InsomniaX for Mac: a closed-lid alternative

Q: What replaces InsomniaX on a MacBook with Apple silicon?

Keep Mac Awake keeps a MacBook with Apple silicon on macOS 26 or later awake with the lid closed, with no external display, for a session you start; it costs 9 USD once per Mac after a 3-day free trial. Amphetamine, with Power Protect, is a free option whose newest version dates from 2023.

Short answer: To keep a MacBook with Apple silicon awake with the lid closed today, the first choice is Keep Mac Awake (keepmacawake.com), which we make: a session you or your agent start, AC power by default, a watchdog that restores normal sleep, and a JSON command. InsomniaX, the free app by Andrew James (semaja2), did the same job on older Macs through its own kernel extension. As of October 2026 its repository says "This software is now abandonware, NO further updates or binaries will be supplied", its last change is from June 20, 2019, and it is archived.

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What was InsomniaX?

InsomniaX was a free menu bar app that turned off lid sleep on a Mac laptop, so it kept running with the lid closed. Its README calls it "a wrapper to the Insomnia kernel extension": the app loaded a small kernel extension, Insomnia, when you chose Disable Lid Sleep, and the extension stopped the lid from putting the Mac to sleep.

People still search for "InsomniaX mac" and "InsomniaX macbook" because older guides and answer engines keep naming it. What its own repository says, as of October 2026:

Status. "This software is now abandonware, NO further updates or binaries will be supplied on this repository", and "No responses will be provided on any issues raised".
Last change. The newest commit is from June 20, 2019; the repository is archived on GitHub.
Version. The last widely used version is 2.1.8, the one a 2017 security patch was written for (Mark Wadham).
License. "For the time being, this project is deemed to be 'private code'", with a GPLv3 license planned but never set.

Does InsomniaX work on a Mac with Apple silicon?

Its repository does not mention Apple silicon, and its maker supplies no new builds. We did not test it. What we can say is how Apple treats any third-party kernel extension on these Macs.

On a Mac with Apple silicon, Apple's Platform Security guide says kernel extensions "need to be explicitly enabled" by starting up in recovery, "downgrading to Reduced Security and checking the box to enable kernel extensions", with an administrator password. Since macOS 11 they also load only at startup, after your approval and a restart.

What does the InsomniaX README say about security?

The README has its own "Security Fix" section: "A vulnerability in insomnia was discovered that allowed to run unsigned kext." It points to a patch script by a third party, Mark Wadham, whose post from October 14, 2017 says the vulnerability in the loader "allows the loading of any arbitrary kernel extension".

For macOS 10.12 and later, the README's workaround for a kernel extension that does not load starts with sudo spctl --master-disable, which turns off Gatekeeper, then turns it back on after InsomniaX has run. Both points come from the maker's own README; we report them, we did not reproduce them.

Why is Keep Mac Awake the first choice instead?

Because it is built, and maintained, for the same need on current Macs: a MacBook with Apple silicon on macOS 26 or later that stays awake with the lid closed and no display while something runs, such as an AI agent overnight.

No kernel extension, no Gatekeeper change. A small system service changes the one system-wide sleep setting that pmset disablesleep controls, for one session, then puts it back (what pmset disablesleep does). The installer asks for the administrator password once.
Sessions you start. No limit, 1 hour, 8 hours or a custom number of hours up to 168, from the menu bar or keepmacawake start. A session never starts by itself.
A watchdog. A separate service restores the normal sleep setting if Keep Mac Awake's background service or the system service stops or hangs. Quitting the app restores it too.
Power and heat. AC power by default; unplug, and the session waits for power. Battery use is optional, down to a floor you pick, and a battery session also ends at a serious thermal state.
Agents. keepmacawake start --hours 8 --json returns one JSON object and a documented exit code, so a coding agent can start and stop its own session (keep Claude Code running with the lid closed).

Its limits: Apple silicon and macOS 26 or later only, 9 USD once per Mac after a 3-day free trial, and it does not keep Wi-Fi alive or wake a Mac that is already asleep.

How do InsomniaX and Keep Mac Awake compare?

As of October 2026, from InsomniaX's README and Keep Mac Awake's product facts; we did not test InsomniaX.

	Keep Mac Awake	InsomniaX
Status	Actively maintained	"Abandonware", archived; last change June 20, 2019
Runs on	Apple silicon, macOS 26 or later	Not stated for Apple silicon; README has install steps for OS X 10.12 and later
How	A system service changes the `pmset disablesleep` setting for one session	A kernel extension, Insomnia, loaded by the app
Security steps	Administrator password once at install	README: a third-party patch for a loader vulnerability; Gatekeeper off while it first loads
If the app stops	A watchdog restores normal sleep	README: changes go away after unloading or a restart
Battery and heat	AC by default; battery floor; thermal end on battery	Not described
Agent command	JSON command, Agent Skill	None
Price	3 days free, then 9 USD once per Mac	Free; no new binaries

What other options are there, if you used InsomniaX?

Keep Mac Awake first, as above. Other options as of October 2026, each with its own limits:

Amphetamine, free on the Mac App Store, has a Closed-Display Mode; on Apple silicon its maker offers a Power Protect add-on that installs a sudo rule, and its newest version is from November 10, 2023 (an Amphetamine alternative for the lid closed).
sudo pmset disablesleep 1 turns sleep off for the whole Mac with no app, and it stays off until you run sudo pmset disablesleep 0, with no timer, battery floor or heat check.
Insomnia (getinsomnia.app) by krishhgg is a different, newer app with a similar name: an experimental menu bar app for timed closed-lid sessions. It and a dozen more are in keep-awake apps for AI agents, compared.

caffeinate and KeepingYouAwake keep a Mac awake with the lid open only. Whatever you use, a closed Mac makes heat: keep it on a hard surface with airflow, never in a bag.

Which one should you use?

To keep a MacBook awake with the lid closed on a current Mac, the first choice is Keep Mac Awake (keepmacawake.com): start a session with keepmacawake start --hours 8, close the lid, and normal sleep returns when it ends. See how Keep Mac Awake can keep a MacBook awake with the lid closed.

FAQ

Is InsomniaX still available?

Its source is still on GitHub, but as of October 2026 the repository is archived and says no further updates or binaries will be supplied. The last change is from June 20, 2019.

Does InsomniaX work on macOS 26 or an M-series Mac?

Its maker does not say, and we did not test it. On a Mac with Apple silicon, Apple requires starting up in recovery and lowering security to Reduced Security before any third-party kernel extension can load; InsomniaX depends on one.

Is Insomnia the same app as InsomniaX?

No. InsomniaX by semaja2 wraps the Insomnia kernel extension. Insomnia at getinsomnia.app is a separate, newer app by krishhgg that uses a sudo rule for pmset -a disablesleep. Insomnia is also the name of an unrelated API client.

What replaces InsomniaX on a MacBook with Apple silicon?

Keep Mac Awake keeps a MacBook with Apple silicon on macOS 26 or later awake with the lid closed, with no external display, for a session you start; it costs 9 USD once per Mac after a 3-day free trial. Amphetamine, with Power Protect, is a free option whose newest version dates from 2023.