App · Apps built with Electron
Why Electron keeps your Mac awake
Many desktop apps are built with Electron. When one of them asks macOS to stay awake, the assertion is often named simply “Electron”, with the app’s own name in front of it in pmset -g assertions. Such apps can also show Chrome’s reasons, “Capturing” and “Video Wake Lock”, because Electron is built on Chromium. On the Mac we checked, the Claude desktop app held NoIdleSleepAssertion “Electron” for the whole day it was open.
Checked on macOS 27.2.1 on a MacBook Pro with Apple silicon, 11 November 2026.
What you’ll see
| Type | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
NoIdleSleepAssertion | Electron | The app asked to keep the Mac from idle sleep. |
NoDisplaySleepAssertion | Capturing | The app is using the camera, microphone or screen. |
NoDisplaySleepAssertion | Video Wake Lock | The app is playing video or asked to keep the screen on. |
Check it on your Mac
Open Terminal (in Applications › Utilities) and run:
pmset -g assertions
Real output from the Mac we checked:
pid 25708(Claude): [0x000020480001a612] 06:52:13 NoIdleSleepAssertion named: "Electron"
The app name in brackets is the one to look at; the same assertion had been held for almost seven hours.
Activity Monitor shows the same thing without Terminal: open its Energy tab and look at the Preventing Sleep column.
What to do
- Find the app name in brackets after the pid.
- Check that app’s settings for an option to keep the computer awake, or quit it before you leave the Mac.
See it without Terminal
SleepPilot, a menu bar app, lists every app that is keeping your Mac awake right now by name — audio through coreaudiod is shown under the app that plays it — and warns you when one holds the Mac awake for too long while nobody is using it. Each morning it can show what kept the Mac awake overnight.
Questions
Is it safe to quit Electron?
Yes, it’s an ordinary app.
Is Electron keeping my Mac awake normal?
Depends on the app. Hours on end is worth a look.
Does Electron keep the display on?
“Electron” (NoIdleSleepAssertion): the Mac. “Capturing”, “Video Wake Lock”: the display too.
Other things that keep a Mac awake
- Google Chrome — “Playing audio”, “Video Wake Lock”, “Capturing” or “Download in progress”.
- ShipIt — “Updating”: an app installs its update and asks the Mac not to sleep meanwhile.
- coreaudiod — Keeps the Mac awake while any app plays or records sound, even silence.
- All of them
- Guide: why won’t my Mac sleep?