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Install Awakepilot

Download the official notarized DMG, open it, and drag Awakepilot into the Applications folder. Launch it from Applications before enabling “Start at login.”

Awakepilot supports macOS 13 or newer on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs.

Find the menu bar icon

Awakepilot runs in the macOS menu bar and does not appear in the Dock. Look for the clock icon near the top-right corner of the screen.

• Left-click opens the compact control panel.
• Right-click opens sessions, quick timers, and system indicator controls.
• The filled clock means Awakepilot is actively keeping the Mac awake.

“Stop session” ends that session and pauses rules until you resume them. It does not cancel running commands or transfers; those jobs may still keep your Mac awake. Ending wake protection does not put your Mac to sleep immediately.

Automate long-running work

Use app, process, schedule, CPU, network, power, display, Wi-Fi, VPN, USB, Bluetooth, audio output, DNS, IP-network, and external-drive rules. Start when one enabled condition is met, or require all enabled conditions at the same time. Save complete setups as named profiles, or assign a session profile, screen behavior, and time limit to each condition.

Wi-Fi rules require Location Services permission because macOS protects access to the current network name. Drive Alive updates only its own hidden marker on selected writable drives and removes the marker when disabled.

For exact command lifetime tracking, run /Applications/Awakepilot.app/Contents/MacOS/awakepilotctl run --name "My job" -- command. Awakepilot stops keeping your Mac awake for that command when it exits. Other active work may still keep your Mac awake.

Select devices and network rules in Automation. Bluetooth needs macOS Bluetooth permission; audio rules follow the current output route. DNS rules match exact server addresses; IP rules accept IPv4, IPv6, and CIDR networks.

An app rule lasts until you quit the app; closing a window is not enough. CPU and network rules track activity levels, not confirmed job completion. In “all conditions” mode, the rule no longer applies when any selected condition ends. Independent running jobs may still keep your Mac awake.

Trial, activation, and purchase restoration

Awakepilot Pro includes a fourteen-day trial. Manual wake sessions remain available after the trial; saved automation settings stay on the Mac but require Pro to run.

• Open Awakepilot → Preferences → License and Pro.
• Paste the complete license key and choose Activate license.
• A perpetual personal license may be used on up to two Macs.
• To move a license, remove it from the old Mac before activating the replacement.

Never post a license key, purchase email, or transaction identifier in a public GitHub issue. Purchase restoration will use the private customer portal when Pro checkout opens.

If your Mac still sleeps

Open Awakepilot and review the green status panel. Battery limits, adapter rules, or a UPS rule may pause the wake session.

Closing a MacBook lid, choosing Sleep from the Apple menu, and critical battery protection can still put the Mac to sleep. Awakepilot does not override these safety behaviors.

Allowing the screen to turn off is separate from system sleep and screen locking. Your Mac can keep working; macOS lock settings remain in effect.

Updates and first launch

Use About and Updates from the right-click menu to check for a release. Awakepilot verifies the download checksum, app identity, Developer ID signature, and Gatekeeper approval before installation.

If macOS blocks a manually downloaded copy, remove it and install the official notarized DMG from the Releases page.

Automatic checks run every 24 hours while Awakepilot stays open and after wake when a check is due. You choose when to install. Downloads usually take less than a minute on a typical connection; slower connections can take longer.

If an update from 0.14.0 or earlier stays on Installing update for more than a minute, close About and Updates, then quit Awakepilot from the menu bar menu. A prepared update can then finish and relaunch the app. If it does not, install the latest official DMG. Version 0.14.1 fixes this installation issue for subsequent updates.

Create a diagnostic report

Open About and Updates, then choose Save Diagnostic Report. Review the JSON file before sharing it.

The report excludes command text, command output, file paths, Wi-Fi and volume names, automation profile names, watched application and process names, device names, DNS servers, IP rules, and activity history.

Still need help?

Open a GitHub issue with your Awakepilot version, macOS version, Mac model, and clear reproduction steps. Attach a reviewed diagnostic report when it helps explain the problem.