Claude Desktop's Keep computer awake setting stops idle sleep only. Anthropic's own docs say closing the laptop lid still puts the computer to sleep. If the lid can stay open, the setting is all you need and it is free. If the lid has to close, something else must keep the Mac awake: an external display, pmset, or an app such as Clamshell for Mac.
Only the last case needs anything extra. Clamshell for Mac keeps the Mac awake with the lid closed while armed, with no sudo and no monitor. Free for 7 days.
Download free trialApple Silicon, macOS 14+. Notarized by Apple. 3.6 MB. Or buy now, $9.99. Reading this on your phone? Send the Mac download link to yourself.
People usually find this out the hard way. You hand Claude a task from your phone, the setting is on, you shut the MacBook and leave, and an hour later nothing has moved. The setting did what it says. It just was never about the lid. Below: what Anthropic documents, which parts of Dispatch and Cowork run on your Mac as of October 11, 2026, and what does survive a closed lid.
What "Keep computer awake" does, in Anthropic's words
The clearest statement is in Anthropic's Claude Code Desktop docs on scheduled tasks, checked October 11, 2026:
- Name and place: "To prevent idle-sleep, turn on Keep computer awake in Settings > This computer > System."
- The limit, in the next sentence: "Closing the laptop lid still puts it to sleep."
Dispatch offers the same choice during setup. Anthropic's Dispatch help article describes a setup screen where "you can give Claude access to your files and keep your computer awake by toggling those on." That article does not say what the toggle covers, and it does not mention the lid at all.
Many people search for the description line printed under the toggle in the app. I could not find that line on any Anthropic help or docs page, so it is not reproduced here. The two sentences above are Anthropic's published wording, and they answer the question: idle sleep yes, lid no.
Idle sleep and lid-close sleep are separate things in macOS. Idle sleep is the timer that fires when nobody touches the Mac for a while, and apps are allowed to hold it off. Lid-close sleep starts the moment the lid shuts, and ordinary keep-awake requests do not stop it. That is also why caffeinate does not work with the lid closed.
What actually runs on your Mac in October 2026
This changed recently, and it decides whether the lid matters for you at all. Dispatch still works on your computer. Cowork mostly does not.
| What you use | Where the work runs | Needs Mac awake | Anthropic's wording |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dispatch | Your desktop computer | Yes | "your computer needs to be awake and the Claude Desktop app open while Claude works" |
| Cowork task, no local files | Anthropic's servers | No | "Close your laptop and Claude keeps going." |
| Cowork task using local files or your browser | Cloud, reaching into your Mac | For the local part | "keep the desktop app open so Claude can reach them" |
| Computer use | Your screen and apps | Yes | "Your computer needs to be awake and the Claude Desktop app needs to be open" |
| Local scheduled task in the Code tab | Your machine | Yes | "only fires while the app is open and your computer is awake" |
Dispatch
Dispatch is one continuous conversation with Claude that you can reach from the Claude mobile app and from the desktop. Per Anthropic's article, you "message Claude from your phone and have it work on your desktop computer, using your local files, connectors, plugins, and apps." Development tasks open a Claude Code session and knowledge work opens a Cowork session. It needs the Claude Desktop app on macOS, Windows x64 or Linux, the mobile app, and a Pro or Max plan. Two caveats from the same page: it is a limited beta, and "Dispatch isn't available to new users." If you already have it, it keeps working for now.
Cowork
Cowork is Claude taking on multi-step tasks for you rather than answering one prompt at a time. On October 6, 2026, Anthropic moved it: its help article says new Cowork tasks on Pro and Max plans run in the cloud, the "Only on your computer" option was removed, and you cannot switch back. Tasks you started on your computer before that date stay there until they finish. Anthropic is also folding the Cowork name into plain Claude, so your app may no longer show a separate Cowork option.
The practical result: a new Cowork task that only uses connectors and files saved to your Claude account does not care about your lid. A task that reads a folder on your Mac, drives your browser or uses computer use still does, because Claude reaches those through the Desktop app "only while it's open." Cowork scheduled tasks follow the same split: they run remotely, unless a task needs local files or apps, in which case Anthropic says it "will only run locally."
