--- name: "caffeinate" section: "1" platform: "linux" package: "caffeine" version: "2.9.12-1" release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)" platforms: ["linux"] url: "https://new.carta.tech/caffeinate" --- # caffeinate(1) inhibit desktop idleness while a command runs ## NAME caffeinate - inhibit desktop idleness while a command runs ## SYNOPSIS **caffeinate** COMMAND \[ARGUMENT...\] ## DESCRIPTION Caffeinate runs the given command and prevents the desktop becoming idle while it is run, hence stops screen savers or power-saving activating even if the machine is not being used. It is usually more convenient to use the fully-automatic [caffeine(1)](/caffeine/1.md); caffeinate may be useful when it is impractical or impossible to run a program in full-screen mode, or to prevent automatic suspend kicking in during a long-running unattended command, such as a system update. Note, when using caffeinate with cron(1) or another task scheduler, it is important to ensure that the **DISPLAY** environment variable is correctly set for the task. For many setups, **DISPLAY=:0** (or whatever your current value of **DISPLAY** is) will work; for cron, simply prepend this setting to the command. ## SEE ALSO [**caffeine**(1)](/caffeine/1.md), [**caffeine-indicator**(1)](/caffeine-indicator/1.md) ## AUTHORS Reuben Thomas \