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DinanathDash edited this page Jul 30, 2026 · 6 revisions

Charge Limit

Set a maximum charge level (50–100%) to reduce long-term battery wear. When the limit is reached, Stasis inhibits charging at the hardware level — your MacBook stays plugged in and draws power from the adapter, but the battery stops charging. This persists through sleep.

What charge limit should I set?

There's no single perfect number, but research consistently shows that keeping lithium-ion batteries between 50–80% significantly extends their lifespan. 80% is a good default that balances longevity with usable capacity. 50% is more aggressive and better for batteries that stay plugged in for weeks at a time.

Example

Your MacBook is at 65% and plugged in. You set the charge limit to 80%. Stasis lets the battery charge normally until it hits 80%, then pauses charging. Your MacBook continues running on adapter power alone.

Charge Limit Setting

Automatic Discharge

When enabled, Stasis forces your MacBook to run on battery power (even while plugged in) if the current charge is above the limit. Once the battery drops to your charge limit, Stasis stops discharging and switches back to adapter power.

This eliminates the need to manually unplug your MacBook when you want to bring the battery down to your target level.

Example

Your MacBook is at 95% and your charge limit is set to 80%. You plug in and enable Automatic Discharge. Stasis internally disconnects the charger, and the battery drains down to 80% while the MacBook stays plugged in. Once 80% is reached, charging is paused and the MacBook runs directly from the adapter.

Sailing Mode

Without Sailing Mode, Stasis would constantly toggle charging on and off as the battery hovers around the limit — the battery hits 80%, charging pauses, then a brief power spike drops it to 79%, charging resumes, and the cycle repeats. This "micro-charging" adds unnecessary wear.

Sailing Mode avoids this by holding the battery at your target level using adapter power and only resuming charging when the battery drops a configurable amount (1–20%) below the limit. The threshold controls how far the battery can drift before Stasis starts charging again.

Example

Your charge limit is 80% and the sailing threshold is 5%. The battery reaches 80% and Stasis pauses charging. Over the course of a few hours, small power spikes cause the battery to drift down to 77%. Since 77% is still above 75% (the resume point), Stasis keeps charging paused. If the battery eventually hits 75% — say you briefly unplug and use a few percent — Stasis resumes charging up to 80%.

Heat Protection

Charging a hot battery accelerates degradation. Heat Protection automatically pauses charging when the battery temperature exceeds a configurable threshold (30–50°C), regardless of the current charge level. Charging resumes once the battery cools down.

This is especially useful during heavy workloads where the CPU/GPU generates significant heat that also warms the battery.

What temperature limit should I set?

Apple recommends avoiding ambient temperatures above 35°C. A limit of 35–40°C for battery temperature is a reasonable starting point. Lower is more conservative but may interrupt charging more frequently depending on your workload and environment.

Example

Your MacBook is charging at 60% toward a limit of 80%. You start a demanding video export, and the battery temperature climbs to 42°C. With Heat Protection set to 40°C, Stasis immediately pauses charging. Once the battery cools below 40°C, charging resumes automatically.

Sleep Prevention

By default, macOS puts your MacBook to sleep when you close the lid. While asleep, Stasis can't manage charging, so the battery may charge to 100%.

When Sleep Prevention is enabled, Stasis keeps your MacBook awake (with the display off) until the charge limit is reached. Once the limit is hit, or if you unplug the adapter, sleep is re-enabled and your MacBook goes to sleep normally.

Example

Your MacBook is at 60% with a charge limit of 80%. You enable Sleep Prevention and close the lid. The MacBook stays awake with the display off, charging until it reaches 80%. At that point, Stasis releases the sleep prevention and the MacBook goes to sleep at exactly 80%. When you open it the next morning, the battery is still at 80%.

Charge Limit Override

Sometimes you need a full charge — a long flight, a full day of meetings, etc. Charge Limit Override temporarily sets the limit to 100% without changing your normal settings. Toggle it from the menu bar dropdown. Once you disable it, your normal charge limit resumes.

Example

Your normal charge limit is 80% and you're at 80%. You have a cross-country flight tomorrow. You toggle Charge Limit Override on from the menu, and your MacBook charges to 100%. After you land and plug in, you toggle it off, and the charge limit returns to 80%.

Force Discharge

Force Discharge runs your MacBook on battery power while plugged in, regardless of charge limit settings. This is useful for draining the battery quickly to a lower level — for instance, if you want to bring it down before a calibration or storage period.

Toggle it from the menu bar dropdown. It cannot be active at the same time as Charge Limit Override.

MagSafe LED Control

On supported MacBooks, Stasis overrides the MagSafe LED to reflect your actual charging state:

LED Color Meaning
Green At or above the charge limit — charging is paused
Orange Actively charging toward the limit

During Heat Protection, you can configure the LED to show off, green, orange, or blinking orange — so you know at a glance whether heat protection is active.

Supported MacBooks

MagSafe LED Control works on MacBooks with a MagSafe 3 connector (MacBook Pro 14"/16" 2021 and later, MacBook Air M2 2022 and later).

Real-Time Power Dashboard

The menu bar dropdown shows live power data pulled directly from the system firmware. Every metric listed below is individually toggleable in Settings.

Metric Description
Battery Percentage macOS-calibrated or raw hardware value
Power Source What's currently powering the system
Time Remaining Estimated time until full or empty
Battery Mode Charging, plugged in (not charging), or discharging
Battery / Adapter V, A, W Voltage, current, and wattage for each
Temperature Current battery temperature in °C
Cycle Count Number of full charge-discharge cycles
Battery Health Current max capacity as % of original
Uptime System uptime since last boot

Power metrics (voltage, current, wattage) are polled at 1-second intervals only while the menu is open, so the app has near-zero resource usage when the menu is closed.