What a sleeping Mac does to the task
A sleeping Mac runs nothing, so the local work stops in every case. What happens afterwards differs, and Anthropic is specific about some cases and silent on others.
- Cowork session in the cloudStated: it keeps running. Anthropic says it cannot reach your local files while the app is closed.
- Older local Cowork sessionStated: "If the app was closed or your computer went to sleep, the session may have ended."
- Dispatch taskNot stated. Anthropic says the computer must be awake while Claude works, and nothing about resuming after a wake.
- Local scheduled task in the Code tabStated: a run the Mac sleeps through is skipped, and on wake Desktop starts one catch-up run for the most recent miss in the last seven days.
- Claude Code Remote ControlStated: it "reconnects automatically when your machine comes back online."
So the sources do not line up neatly, and they are describing different products. For Dispatch the honest position is that a resume after sleep is unconfirmed. Plan as if the task may need a restart when you open the lid. The quotes above come from Anthropic's Cowork, Desktop scheduled tasks and Remote Control pages. The Remote Control lid-closed guide covers that last case in detail.
If Dispatch is not working on your Mac, sleep is one cause of several
Check these in order before blaming the lid. Each comes from the requirements and limitations Anthropic lists.
- The Claude Desktop app is not open. Dispatch needs the app running on the computer, not just installed.
- The Mac is asleep. Lid closed, or idle sleep with the keep-awake toggle off.
- One of the apps is out of date. Anthropic asks for the most recent version of both the Desktop app and the mobile app.
- One device is offline. Both the phone and the computer need an internet connection.
- Your plan or account does not have it. Dispatch is for Pro and Max only, and the Claude Code Desktop docs say it is not available on Team or Enterprise plans. New users do not get it at all. If Dispatch is missing from the side panel, Anthropic's advice is to use Cowork in the cloud.
- The task needs computer use on Linux. Computer use is not part of the Linux beta.
Ways to keep it running, starting with the free ones
| Option | Lid can close | What it takes | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Run it as a cloud Cowork task | Yes | A task that needs nothing from this Mac | No local folders, browser or computer use while the Mac sleeps |
| Keep computer awake, lid open | No | The toggle in Claude Desktop. Free | The lid stays open, and the Mac is better off on power |
| External display (closed-display mode) | Yes | Power, a display, and an external keyboard and mouse, per Apple | A desk setup only |
pmset disablesleep |
Yes, with risk | Admin rights: sudo pmset -a disablesleep 1 |
Stays on for the whole system until you undo it |
| Clamshell for Mac | Yes, while armed | Apple Silicon, macOS 14+, no sudo or monitor | $9.99 once after a 7-day trial; pauses while an external display is connected |
The task does not touch this Mac
Start it as a normal Cowork task. It runs on Anthropic's servers, so there is nothing to keep awake and nothing to buy.
The lid can stay open
Turn on Keep computer awake, plug in, and dim the screen. This is the setup Anthropic's setting was made for.
Lid closed at a desk with a monitor
Apple's closed-display mode does it with hardware you already have. No extra software.
Lid closed, no monitor
This is the gap. Either pmset with a reminder to turn it off, or Clamshell, which changes lid sleep only while armed and never across a restart.
Clamshell for Mac keeps a MacBook awake with the lid closed while armed, so Dispatch still has a computer to work on. No sudo, no monitor. Free for 7 days, then $9.99 once.
Download free trialApple Silicon, macOS 14+. Notarized by Apple. 3.6 MB. Also on Setapp.
Set up a lid-closed Dispatch session with Clamshell
You need an Apple Silicon MacBook on macOS 14 or later, on a hard surface with air around it, ideally plugged in. Unplug external displays first, because Clamshell pauses instead of arming while one is connected.
- Prove Dispatch works with the lid open. Open the Claude Desktop app, send a small task from your phone and wait for the reply. Fix pairing, permissions and app approvals now, while you can see the screen.
