🧱 Build tool
Keep your Mac awake while make runs
A Makefile can drive a long chain of compile and link steps, sometimes in parallel with -j. AwakeMate keeps your Mac awake from the first recipe to the last.
Free 14-day trial · one-time $39.99 · no telemetry · macOS 13+
When your Mac sleeps mid-Make
A big make run walks the dependency graph one recipe at a time - compiling sources, linking objects, running generated tooling - with long CPU-bound stretches and no input. macOS sleeps mid-recipe, the build stops partway, and because Make tracks targets by timestamp, an interrupted link can leave a stale object that quietly breaks the next run.
AwakeMate keeps it awake while Make runs
AwakeMate recognises Make by its process name, make, including parallel builds started with make -j. The compilers it spawns run as children, so a single match keeps the Mac awake across the whole build tree.
Detected process: make
Tip: turn on "Sleep when tools go idle"
Make builds are sustained CPU work that ends sharply. With idle-sleep on, AwakeMate keeps the Mac awake while make and its child compilers are busy and lets it sleep the moment the build returns to the prompt - ideal for the long bottom-up rebuild you leave running.
Get the most out of it
- Parallel builds with
-jkeep more cores busy but the samemakeentry covers them - no extra setup needed. - Some Makefiles call sub-tools like compilers or codegen directly. They run under
make, so the whole tree stays covered.
More questions about Maketap to expand
Does it cover parallel make -j builds?
Yes. Parallel builds still run under the make process, and the compilers it spawns are children of it, so the Mac stays awake throughout.
What if my Makefile shells out to other tools?
Those run as child processes of make, so matching make keeps the Mac awake for the full build.
Does it work for any project, not just C?
Yes. AwakeMate watches the make process itself, so it doesn't matter what language the recipes compile.
What's the best way to keep my Mac awake during a long make build?
Add the make process to AwakeMate and it keeps the Mac awake automatically across the whole build tree, including parallel make -j runs and the compilers Make spawns. With idle-sleep on it powers through the recipes and then lets the Mac sleep the moment the build returns to the prompt.
Can't I just wrap make in caffeinate or set sleep to Never?
You can - caffeinate -i make -j or Energy Saver set to "Never" both keep the Mac awake. But they are manual and all-or-nothing: you have to remember the wrapper or to switch the setting back, and they hold the Mac awake for everything with no idle-aware sleep. AwakeMate automates the same effect per build tool and sleeps the moment the build finishes - without touching your saved energy settings.
Why does my Mac keep sleeping partway through a make build?
A long make run compiles and links one recipe at a time with no input events, so macOS reads the silence as idle and starts its sleep timer - which can leave a stale object behind. AwakeMate blocks idle sleep while make and its child compilers are busy, without changing any energy preferences.
Will it keep my Mac awake for Make 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 Make 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.