set sleep to Never?
Both work, but they're manual and global: caffeinate needs starting and stopping by hand, and "Never" holds the entire Mac awake around the clock with no idle-aware sleep or notch status to show what's keeping it up. AwakeMate scopes the awake state to adb running, so it covers a push or a logcat session and then steps out of the way - without changing your saved sleep settings.
I want to leave adb logcat running overnight - will my Mac stay awake on battery?
AwakeMate will keep the Mac awake while adb runs, but for unattended overnight work keep it on power and the lid open - AwakeMate prevents idle sleep only while the lid is open; with the lid shut macOS still sleeps unless you're on power with an external display. For battery you can set a low-battery cutoff so it stops holding the Mac awake once the charge drops below your threshold, rather than draining it flat.
Will it keep my Mac awake for adb with the lid closed, even on battery?
Yes. Turn on "Keep awake with the lid closed" in Settings - Options and approve the one-time helper; AwakeMate then keeps the Mac awake with the lid shut while adb runs, and dims the built-in screen so it is not draining the battery under the lid. It works on most Apple Silicon Macs (Apple forces sleep on some, so close your lid once to confirm). It works on battery too, but real work drains it faster, so keep it on power for long runs. See how it works.