KeepAlive

A Windows CLI tool that prevents the system from sleeping and maintains Microsoft Teams presence.

How It Works

• Prevents sleep — Uses the Win32 SetThreadExecutionState API to stop Windows from idling, sleeping, or turning off the display.
• Maintains Teams presence — Sends a periodic F15 keypress via SendInput to reset the OS idle timer. Teams uses GetLastInputInfo to detect user activity, so this keeps your status as "Available". F15 is unmapped on modern keyboards and won't interfere with your work.

Prerequisites

• Windows 10/11
• .NET 9 Runtime (or SDK)

Installation

dotnet tool install --global QuinntyneBrown.KeepAlive.Cli

Update

dotnet tool update --global QuinntyneBrown.KeepAlive.Cli

Uninstall

dotnet tool uninstall --global QuinntyneBrown.KeepAlive.Cli

Usage

keepalive

Options

Option	Alias	Default	Description
--interval	-i	30	Seconds between activity simulations
--help	-h		Show help
--version			Show version

Examples

# Run with default 30-second interval
keepalive

# Run with a 60-second interval
keepalive -i 60

Press Ctrl+C to stop. Normal power behaviour is restored on exit.

Configuration

Default settings can be changed in appsettings.json alongside the tool binary:

{
  "KeepAlive": {
    "IntervalSeconds": 30
  }
}

Command-line options override appsettings.json values.

Building from Source

git clone https://github.com/QuinntyneBrown/KeepAlive.git
cd KeepAlive
dotnet build

Install from local build

dotnet pack
dotnet tool install --global --add-source src/KeepAlive.Cli/nupkg QuinntyneBrown.KeepAlive.Cli

Project Structure

KeepAlive.sln
src/
  KeepAlive.Cli/
    Program.cs            # Entry point, System.CommandLine setup, DI wiring
    KeepAliveWorker.cs    # BackgroundService — sleep prevention and input simulation
    KeepAliveOptions.cs   # Configuration POCO
    NativeMethods.cs      # Win32 P/Invoke declarations
    appsettings.json      # Default configuration

License

MIT