Power Dashboard

Power Flow Visualization

A Sankey diagram in the menu shows how power flows through your system in real time — from adapter and battery to system load. At a glance, you can see whether your MacBook is charging, discharging, or running on pass-through power, and how many watts are going where.

Power Flow Diagram

Reading the Diagram

  • Left side shows the power sources (adapter, battery, or both)
  • Right side shows the destinations (system load, battery charging)
  • The width of each flow is proportional to the power (watts) flowing through it

Common Scenarios

Charging: The adapter icon appears on the left. Power flows to both the battery (charging) and the system (running your MacBook).

At charge limit: The adapter icon on the left, the system on the right. All power goes to the system; the battery is idle.

On battery: The battery icon on the left, the system on the right. All power comes from the battery.

Underpowered charger: Both adapter and battery appear on the left. The charger can't supply enough power alone, so the battery supplements it.

Hardware Battery Percentage

The battery percentage shown by macOS is not the raw value from the battery management system — it's calibrated, and typically differs by 2–7%. When Hardware Battery Percentage is enabled, Stasis uses the raw value from the firmware for all features, including the charge limit, sailing mode, and dashboard display.

Which should I use?

Hardware Battery Percentage is more accurate and makes charge management more precise. The macOS percentage is what you see everywhere else in the system, so it may be more intuitive. Either works fine; it's a matter of preference.

Example

Hardware Battery Percentage is off. Your charge limit is set to 80%, and macOS shows 80%. The hardware value is actually ~77%. If you enable Hardware Battery Percentage, the display drops to 77%, and Stasis charges a bit more to reach a true 80%.

Menu Bar Icon

Stasis replaces the default macOS battery icon with its own, showing:

  • A battery fill indicator proportional to your current charge
  • An optional percentage readout next to the icon
  • A charging bolt when charging, or a plug icon when plugged in but not charging
  • A red fill when the battery drops below 10%

Both the percentage and the state icon are toggleable in Settings.

Menu Bar Icon States

Auto-Updates

Stasis uses Sparkle to handle automatic updates securely from GitHub Releases. You can configure it to check for updates daily, weekly, or monthly, and choose whether to download them automatically or just get notified. These settings are available in the About tab.

Liquid Glass Settings Interface

Stasis features a beautifully crafted, translucent settings interface inspired by macOS Tahoe (Liquid Glass). The modernized UI includes structured navigation, refined typography, and smooth animations, making it a joy to configure your power settings.

Apple Shortcuts & Siri Automation

Stasis integrates natively with macOS Apple Shortcuts and Siri via App Intents, enabling you to control hardware charge limits and query live battery telemetry from custom automations or voice commands.

  • Available Intents: Open Dashboard, Get Battery Status, Set Charge Limit, Toggle Top-Up to 100%, Toggle Sailing Mode, Set Sailing Mode Limit, Toggle Force Discharge, Start Battery Calibration, Cancel Battery Calibration, Toggle Heat Protection, Set Heat Protection Temperature, and Toggle MagSafe LED Control.
  • Example Usage: Build location-based desk charging profiles, travel preparation routines, or daily battery health reports.
  • Learn More: See the full Apple Shortcuts & Automation Guide.

Apps Using Significant Energy

Stasis monitors running macOS applications in real-time to detect processes consuming excessive power:

  • Menu Bar Display: High-energy applications are listed directly in the menu bar popover dashboard.
  • Configurable Toggle: You can show or hide the Apps using significant energy section in Settings → Dashboard → Status.

Battery Calibration Service

Lithium-ion battery gauge drift can cause inaccurate percentage readings over time. Stasis provides an interactive, notification-driven Battery Calibration Service:

  • 3-Stage Workflow: Discharge to 15% → Recharge to 100% → Rest at 100%.
  • Interactive Guidance: Localized macOS system notifications guide you through each phase.
  • Learn More: See the Battery Calibration Guide.

Dynamic Island Notch HUD

On MacBooks with a hardware camera notch (or simulated notch mode):

  • Notch Alerts: Displays elegant, animated status pills for charging state transitions, power alerts, and limit notifications.
  • Always Visible: Powered by TopWindowElevator, ensuring the Notch HUD remains cleanly visible above full-screen applications, macOS menu bars, and lock screens.

Multi-Port & Accessory Detection

  • Intelligent Port Recognition: Detects MagSafe 3 adapters, USB-C PD chargers, USB Hubs, and monitor power feeds with custom iconography.
  • High-Precision Power Metrics: Enable Two-Decimal Power Precision in Settings → Dashboard to track real-time wattage and amperage with 0.01W / 0.01A accuracy.

Localization & Multi-Language Support

Stasis is fully localized across multiple languages:

  • Supported Languages: System Default plus 17 languages (including English, Deutsch, Español, Français, Italiano, Nederlands, Português Brasil/Portugal, Slovenčina, Slovenščina, Tiếng Việt, Türkçe, Русский, 简体中文, 繁體中文, 日本語, and 한국어).
  • In-App Switcher: Change your language preference directly in Settings → General → Language; Stasis automatically restarts to apply localized string tokens.

Helper Daemon Management

Stasis communicates with the Apple Silicon SMC via a privileged helper daemon (com.dinanathdash.stasis.charging-helper):

  • Lifecycle Management: Inspect status, reinstall, or remove the helper daemon directly from Settings → General.

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