BT KeepAlive

Keep Bluetooth headphones awake on Windows 10/11: a small system-tray app that plays quiet audio (or periodic silent pulses) so your headset stays connected and you never miss the first second of a notification, video, or call.

---

Download

No Python or install wizard required: grab the portable .exe and run it.

Download	Link
BTKeepAlive.exe (recommended)	Download latest release
Checksum file	SHA256SUMS.txt
All versions	GitHub Releases

Quick install

1. Download BTKeepAlive.exe using the link above.
2. Move it to a permanent folder, for example %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\BTKeepAlive\.
3. Double-click to run. A tray icon appears: blue when playing, gray when paused.
4. Right-click the tray icon → Launch at startup if you want it every boot.

SmartScreen / antivirus: Unsigned builds may show a Windows SmartScreen prompt. Choose More info → Run anyway, or build locally (see Build from source).

Verify download (optional)

Get-FileHash "$env:USERPROFILE\Downloads\BTKeepAlive.exe" -Algorithm SHA256

Compare the hash with SHA256SUMS.txt on the release page.

---

Why use this?

Many Bluetooth headphones power down their radio after a short period of silence. When something new plays, the first moment can be clipped while the link reconnects. BT KeepAlive sends a continuous near-inaudible signal, or a periodic quiet pulse, so Windows keeps the audio path active.

Inspired by tools like SoundKeeper, but focused on a simple tray experience with multiple noise presets and a mostly-silent pulse mode.

---

Features

• Noise presets: white, pink, brown, blue, violet
• 40 Hz binaural beats with adjustable carrier (100–300 Hz)
• Volume control: slider dialog plus tray presets
• Pulse keepalive: short quiet pulse on an interval (mostly silent, like SoundKeeper)
• Launch at startup: registry entry when running the built .exe
• System tray: play/pause, pulse mode, sound, volume, binaural carrier, startup toggle, quit

---

Using the app

Right-click the tray icon to change sound, volume, and mode. Default is brown noise at 2% volume, usually inaudible at normal listening distance.

Tray action	What it does
Play / Pause	Start or stop the keepalive stream (label shows Pause while playing)
Pulse keepalive	Toggle pulse mode on/off (checked when pulse mode is active)
Sound	Pick a noise preset or 40 Hz binaural (selecting a preset switches back to continuous mode)
Volume	Adjust volume… opens a slider dialog; below that, radio presets (0.01%–20%)
Binaural carrier	Carrier frequency for 40 Hz binaural: 100, 150, 200, 250, or 300 Hz
Launch at startup	Add/remove from Windows startup; enabled only when running the .exe
Quit	Exit the app

Continuous vs pulse mode

• Continuous (default): plays your chosen preset at low volume. Best when a tiny background hum is acceptable.
• Pulse: sends a very short, very quiet pulse every ~55 seconds. Best when you want the tray icon active but almost no audible output.

If Bluetooth still drops in pulse mode, lower pulse_interval_sec in config.json.

---

Config and logs

Settings live in %APPDATA%\BTKeepAlive\:

File	Purpose
config.json	Preset, volume, pulse timing, autoplay, etc.
app.log	General application log (rotating)
audio-errors.log	Audio/stream errors (rotating)

Set BTKEEPALIVE_LOG_LEVEL=DEBUG for verbose logging.

Config reference

Key	Default	Tray
preset	brown	Sound submenu
volume	0.02	Volume / Adjust volume…
carrier_hz	200	Binaural carrier
keepalive_mode	continuous	Pulse keepalive toggle
pulse_interval_sec	55	JSON only (pulse mode timing)
pulse_duration_sec	1	JSON only
pulse_amplitude	0.0001	JSON only
sample_rate	44100	JSON only
buffer_seconds	0.012	JSON only
autoplay	true	JSON / --no-autoplay
launch_at_startup	false	Launch at startup (.exe only)
playing	true	Play / Pause

---

Troubleshooting

Problem	What to try
No sound / app exits on start	Check Windows default playback device; see %APPDATA%\BTKeepAlive\audio-errors.log
“Already running”	Another instance is in the tray; use Quit or Task Manager
Startup toggle fails	Run as your normal user; check app.log
Antivirus blocks the .exe	One-file PyInstaller builds are sometimes flagged; allowlist the folder or build locally
SmartScreen warning	More info → Run anyway for unsigned builds

---

For developers

Requirements: Windows 10/11, Python 3.11+

git clone https://github.com/tothKarolyDavid/bt-keepalive.git
cd bt-keepalive
python -m venv .venv
.\.venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1
pip install -e ".[dev]"
python -m btkeepalive

Note: “Launch at startup” only works with the built .exe, not python -m btkeepalive.

CLI

python -m btkeepalive --version
python -m btkeepalive --config-path
python -m btkeepalive --no-autoplay

Build from source

.\.venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1
pip install -e ".[dev]"
.\build.ps1
# Output: dist\BTKeepAlive.exe

Optional installer (requires Inno Setup 6):

iscc installer\BTKeepAlive.iss
# Output: dist\BTKeepAlive-setup.exe

Tests and lint

pip install -e ".[dev]"
ruff check .
ruff format --check .
pytest

Publishing a release

Push a version tag to trigger the GitHub Actions release workflow:

git tag v1.1.0
git push origin v1.1.0

The workflow builds BTKeepAlive.exe, writes SHA256SUMS.txt, and attaches both to a GitHub Release.

---

License

MIT. See LICENSE.