Separate the layers.
Remote Control steers. tmux preserves a session. Tailscale makes it reachable. Power state decides whether the machine actually keeps doing work.
Local agent checklist
For Codex, Claude Code, local LLMs, remote control, tmux, and any workflow where the work must keep running on this notebook.
Remote Control steers. tmux preserves a session. Tailscale makes it reachable. Power state decides whether the machine actually keeps doing work.
Use a clear on switch, a clear off switch, and restore defaults after the run. Closed-lid work should be a mode, not a mystery setting.
Check battery and heat before transport. Do not assume a backpack is safe just because the workflow is convenient.
Run a short job, close the lid, reopen, and confirm timestamps, logs, and output changed while closed.
Ask the agent to leave a short summary: files changed, commands run, failures, next human decision, and whether it restored awake settings.
If the job can run elsewhere, a VM or cloud agent is simpler. Closed-lid local mode is for work that needs this notebook's files, browser, devices, or desktop state.
Take A Coffee gives Codex a small skill for temporary closed-lid local runs on macOS and Windows.