What does Ajar do?
Ajar maps your MacBook’s lid angle to display brightness, keyboard backlight, and system volume, and keeps the Mac awake while AI agents, builds, or exports are running in the background. See the Ajar page for a full overview.
How is Ajar different from Amphetamine, Caffeine, or other keep-awake apps?
Ajar keeps the Mac awake on signals rather than a switch you must remember to turn off: an agent mid-turn, a running process, a mounted disk, the lid angle, or a trusted Wi-Fi network. Once no signal remains, Ajar lets the Mac sleep after the release delay.
Which Macs does Ajar support?
Ajar supports Macs with Apple silicon running macOS 15 (Sequoia) or later, and does not support Intel-based Macs. Sync reads the MacBook hinge sensor, so it works only on MacBook models. On a Mac mini, Mac Studio, or iMac, the AI agent, App, Process, Wi-Fi, Disk, and Power rules work as they do on a MacBook.
How does the Sync curve work, and how do I shape it?
One curve runs from off with the lid closed to full with the lid fully open, and passes 50% halfway by default. In Settings > Sync, drag the dot on the pad to set the level the curve passes through at a given angle, while both ends stay fixed. The curve drives display brightness, keyboard backlight, and system volume, each with its own switch, and only display brightness is on by default.
What happens if I adjust brightness, keyboard backlight, or volume manually?
Ajar treats the new value as your preference at the current angle and rescales that output so the curve passes through it. Volume never exceeds the Max Volume set in Settings > Sync.
Will Sync conflict with Night Shift, True Tone, or auto-brightness?
Night Shift and True Tone change color, not brightness, so Sync leaves them alone. Automatic brightness changes the same level Ajar sets, and Ajar treats those changes as manual adjustments, so turn off Automatically adjust brightness in System Settings > Displays when you use Sync.
Does Sync work on external displays?
Yes. Studio Display, Pro Display XDR, and most third-party monitors connected through USB-C or DisplayPort can follow the lid, keeping the brightness offset they had from the built-in display when you turned them on. Click Display Brightness in Settings > Sync to choose them. Displays Ajar cannot control, such as HDMI connections on some Macs, DisplayLink docks, or Sidecar, show N/A.
Which AI agents are supported out of the box?
Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, and Gemini CLI are built in and tracked through lifecycle hooks. A built-in Cursor rule, off by default, keeps the Mac awake while the Cursor app runs. Manage these rules and add your own in Settings > Awake.
How does Awake know an AI agent is actually working?
Ajar adds a lifecycle hook to each supported agent it finds, in ~/.claude/settings.json, ~/.codex/hooks.json, ~/.gemini/settings.json, or ~/.config/opencode/plugins, so the agent reports when each turn starts and ends. Ajar also watches each agent’s session files and keeps the rule active until they stay unchanged for 30 seconds. To use 10, 60, 120, or 300 seconds instead, edit the rule in Settings > Awake and change Idle after.
What rule types can I create, and can I combine them?
You can add six rule types: Lid Angle, App, Process, Wi-Fi, Disk, and Power. The AI agent rules are built in. The Mac stays awake while any enabled rule applies. A single rule cannot combine several conditions.
How does the Lid Angle rule work, and can I change the angle?
A Lid Angle rule keeps the Mac awake while the lid is at or below an angle you choose, or at or above it, from 0° to 127° in 5° steps. The built-in Lid Lowered rule, on by default, applies at 60° or less and cannot be edited, so add your own rule for a different angle. Ajar checks the angle periodically, so a lid left partly lowered keeps the Mac awake, even after it closes, while a lid closed in one motion may not.
How long does the Mac stay awake after a rule clears?
Ajar waits for a release delay, 5 minutes by default, before letting the Mac sleep again. If a rule applies again during that time, the timer is canceled and the Mac stays awake. You can change the delay in Settings > Awake.
Can I keep the Mac awake for a fixed time, ignoring the rules?
Yes. Click the Ajar menu bar icon, choose Keep awake, then choose 30 minutes, 1, 2, 4, or 8 hours, or Indefinitely. The override takes priority over rules and continues after a restart. A timed override ends on its own, and choosing Use Rules in the same menu ends either kind.
Does Awake also stop the display from sleeping?
No. The display dims and sleeps on its usual schedule, while Ajar keeps the Mac itself awake, with the lid open or closed, for as long as a rule applies. Builds, agents, exports, and downloads rarely need the screen on, and a dark screen saves battery.
Can Ajar keep the Mac awake with the lid closed only while an agent is working?
Yes. Turn off the Lid Lowered rule in Settings > Awake and leave the agent rules on. A closed lid then keeps the Mac awake only while an agent is mid-turn and through the release delay that follows, unless another enabled rule or Keep awake applies.
What does my license cover?
A Personal license from the Parcse Shop covers three Macs, and you can add more Macs at checkout or later in the License Manager, up to fifty on one license. Your license key arrives by email. To activate it, click the Ajar menu bar icon, choose Settings, open About, click Enter license key, paste the key, and click Activate.
Does Ajar send any data over the network?
Your curve, rules, network names, and process names stay on your Mac. Ajar connects only for licensing, update checks, and telemetry, which you can turn off in Settings > General > Privacy. Telemetry never includes rule contents. See the privacy policy for details.
Why is Sleep grayed out in the Apple menu?
While Ajar keeps the Mac awake, it also prevents sleep when the lid closes, so Sleep appears dimmed in the Apple menu. Sleep returns once nothing keeps the Mac awake and the release delay ends, or immediately when you pause, turn off, or quit Ajar. To keep a lowered lid alone from counting, turn off the Lid Lowered rule in Settings > Awake.
Why does my Mac still sleep when I close the lid?
Ajar keeps a closed MacBook awake only while something already keeps it awake, such as an active rule, the release delay, or Keep awake, so start the work before you close the lid. This also needs Ajar’s background item, which macOS asks you to allow once in System Settings > General > Login Items & Extensions. If the Mac runs hot, Ajar lets it sleep until it cools down.
What if brightness or keyboard backlight does not follow the lid?
In Settings > Sync, turn on each output you want, and check that Ajar is not paused or turned off in its menu. Keyboard backlight also requires Adjust keyboard brightness in low light in System Settings > Keyboard. Turn off Automatically adjust brightness in System Settings > Displays. If the Status tab shows the sensor as Not available, quit and reopen Ajar, and contact support@parcse.com if it persists.