Follow Lid
Keeps your Mac and screen available while open. When you close the lid, it releases the screen hold and keeps the Mac running. Reopening triggers a fresh safety check.
Native for Mac · V1 release candidate
A little more time.
A little less interruption.
Keep your screen ready for a lecture, or give a long task room to finish. Choose a behavior, set a timer, and keep control from your menu bar.
Meet LidPilotApple Silicon · macOS 15 or later · Free & open source
LidPilotOff
What would you like to keep available?
Follow LidScreen open. Work continues when closed.
Keep Screen OnFor lectures and reading along.
Keep Mac RunningFor builds, downloads, and long tasks.
SessionChoose your own end time
30 min1 hour2 hours4 hours
Start session
Illustration · LidPilot always launches Off
One small utility, two everyday rhythms
Choose what stays awake.
Keep Screen On
A simple, helper-free screen session for a lecture or reading. Your brightness keys still work. The supported macOS display hold can also prevent inactivity dimming.
Keep Mac Running
Uses an approved helper for closed-lid work. The screen follows macOS display policy. Physical internal-panel shutdown remains a release validation gate.
Useful controls.
Clear boundaries.
Thirty minutes, an afternoon, a specific time, or until you stop.
- Battery cutoff and charger-aware policies
- Thermal protection with an explicit restart
- Verified cleanup and visible recovery status
- Local diagnostics. No analytics. No account.
Getting started
Small by design.
Careful before release.
A stable V1 download is not available yet. A signed and notarized release candidate is available for supervised testing. The repository includes the native app, tests, documentation, and a signing and notarization pipeline.
Follow the validation record for measured results. Signed upgrades and helper recovery passed on one Mac; the closed-mode CPU budget, physical panel behavior, broader hardware matrix, updater fault paths, and uninstall remain release gates.
How will installation work?
Open the signed disk image, move LidPilot to Applications, and launch it. It starts Off. Keep Screen On works without the privileged helper; the other two behaviors guide you through macOS helper approval.
Does it change brightness?
LidPilot does not write brightness settings or simulate user input. Manual brightness stays available. The public macOS display hold also suppresses idle dimming. Independent dim-without-off is not provided. See the validation record for tested hardware and observed ambient-brightness behavior.
What happens when I stop?
LidPilot releases its assertions and verifies its helper cleanup. If cleanup cannot be verified, it shows Recovery required. Stop & Sleep requests sleep only after cleanup succeeds.
How do I remove it?
Open the lid, turn LidPilot Off, and verify cleanup. In Settings → Helper & Recovery, remove the helper. Disable Launch at login, quit LidPilot, then remove the app. Resolve any recovery warning first.
How will updates work?
Signed Sparkle updates use GitHub Releases and a GitHub Pages feed. Checks wait until LidPilot is Off. Installation also requires an open lid and verified helper cleanup; the updated app starts Off.