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Keep your Mac awake while Aider runs
You are pair-programming with Aider in the terminal, reading a proposed change, when the Mac decides you are idle and drops to sleep mid-session. AwakeMate keeps it awake while Aider is open.
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When your Mac sleeps mid-Aider
Aider sits in a read-eval loop with you and the model: it waits for your instruction, sends it off, streams back an edit, and waits again. Between turns there is almost no CPU load, so macOS treats the quiet as idleness and sleeps. Reading a long diff or thinking about your next prompt is exactly when that happens, and a sleeping Mac can drop the session and the chat context you were building.
AwakeMate keeps it awake while Aider runs
AwakeMate watches for the aider process and keeps your Mac awake while it runs. Aider is installed via pip, so macOS often reports it simply as python; Deep CLI detection (on by default) reads the real script name so it is recognised as aider rather than a generic python process.
Detected process: aider
Tip: leave "Sleep when tools go idle" off
Leave "sleep when tools go idle" OFF for Aider. Most of a session is spent waiting on the model or on your next instruction, so idle sleep would read those natural pauses as you being finished and end the session.
Get the most out of it
- Keep Deep CLI detection on so the pip-installed Aider is seen as aider, not a bare python process.
- If you run several Python tools, the deep name match means AwakeMate keys on Aider specifically rather than any python process.
More questions about Aidertap to expand
Aider shows as "python" in Activity Monitor. Will AwakeMate still keep my Mac awake?
Yes. Deep CLI detection (on by default) reads the underlying script name, so a pip-installed Aider is recognised as aider rather than a generic python process.
Will my Mac sleep while I read a diff and think about the next prompt?
No. With idle sleep off, AwakeMate keeps the Mac awake the whole time the aider process is running, including those quiet moments between turns.
Does it work offline and keep my code private?
Yes. AwakeMate runs entirely on-device, reads only short process names, sends no telemetry, and re-validation of your licence fails open, so it keeps working without a connection.
What is the best way to stop my Mac sleeping while I pair-program with Aider?
Add aider to AwakeMate's watched tools and it keeps the Mac awake automatically for the whole session, then lets it sleep when you quit. There is nothing to start or stop each time you open Aider. Since Aider is installed with pip and often reports as python, Deep CLI detection reads the underlying script name so it keys on Aider specifically rather than any python process. That makes it the cleanest way to keep a read-eval session from dropping.
Should I use caffeinate or change my Energy Saver settings for Aider instead?
You can use caffeinate aider or set sleep to Never, but both are manual and broad. You have to remember to launch the wrapper every time and to undo the Never setting afterwards, and either approach keeps the entire Mac awake for everything rather than only while Aider is open. There is no idle-aware behaviour and no status surface. AwakeMate automates this per tool with the same gentle IOKit assertion as caffeinate, and never edits your saved energy preferences.
Why does my Mac sleep while Aider is open and waiting for my next prompt?
Between turns Aider barely touches the CPU - it is waiting on the model or on you to type - so macOS counts that quiet as inactivity and drops to sleep on its idle timer, taking your session and chat context with it. AwakeMate keeps the Mac awake the entire time the aider process is running, so reading a diff or thinking about your next instruction no longer triggers a sleep cycle.
Will it keep my Mac awake for Aider 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 Aider 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.