caffeine

name	caffeine
description	Prevent the computer screen and system from falling asleep on macOS or Windows. Use when the user wants to keep their display awake, disable sleep, or run a long task without interruption.

Caffeine

Keeps your computer awake by preventing display and system sleep.

Quick Start

macOS

caffeinate -d

Windows (PowerShell)

# Keep display awake until Ctrl+C
while ($true) {
  $wsh = New-Object -ComObject WScript.Shell
  $wsh.SendKeys('{SCROLLLOCK}{SCROLLLOCK}')
  Start-Sleep -Seconds 60
}

---

macOS

Uses the built-in caffeinate command (no installation needed).

Options

Command	Effect
caffeinate	Prevent sleep until terminated
caffeinate -d	Prevent display from sleeping
caffeinate -i	Prevent idle sleep
caffeinate -s	Prevent system sleep (AC power only)
caffeinate -t 3600	Prevent sleep for 1 hour (seconds)
caffeinate -d -t 1800	Keep display on for 30 minutes

Examples

Keep display on for 2 hours:

caffeinate -d -t 7200

Keep awake while a command runs:

caffeinate -i -- long-running-command

Run in background:

caffeinate -d &
# To stop later:
pkill caffeinate

Check if running:

pgrep -l caffeinate

---

Windows

Option 1: PowerShell (no install)

Prevent sleep by simulating activity (Ctrl+C to stop):

while ($true) {
  $wsh = New-Object -ComObject WScript.Shell
  $wsh.SendKeys('{SCROLLLOCK}{SCROLLLOCK}')
  Start-Sleep -Seconds 60
}

Option 2: powercfg (change power settings)

Disable sleep temporarily:

# Disable sleep on AC power
powercfg /change standby-timeout-ac 0
powercfg /change monitor-timeout-ac 0

# Re-enable later (e.g., 30 minutes)
powercfg /change standby-timeout-ac 30
powercfg /change monitor-timeout-ac 15

Option 3: Presentation mode

# Enable presentation mode (disables sleep + notifications)
presentationsettings /start

# Disable when done
presentationsettings /stop

Option 4: One-liner with .NET

# Prevent sleep for duration of script
Add-Type -AssemblyName System.Windows.Forms
while ($true) {
  [System.Windows.Forms.Cursor]::Position = [System.Windows.Forms.Cursor]::Position
  Start-Sleep -Seconds 60
}

---

Notes

• macOS: caffeinate is built-in; process must stay running
• Windows: PowerShell methods simulate activity; powercfg changes system settings
• Press Ctrl+C to stop any running script