Verdict: pick Clamshell for Mac to keep a MacBook awake with the lid closed. It needs no admin password, sudo or helper, while Keepresso's closed-display mode asks for administrator rights. It never touches the system-wide pmset disablesleep setting that Keepresso's lid mode switches on. And it is built for the closed lid alone: the display stays black while agents can still use the screen, thermal protection is always on, and the Mac locks when you open it.
Clamshell for Mac keeps a MacBook awake with the lid closed, on power or battery. No admin password, no helper, 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
Keepresso and Clamshell both keep a MacBook running with the lid shut and no external display. Keepresso is a broad keep-awake toolkit: timed sessions, a trigger engine, agent awareness, headless-Mac tools and fifteen languages, with closed-display mode as one feature among many. Clamshell for Mac is built for exactly one job: you arm it, close the lid, and it restores normal lid sleep when you disarm, quit or open the lid after a one-close arm.
For the closed lid itself, that focus is the difference. Clamshell does it without administrator access and without changing a system-wide setting. The details below show why.
Side-by-side comparison
Keepresso cells come from its website, GitHub README and releases, checked October 5, 2026. "Not stated" means we could not find it on those pages; it does not mean the feature is missing.
| Clamshell Recommended | Keepresso | |
|---|---|---|
| Admin rights | None. No sudo, admin password, kernel extension, driver or privileged helper. | Needed for closed-display mode: a password once per app run, or once ever after approving its optional administrator helper. |
| How lid-closed works | Unprivileged IOKit clamshell sleep-state control plus an idle-sleep assertion while armed. Never changes pmset settings. | Flips pmset disablesleep, per its README. Ordinary keep-awake sessions use power assertions. |
| When it ends | Menu and Option-close arming cover the next close. Shortcuts and right-click arming last until you disarm. Restores normal lid sleep on disarm or quit; never kept across a restart. | Closed-display mode stays on until you turn it off, or follows the session in its Only while brewing mode, which also turns it off on quit or crash. |
| Thermal safeguard | Always on. Serious or critical thermal pressure disarms toward normal lid sleep and blocks arming until cooled. | Thermal safety net on macOS thermal pressure or chosen sensors: optional fan boost through the helper, then pauses the session. |
| Built-in display | Stays black while closed, and agents can still use the screen. After an armed close it stays dark on reopen until the Mac is locked. | Your choice: off, powered at zero brightness so a remote session stays live, or left alone. |
| Lid closed, no display | Yes, on power or battery. | Yes, with closed-display mode, on power or battery. |
| Price | 7-day free trial, then $9.99 once for 1 Mac or $19.99 for 3 Macs. 14-day money-back guarantee. | Free, with an optional donation link. |
| Platform | Apple Silicon MacBooks, macOS 14 or later. | macOS 14 or later. Chip support not stated. |
| Distribution | Notarized download from clamshell.dev, and Setapp. Version 1.4.21. | Signed, notarized DMG and a Homebrew tap (gyorgysh/keepresso/keepresso). Version 1.26.0 released October 4, 2026. |
| Battery safeguard | Optional low-battery disarm at a level you choose, off by default. | Battery-aware auto-pause below a threshold you choose. |
| Agent awareness | No. Arm from scripts with clamshell://arm and clamshell://disarm, or Shortcuts actions. | Yes. AI agent condition, opt-in hooks for Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, Grok and Antigravity, plus a lease CLI and MCP server. |
| Other automation | Shortcuts actions (Arm, Disarm, Toggle, Status) and a URL scheme. | Triggers for power, Wi-Fi, VPN, camera and mic, apps, CPU, downloads, schedules and more. Shortcuts, URL scheme, CLI. |
| Source code | Closed source. | Open source, GPL-3.0. |
| Languages | English, German, Spanish, French, Brazilian Portuguese. | Fifteen. |
How each app keeps a closed MacBook awake
A MacBook has two separate reasons to sleep. Idle sleep happens when nobody touches it; a power assertion, the thing caffeinate and most keep-awake apps hold, stops that. Lid sleep happens the moment the lid closes, and a power assertion alone does not stop it. Why caffeinate does not work with the lid closed covers this in detail.
Clamshell overrides lid sleep with an IOKit control that macOS lets an ordinary app use, so nothing asks for a password and nothing system-wide changes. Keepresso's normal sessions use power assertions, so on their own they cover only the lid-open case. For the closed lid it has a separate toggle, Keep awake with lid closed, that switches the system-wide pmset disablesleep setting. That setting needs root, which is why Keepresso asks for a password once per run or installs an optional administrator helper.