- Leave Keep computer awake on. It still covers idle sleep, including any time the lid is open. The two do not conflict.
- Arm Clamshell. Use the menu bar menu, or hold Option while closing the lid on a MacBook Air M2 (2022) or later or a 14-inch or 16-inch MacBook Pro (2021) or later.
- Check the armed state, then close the lid. Open Clamshell's menu and confirm it shows armed, not paused. Then send a second small task from your phone and wait for the answer before you walk away.
- Disarm when you are done. Open the lid, let the task finish, and disarm from the menu. Confirm it is inactive before the Mac goes in a bag.
Arming from the menu bar menu covers the next lid close only, and an Option-close session ends when you open the lid. Right-click and Shortcuts arming stay on until you disarm. A closed, awake Mac needs airflow: never leave one running in a bag.
What Clamshell does and does not do here: while armed it keeps the Mac awake and on the network with the lid closed and the built-in display black, and the Mac locks when you open the lid. Agents can use the screen during an armed lid-closed session, so computer use keeps working; that setting is on by default. Thermal safety is always on: at serious or critical thermal pressure Clamshell disarms toward normal lid sleep, which pauses your task too. It does not detect Claude or approve permission prompts. Your phone still does that.
For the wider picture, how to keep a MacBook awake with the lid closed compares every method, and can AI agents use the screen with the lid closed covers computer use specifically.
Frequently asked questions
Does Keep computer awake in Claude Desktop work with the lid closed?
No. Anthropic's Claude Code Desktop docs say the setting prevents idle sleep and that closing the laptop lid still puts the computer to sleep. It keeps a Mac awake while the lid is open and nobody is touching it, which is the case it was built for.
Does Claude Cowork keep working when my computer sleeps?
The cloud part does. As of October 2026 Anthropic says Cowork sessions run on its servers and keep running when the desktop app is closed or the computer is asleep. Anything the task needs from your Mac, such as local files, your browser or computer use, waits until the Mac is awake with the Claude Desktop app open.
Does Claude Dispatch need my Mac to stay awake?
Yes. Anthropic's Dispatch article says Dispatch runs your tasks on your desktop, so the computer needs to be awake and the Claude Desktop app open while Claude works. For work that should continue with the computer off, Anthropic points to a cloud session instead.
Where is the Keep computer awake setting in Claude Desktop?
Anthropic's Claude Code Desktop docs place it in Settings, then This computer, then System. The Dispatch setup screen also offers a toggle to keep your computer awake when you first set Dispatch up.
Does a Dispatch task resume after my Mac wakes up?
Anthropic does not say. Its Dispatch article only states that the computer must be awake while Claude works. Its Cowork article says that if the computer went to sleep during a local session, the session may have ended, so do not count on a clean resume.
How do I keep Claude Dispatch running with the MacBook lid closed?
Keep the Mac itself awake after the lid closes. That means Apple's closed-display mode with an external display, power, keyboard and mouse, the sudo pmset -a disablesleep 1 command, or a lid-closed app such as Clamshell for Mac. The Keep computer awake setting and caffeinate do not cover a closed lid.
Related guides
- How to keep a MacBook awake with the lid closed
- Claude Code Remote Control with the MacBook lid closed
- Does Claude Code keep your Mac awake with the lid closed?
- Claude Code cloud sessions vs running locally on your Mac
- Can AI agents use the screen with the MacBook lid closed?
- Why caffeinate does not work with the lid closed
- Is it safe to run a MacBook with the lid closed?
Sources checked October 11, 2026: Anthropic's Claude Code docs for Desktop, Desktop scheduled tasks and Remote Control; the Claude Help Center articles on Dispatch, Cowork, Cowork on web, desktop and mobile, Cowork scheduled tasks and computer use; and Apple's guidance on using a Mac laptop with its lid closed. Dispatch and Cowork are changing quickly, so check Anthropic's current Dispatch article before relying on a detail. No new hardware testing was done for this page. Clamshell is an independent app, not affiliated with or endorsed by Anthropic. Claude is a trademark of Anthropic.