MacBook Desktop Mode

A holistic configuration guide for running a MacBook as an always-on-AC desktop workstation. Solves two interconnected problems: USB devices (especially USB 1.1 audio) disappearing during sleep/wake cycles, and unnecessary battery degradation from constant charge cycling.

Self-Evolving Skill: This skill improves through use. If instructions are wrong, parameters drifted, or a workaround was needed — fix this file immediately, don't defer. Only update for real, reproducible issues.

When to Use This Skill

• USB microphone or audio device disappears after sleep/wake
• Battery is cycling unnecessarily on a plugged-in Mac
• Setting up a MacBook as a permanent desktop workstation
• Configuring pmset for always-on-AC use
• Setting up a powered USB hub with uhubctl for software-controlled USB resets
• Enhancing the AudioDeviceMonitor Swift daemon with self-healing recovery

Root Cause Diagnosis Framework

Before applying fixes, diagnose the specific failure mode. This framework was developed from empirical analysis of a MacBook Pro M3 Max with an Antlion USB Microphone (VID 0x2F96, PID 0x0200).