Comparison
Perked vs caffeinate (and Claude Code’s built-in)
Looking for a caffeinate (and Claude Code’s built-in) alternative to keep your Mac awake while your coding agents work? Here's an honest look at how Perked and caffeinate (and Claude Code’s built-in) compare — what each is best at, and which one fits your workflow.
What is caffeinate (and Claude Code’s built-in)?
caffeinate is the macOS command-line tool that prevents sleep, and Claude Code now spawns it automatically to stop the Mac idling mid-session. Wrapping it in a Terminal command — or a Claude Code hook — is the free DIY way to keep your Mac awake.
The main difference
caffeinate keeps the Mac awake for one process or a fixed time, from the terminal. Claude Code’s built-in only covers Claude Code and only idle sleep. Perked covers every agent (and custom apps), survives lid-closed sessions on battery, adds battery-threshold safeguards, Lock & Leave, and timed overrides — with nothing to wire up.
Perked vs caffeinate (and Claude Code’s built-in), feature by feature
| Feature | Perked | caffeinate (and Claude Code’s built-in) |
|---|---|---|
| Auto-detects AI coding agents (zero setup) | Manual setup | |
| Power-aware (AC / battery threshold) | — | |
| Clamshell / lid-closed keep-awake | Manual setup | |
| Timed sessions | ||
| Lock & Leave (lock screen, stay awake) | — | |
| Runs entirely on-device (no account) | ||
| Open source | — | — |
| Price | One-time from €1 | Free (built-in) |
“Manual setup” means the app can do it, but you configure it yourself. Last reviewed June 2026.
Which should you pick?
Choose caffeinate (and Claude Code’s built-in) if…
- You only ever run Claude Code and idle keep-awake is enough.
- You are comfortable wrapping commands or writing hooks yourself.
- You do not need lid-closed, battery rules, or a UI.
Choose Perked if…
- You want it to just work across all your agents, no terminal setup.
- You need lid-closed sessions on battery, which caffeinate will not guarantee.
- You want battery-threshold safety, Lock & Leave, and timed overrides.
FAQ
Does Claude Code already keep my Mac awake? +
Claude Code spawns caffeinate to prevent idle sleep during its own sessions — but only for Claude Code, and not for lid-closed-on-battery or other agents. Perked covers every agent plus clamshell, battery rules, Lock & Leave, and timers.
Can I just use caffeinate in the terminal? +
Yes — caffeinate <command> keeps the Mac awake for that process’s lifetime. Perked does the same automatically for any detected agent, adds a battery threshold and lid-closed support, and needs no terminal wrangling.
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