Menu bar app for Mac

Awake while your apps run. Asleep when they’re done.

Nightcap keeps your Mac awake only while the apps you choose are running: Codex, Ghostty, Xcode, Terminal or any other app. When they quit, your Mac sleeps on its normal schedule again.

Download on the Mac App Store How it works
  • Free
  • macOS 14 or later
  • No tracking
Two Nightcap menus: awake while Ghostty runs, then idle with sleep allowed
FreeNo account, no ads, no in-app purchases
OfflineNo analytics and no network access
macOS 14+Sonoma or later
What it does

Your AI agent has a goal. Sleep should not stop it.

A five-minute sleep timer is fine for email. It is not fine for a long build, an upload or a coding agent. Nightcap keeps the Mac awake for the work, and only for the work.

01

Awake for the apps you pick

Add Codex, Ghostty, Xcode, Terminal or any other app. While one of them runs, your Mac does not go to idle sleep.

02

Sleep comes back by itself

When the last watched app quits, Nightcap lets go and your Mac sleeps as usual. There is nothing to remember to turn off.

03

Made for long jobs

AI coding agents, builds, exports, uploads and command-line sessions keep running while you step away from your desk.

04

One cup in the menu bar

The cup fills while Nightcap keeps your Mac awake. The menu shows how many watched apps are active. There is no Dock icon.

05

Pause, resume, remove

Pause an app to keep it in your list without keeping the Mac awake. Resume it or remove it from the same menu.

06

Starts with your Mac

Turn on Launch at Login and Nightcap is ready after each restart. After sleep and wake, it checks again which watched apps still run.

The Nightcap menu keeps the Mac awake for Ghostty, with Codex and Ghostty in the watched list
The Nightcap menu with no apps watched, sleep allowed, and an Add App button
Nightcap holds sleep while a watched app runs, then allows sleep when it quits
Nightcap is sandboxed, with no analytics and no network access
How it works

Add an app. Start the job. Walk away.

  1. Add an app

    Click the cup in the menu bar, choose Add App…, and pick the app that does the long work.

  2. Start the job

    Open the app and start your build, upload or agent. The cup fills, and your Mac stays awake while the app runs.

  3. Let it finish

    When the watched apps quit, Nightcap lets go. Your Mac goes to sleep on the schedule you set in System Settings.

Private by design

No tracking. No network.

Nightcap has no analytics and no network access. Your list of watched apps is one small file in the app sandbox on your Mac. The code is open source, so you can read it yourself.

Read the Privacy Policy See the source code
  • Runs in the macOS app sandbox
  • No analytics and no tracking
  • No network access
  • Open source under the MIT license
Questions

Good to know

Does Nightcap keep my display on?
No. Nightcap stops idle system sleep only. Your display can still turn off on its normal schedule, and your apps keep running.
What happens when a watched app quits?
Nightcap releases its hold, and your Mac sleeps on its normal schedule again. If more than one watched app runs, Nightcap waits for the last one to quit.
How is Nightcap different from caffeinate?
With caffeinate, you start and stop the hold yourself in Terminal. Nightcap watches the apps you choose and does it for you each time they run.
Is Nightcap free?
Yes. Nightcap Awake is free on the Mac App Store, with no account, no ads and no in-app purchases. The source code is on GitHub under the MIT license.
Which Macs does Nightcap support?
Nightcap needs macOS 14 Sonoma or later.
Can I install Nightcap with Homebrew?
Yes. Run brew install --cask Abdo-codes/tap/nightcap in Terminal.
Nightcap Awake app icon

Let the work finish.

Get Nightcap Awake free on the Mac App Store. Questions or bugs? Open an issue or email me.

Download on the Mac App Store