Espressoinated

A tiny macOS menu bar app that keeps your Mac awake. One click on the coffee cup and your Mac won't go to sleep, dim the screen or start the screensaver, until you click again or the timer runs out.

It uses Apple's documented IOKit power assertions (PreventUserIdleSystemSleep and, optionally, PreventUserIdleDisplaySleep). No sudo, no helper daemon, no kernel extension: the assertion lives and dies with the app, so quitting it always restores normal sleep behavior.

Features

• One-click toggle: left-click the cup to turn it on or off.
• Menu on right-click (or Ctrl-click): duration, display option, launch at login, quit.
• Timers: indefinitely, 15 or 30 minutes, 1, 2, 5 or 12 hours, with a live countdown next to the icon.
• Keep Display Awake: optionally let the screen sleep while the Mac keeps working.
• Launch at Login.
• Native and light: Swift + AppKit, universal binary (Apple Silicon and Intel), no Dock icon.

Install

1. Open Espressoinated-1.0.0.dmg (build it with ./tools/make-dmg.sh; it lands in build/).
2. Drag Espressoinated onto the Applications shortcut in the window.
3. Eject the disk image and launch Espressoinated from Applications.

The app is ad-hoc signed, not notarized. If macOS blocks the first launch, right-click the app, choose Open, then confirm. A build you made yourself on your own Mac normally just opens.

Requires macOS 13 or later.

Build from source

You need the Xcode command line tools (or Xcode).

./build.sh                  # build/Espressoinated.app (universal, ad-hoc signed)
./tools/make-dmg.sh         # build/Espressoinated-<version>.dmg (drag-to-Applications installer)
./tools/make-icon.sh        # regenerate Resources/AppIcon.icns (only needed if you change the artwork)

The DMG script drives Finder briefly to lay out the window. If macOS asks whether to allow control of Finder, click OK. If it is denied, the DMG still works, just without the styled window.

You can start the app already active with:

open build/Espressoinated.app --args --activate

Verify it works

While the app is active, macOS lists its assertions:

pmset -g assertions | grep -i espressoinated

You should see PreventUserIdleSystemSleep (and PreventUserIdleDisplaySleep if Keep Display Awake is on). They disappear when you deactivate or quit.

Project layout

Sources/Espressoinated/   app code (PowerAssertion, SleepController, AppDelegate, main)
Resources/                Info.plist and the generated AppIcon.icns
tools/                    icon and DMG generators
build.sh                  builds and signs the .app

Notes

• Like other keep-awake tools, this cannot override closing a MacBook's lid.
• The menu bar glyph is an Apple SF Symbol, which is meant for in-app use. The app icon is separate, original artwork drawn by tools/make-icon.swift.

License

MIT © 2026 trueToastedCode