For keeping a MacBook awake with the lid closed, pick Clamshell. It needs no admin rights or root helper, never touches the system-wide pmset disablesleep setting, and runs on macOS 14 or later, where Adrafinil needs macOS 26.
Clamshell for Mac keeps the Mac awake with the lid closed while armed. No sudo, no monitor. Free for 7 days, then $9.99 once.
Download free trialApple Silicon, macOS 14+. Notarized by Apple. 3.6 MB. Or buy now, $9.99. On your phone? Send the Mac download link to yourself.
pmset disablesleep through a root helper while an agent is working.Clamshell for Mac is a menu bar app for Apple Silicon MacBooks: you arm it, close the lid, and the Mac keeps running with the built-in display black. It uses an unprivileged system control, needs no admin rights, and runs on macOS 14 or later. Adrafinil is a free, MIT-licensed app that keeps a Mac awake only while AI agents are working: hooks in Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and others acquire and release a hold, and a privileged helper toggles pmset disablesleep.
Why Clamshell is the better pick
- No admin rights, no root helper. Adrafinil's standard install asks an administrator once to register a privileged helper that runs as root. Clamshell needs neither, so it also fits work Macs where you are not an administrator.
- No system-wide sleep flag to clean up.
pmset disablesleepis a system setting; Adrafinil's README says it must be cleared or it leaks, which is why its helper resets it on respawn. Clamshell never changes that setting, and its lid change is never saved across a restart. - Runs on the macOS you have. Clamshell supports macOS 14 or later. Adrafinil requires macOS 26, or a community backport for macOS 15.
- Any job, not only hooked agents. Downloads, renders, builds or SSH sessions stay up as long as you keep it armed. Adrafinil holds sleep while an agent hook or process sniffer reports work.
- Battery and thermal safeguards. An optional low-battery disarm, and thermal safety that is always on and acts at serious pressure, not only critical.
pmset disablesleep, and registering that helper needs an administrator once.
Skip the root helper. Try Clamshell free for 7 days with no payment details, then $9.99 once for one Mac. 14-day money-back guarantee.
Download free trialApple Silicon, macOS 14+. Notarized by Apple. 3.6 MB. Or buy now, $9.99.
Side-by-side comparison
Every Adrafinil cell comes from its own pages, checked October 2, 2026. "Not stated" means we could not find it on their official pages; it does not mean the feature is missing.
| Clamshell Recommended | Adrafinil | |
|---|---|---|
| Admin or helper | None. No sudo, admin rights, kernel extension, driver, or privileged helper. | Admin rights once at first launch to register the root helper. A non-admin install path covers the CLI only. |
| How closed-lid works | Unprivileged IOKit clamshell sleep-state control plus an idle-sleep assertion while armed. Not pmset. |
A privileged helper sets pmset disablesleep while a hold is live, per its README. It also suppresses idle sleep while held. |
| Restore behavior | Option-close and menu arming cover the next close; on lid open the Mac locks. Right-click and Shortcuts arming stay until disarmed. Never persists across a restart. | Sleeps normally once the last agent session releases. Locks on lid close. The helper resets disablesleep to 0 on respawn so a crash does not leave it on; manual fallback is sudo pmset -a disablesleep 0. |
| Platform | Apple Silicon MacBooks, macOS 14 or later. | macOS 26 or later. A community fork backports to macOS 15. Chip support not stated. |
| Thermal safeguard | Always on. Serious or critical thermal pressure disarms toward normal lid sleep and blocks arming until cooled. | A thermal cutout force-releases the hold. |
| Battery safeguard | Optional low-battery disarm at a level you choose, off by default. Re-applies on every plug or unplug. | Not stated. |
| Closed-lid support | Yes, with no external display. | Yes, with the lid fully closed. |
| Price | 7-day free trial, then $9.99 once for 1 Mac or $19.99 for 3 Macs. 14-day money-back guarantee. | Free. Open source under the MIT license. |
| Agent auto-detection | No. Arm from scripts with clamshell://arm and clamshell://disarm, or Shortcuts actions. |
Yes. One-click hooks for Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Aider, Hermes, OpenCode, Cline and Pi, plus optional process sniffing. |
| Availability | clamshell.dev and Setapp. Notarized by Apple. | Signed, notarized DMG from GitHub releases and an official Homebrew cask. |
| Source code | Closed source. | Open source, MIT. |
For agent runs, the Clamshell wrapper calls open "clamshell://arm" before the run and open "clamshell://disarm" after. The Claude Code lid-closed guide has a complete script.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an admin password for Clamshell?
No. Clamshell uses an unprivileged system control, so there is no sudo, admin prompt or privileged helper. Adrafinil's standard install asks for admin rights once to register its privileged helper.
Does Clamshell leave anything behind?
No. Clamshell never changes the persistent pmset SleepDisabled setting, its lid change is never saved across a restart, and it restores normal lid sleep when you disarm or quit. Adrafinil's README notes that pmset disablesleep must be cleared or it leaks, so its helper resets it on respawn.
Does Clamshell run on macOS 14 or 15?
Yes. Clamshell runs on macOS 14 or later on Apple Silicon MacBooks. Adrafinil requires macOS 26 or later, with a community backport for macOS 15.
Is there a free trial?
Yes. Clamshell is free for 7 days with no payment details, then $9.99 once for one Mac or $19.99 for three, with a 14-day money-back guarantee. Adrafinil is free and open source under the MIT license.
What is the difference between Adrafinil and Clamshell?
Adrafinil is a free, open-source app that holds sleep only while AI agents are working, using a root helper that sets pmset disablesleep. Clamshell for Mac is a paid menu bar app that keeps an Apple Silicon MacBook awake with the lid closed while armed, with no admin rights or helper.
Does Clamshell detect AI agents like Adrafinil does?
No. Adrafinil has hooks for agents such as Claude Code, Codex and Cursor. Clamshell keeps the Mac awake while armed, whatever is running; a wrapper script can arm it with clamshell://arm and disarm it with clamshell://disarm.
If you want a free, open-source tool with agent hooks and you run macOS 26 with admin rights, Adrafinil covers that.
Clamshell is the pick for a closed lid. No admin rights, no root helper, and nothing saved across a restart. Free for 7 days, then $9.99 once.
Download free trialApple Silicon, macOS 14+. Notarized by Apple. 3.6 MB. Or buy now, $9.99.
Related guides
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- Clamshell vs Hold My Lid
- Best apps to keep a MacBook awake with the lid closed
- What sudo pmset disablesleep 1 does and how to undo it
- Keep Claude Code running with the lid closed
Sources checked October 2, 2026: Adrafinil's homepage and GitHub README, rechecked October 5, 2026. Clamshell details come from its own documentation and changelog. Clamshell is the publisher of this comparison. Product names belong to their respective owners.