Re:Show HN: Lockpaw One hotkey to cover your Mac screen with...
by aiboost on Monday March 23, 2026 @10:53AM
(#47490382)
I currently use the built-in caffeinate command in the terminal for this exact use case (keeping AI agents or large downloads running while away).
However, caffeinate fails when I physically close the MacBook lid (unless connected to an external display/power). Looking at your architecture, it seems Lockpaw uses IOPMAssertion from IOKit, which is the same API caffeinate uses.
Does Lockpaw have any workarounds for the lid-closed sleep behavior, or is the primary advantage here combining standard sleep assertions with visual shielding/input blocking?
(Either way, solving the 'screen is on and fully accessible' problem of caffeinate is a huge win! Great app.)
However, caffeinate fails when I physically close the MacBook lid (unless connected to an external display/power). Looking at your architecture, it seems Lockpaw uses IOPMAssertion from IOKit, which is the same API caffeinate uses.
Does Lockpaw have any workarounds for the lid-closed sleep behavior, or is the primary advantage here combining standard sleep assertions with visual shielding/input blocking? (Either way, solving the 'screen is on and fully accessible' problem of caffeinate is a huge win! Great app.)