📼 Video transcoding
Keep your Mac awake while HandBrake transcodes
Queue up a folder of videos in HandBrake and the CLI can grind for hours, ripping through file after file with no input from you. macOS reads that as idle and sleeps the Mac partway through the batch. AwakeMate keeps the machine awake until the last title in the queue is encoded.
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When your Mac sleeps mid-HandBrake
A HandBrake batch is long and hands-off by nature - you point it at a queue and leave. But hours of input-free transcoding looks like idle time to macOS, so the Mac sleeps and the batch stops dead between files. Half your queue is converted, half is not, and the job has to be restarted.
AwakeMate keeps it awake while HandBrake runs
AwakeMate recognises the HandBrake command-line encoder by its process name, handbrakecli - note that the CLI reports as handbrakecli, not "handbrake". It is read from the local process list on-device, so a running batch is detected and the Mac is held awake automatically.
Detected process: handbrakecli
Tip: turn on "Sleep when tools go idle"
Turn on "Sleep when tools go idle" for HandBrake. While handbrakecli is actively transcoding it works the CPU hard, so AwakeMate keeps the Mac awake; when the final title in your batch finishes and the encoder goes quiet, the Mac sleeps on its own. You power through the whole queue and the machine shuts down the instant the batch is complete.
Get the most out of it
- Build your full conversion queue in HandBrake before you start so AwakeMate keeps the Mac awake across every title, not just the first.
- If you script with the CLI directly, remember AwakeMate matches
handbrakecli- that is the process name the command-line encoder runs under.
More questions about HandBraketap to expand
My process is called handbrakecli, not handbrake - does it still work?
Yes. AwakeMate matches the HandBrake CLI exactly by its real process name, handbrakecli. Whether you launch a batch from the app's queue or script the CLI, it is recognised and the Mac is kept awake.
Will the Mac sleep before my whole batch finishes?
No. AwakeMate keeps it awake while handbrakecli is transcoding. With "Sleep when tools go idle" on, the Mac only sleeps once the final title in the queue is done and the encoder is idle.
Does AwakeMate read my video files?
No. It reads only the short process name handbrakecli locally, with no telemetry. Your source files, presets and output never leave your Mac.
What's the best way to keep my Mac awake through a HandBrake batch?
Add HandBrake to AwakeMate - it matches the CLI's real process name, handbrakecli - and it keeps the Mac awake automatically as soon as a batch starts, no flag required. With "Sleep when tools go idle" on, the Mac powers through every title in the queue while the encoder is busy, then sleeps the instant the final title is done, so you get the whole batch and a machine that powers itself down the moment it's finished.
Should I just use caffeinate or set sleep to Never for a HandBrake queue?
Both work, but both are manual and all-or-nothing. Wrapping the encoder in caffeinate only covers that one command and you have to remember to start and stop it; setting Energy Saver to "Never" holds the Mac awake for everything until you change it back. AwakeMate uses the same idle-sleep assertion as caffeinate but ties it to handbrakecli automatically, shows the state in the notch, and with idle-sleep on sleeps the Mac the second the batch ends - without ever changing your saved settings.
Why does my Mac fall asleep partway through transcoding a folder of videos?
A HandBrake batch is hands-off by design - you point it at a queue and leave - but hours with no keyboard input look like idle time to macOS, so it sleeps the Mac and the batch stops dead between files. AwakeMate prevents that idle sleep while handbrakecli runs (lid open), never touching your Energy Saver preferences. For a long overnight queue, run on power or set the low-battery cutoff so a draining battery doesn't end the job for you.
Will it keep my Mac awake for HandBrake 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 HandBrake 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.