Agents: an armed switch that covers everything
Clamshell does not watch for agents. Once armed, it keeps the Mac awake for whatever is running until you disarm it, until the next lid open if you armed from the menu or with Option-close, or until a safety cutoff fires. You can wrap an agent run with open "clamshell://arm" and open "clamshell://disarm"; the Claude Code lid-closed guide has a full script.
Keepresso takes the other approach. Its AI agent condition keeps the Mac awake while a coding agent session is working and lets it sleep after a grace period you choose once every session goes quiet, with opt-in hooks for Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, Grok and Antigravity and a lease CLI and MCP server. For the closed lid, that still runs through the admin-gated pmset toggle above.
Why Clamshell is the better pick
- No administrator access at all. Keepresso's closed-display mode needs a password once per app run, or an administrator helper you approve once. Clamshell asks for neither, so it also works on Macs where you are not an admin.
- Nothing system-wide is left on.
pmset disablesleeptells the whole Mac to ignore sleep, and unless you enable Keepresso's optional Only while brewing mode, its README says to turn the setting off when you are done. Clamshell's override exists only while armed, normal lid sleep returns on disarm or quit, and nothing is saved across a restart. - Thermal safety you cannot switch off. Serious or critical thermal pressure disarms Clamshell toward normal lid sleep and blocks arming until the Mac cools.
- Built for the closed lid. The built-in display stays black while agents can still use the screen, and after an armed close it stays dark on reopen until the Mac is locked. If the lock cannot be confirmed, Clamshell restores the display and tells you to lock manually.
- Nothing to configure. Arm, close the lid, and it works on power or battery, through plug and unplug. Try it free for 7 days, then pay $9.99 once, with a 14-day money-back guarantee.
Close the lid without an admin prompt. Clamshell is free for 7 days, then $9.99 once for one Mac.
Download free trialApple Silicon, macOS 14+. Notarized by Apple. 3.6 MB. Or buy now, $9.99
Looking at other options? Compare Sleepless, another app that uses pmset disablesleep, and Helmlet, which adds fan control. The LidRun vs Amphetamine vs Clamshell comparison covers two more.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an admin password to keep a MacBook awake with the lid closed?
Not with Clamshell for Mac. It uses an unprivileged IOKit control, so there is no sudo, admin password or privileged helper. Keepresso's closed-display mode needs administrator rights: a password once per app run, or none after you approve its optional administrator helper.
Does Clamshell leave anything behind?
No. Clamshell never changes pmset or the system-wide SleepDisabled setting. Its lid override exists only while armed, normal lid sleep returns when you disarm or quit, and nothing is saved across a restart. Keepresso's closed-display mode switches pmset disablesleep, a system-wide setting.
Is there a free trial?
Yes. Clamshell is free for 7 days with no card, then $9.99 once for one Mac or $19.99 for up to 3 Macs, with a 14-day money-back guarantee. Keepresso is free and open source under the GPL-3.0 license.
What is the difference between Keepresso and Clamshell?
Keepresso is a free, open-source keep-awake app with triggers, agent awareness and an optional closed-display mode that switches pmset disablesleep with administrator rights. Clamshell for Mac is a single-purpose app that keeps an Apple Silicon MacBook awake with the lid closed while armed, using an unprivileged system control with no admin rights or helper.
Does Keepresso detect Claude Code and Codex?
Yes. Its AI agent condition keeps the Mac awake while a coding agent is working, with opt-in hooks for Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, Grok and Antigravity, plus a CLI and MCP server for leases. Clamshell does not detect agents; scripts arm and disarm it with clamshell://arm and clamshell://disarm or Shortcuts actions.
Is there a Keepresso alternative that needs no admin password for lid-closed use?
Clamshell for Mac. It keeps the lid closed without pmset, sudo, an admin password or a privileged helper, and restores normal lid sleep when you disarm or quit. It costs $9.99 once after a 7-day free trial.
If you need a free, open-source app that detects coding agents, or one for a Mac mini or Mac Studio, Keepresso covers that.
Ready to close the lid? Clamshell keeps your MacBook awake with no admin rights. 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
- Best apps to keep a Mac awake
- Clamshell vs Amphetamine vs pmset
- Clamshell vs Sleepless
- Clamshell vs Helmlet
- Hold My Lid vs Clamshell
- Clamshell vs Adrafinil
Sources checked October 5, 2026: Keepresso's homepage, GitHub README and 1.26.0 release. Clamshell details come from its own documentation and changelog. Clamshell is the publisher of this comparison. Product names belong to their respective owners.