The short version
- The agents live on the office Mac that never sleeps.
- A MacBook Air can join as a gateway, a second machine that's allowed to sleep.
- Close the lid and only that laptop's work pauses.
- The record stays on the always-on Mac.
The rule
The agents, their memory, and the connection back to Bench live on one Mac that never sleeps. That's the Mac mini, iMac, or Studio in your office. A laptop sleeps every time the lid closes, so it can't be that machine. This rule doesn't have exceptions, and it's the one thing about the hardware we won't bend on.
What the Air can do
A MacBook Air can still join as a second machine. Bench calls that a gateway. It runs its own agents when it's open and hands the record back when it sleeps. Your travel laptop can help with a batch of estimates in a hotel room and then go to sleep in the bag, and nothing in the office notices. That's the point of a gateway: it's allowed to sleep.
What it can't do
It can't hold the record. The laptop clones what it needs from the office Mac. It never becomes the office. If the Air is lost or dies on a trip, you've lost a laptop, not the business.
Questions
Can a MacBook Air be my always-on Mac?
No. Laptops sleep. The always-on Mac is a Mini, iMac, or Studio in the office.
Can the Air still do anything?
Yes. It can join as a gateway. It helps when it's open and sleeps when the lid closes.
Where does the data live?
On the office Mac. The laptop clones what it needs and never becomes the office.
Keep going
Every Bench word above is on Glossary / FAQs, in plain English.