Claude Code Orphan Process Cleanup

Background

When using Claude Code CLI (claude command), the tool spawns bash subprocesses for various operations:

•Shell snapshots: Captures shell environment (functions, aliases, PATH)
•MCP tool calls: Network requests, file operations via Model Context Protocol
•Command execution: Running user-requested terminal commands

If the main Claude process crashes, is interrupted (Ctrl+C), or terminates unexpectedly, these child processes can become orphaned — adopted by the init process (PID 1 on Linux, launchd on macOS) and left running indefinitely.

Symptoms of Orphaned Processes

•Multiple bash processes consuming 100% CPU
•High CPU usage when Claude Code is not running
•Processes with PPID=1 containing claude, shell-snapshot, or claude_agent_sdk in their command line
•Fan noise / battery drain on laptops

Instructions

When this skill is invoked, follow these steps to identify and clean up orphaned Claude Code processes:

Step 1: Identify Orphaned Processes

Run the cleanup tool in dry-run mode (default) to list orphaned processes:

bash

claude-cleanup

The tool searches for processes matching these criteria:

•PPID=1 (orphaned, adopted by init/launchd)
•
Command line contains Claude-specific patterns:
- •shell-snapshot — shell environment capture mechanism
- •claude_agent_sdk — internal SDK components
- •_bundled/claude — bundled binaries
- •claude-[a-f0-9]+-cwd — temp files with hex IDs
- •SNAPSHOT_FILE=*/.claude/ — snapshot paths (any OS)
- •claude --ripgrep — bundled ripgrep wrapper
- •/.claude/shell-snapshots — snapshot directory references

Step 2: Review Process List

The output displays:

•PID: Process ID
•CPU%: Current CPU usage (red if >50%)
•ELAPSED: How long the process has been running
•COMMAND: Truncated command line showing what the process was doing

Example output:

code

=== Claude Code Orphan Process Finder ===

Found 3 orphaned Claude Code process(es):

PID      CPU%     ELAPSED      COMMAND (truncated)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
11409    100.0%   16:23:34     /bin/bash -c -l { shopt -u extglob || setopt NO_EXTENDED_GLO...
96647    99.1%    17:16:44     /bin/bash -c -l SNAPSHOT_FILE=/Users/greg/.claude/shell-snap...
98091    99.2%    01-11:38:47  /bin/bash -c -l SNAPSHOT_FILE=/Users/greg/.claude/shell-snap...

Run with --kill to terminate these processes
Run with --force to kill without confirmation

Step 3: Terminate Orphaned Processes

Once you've confirmed the processes are orphaned Claude processes, kill them:

With confirmation prompt:

bash

claude-cleanup --kill

Without confirmation (for scripts/automation):

bash

claude-cleanup --force

Step 4: Verify Cleanup

Run the tool again to confirm all orphans have been terminated:

bash

claude-cleanup

Expected output:

code

=== Claude Code Orphan Process Finder ===

✓ No orphaned Claude Code processes found

Examples

Example 1: Routine Cleanup After Heavy Claude Usage

Scenario: You've been using Claude Code extensively and notice high CPU usage even when Claude is idle.

Execution:

bash

# Check for orphans
claude-cleanup

# Output shows 5 stuck processes at 100% CPU
# Kill them with confirmation
claude-cleanup --kill
# Type 'y' when prompted

# Verify cleanup
claude-cleanup
# Output: ✓ No orphaned Claude Code processes found

Result:

•CPU usage returns to normal
•System resources freed
•No impact on active Claude sessions

Example 2: Automated Cleanup via Cron

Scenario: You want to automatically clean up orphaned processes every hour.

Setup:

bash

# Edit crontab
crontab -e

# Add hourly cleanup job
0 * * * * /Users/greg/bin/claude-cleanup --force >> /tmp/claude-cleanup.log 2>&1

Benefits:

•Automatic cleanup without manual intervention
•Log file for auditing
•Prevents accumulation of orphaned processes

Example 3: Quick One-Liner Without Script

Scenario: You need to clean up orphans but don't have the script installed.

Execution:

bash

# Find and display orphaned Claude processes
ps -eo pid,ppid,pcpu,args | awk '$2==1' | grep -E 'claude|shell-snapshot|SNAPSHOT_FILE'

# Kill all matching processes
ps -eo pid,ppid,args | awk '$2==1' | grep -E 'claude|shell-snapshot' | awk '{print $1}' | xargs kill -9

Note: The script version is safer as it uses more specific patterns and provides confirmation.

Example 4: Diagnosing a Specific Orphan

Scenario: You want to understand what a specific orphaned process was doing before killing it.

Execution:

bash

# Get full command line for a specific PID
ps -p 11409 -o pid,ppid,lstart,args

# Check what files/resources the process has open
lsof -p 11409

# Check the working directory
lsof -p 11409 | grep cwd

Output interpretation:

•shell-snapshot processes were capturing shell environment
•curl commands were MCP tool network requests
•Working directory shows which project Claude was working on

Example 5: macOS LaunchAgent for Automatic Cleanup

Scenario: You prefer macOS-native scheduling over cron.

Setup:

•Create LaunchAgent plist:

bash

cat > ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.user.claude-cleanup.plist << 'EOF'
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
    <key>Label</key>
    <string>com.user.claude-cleanup</string>
    <key>ProgramArguments</key>
    <array>
        <string>/Users/greg/bin/claude-cleanup</string>
        <string>--force</string>
    </array>
    <key>StartInterval</key>
    <integer>3600</integer>
    <key>StandardOutPath</key>
    <string>/tmp/claude-cleanup.log</string>
    <key>StandardErrorPath</key>
    <string>/tmp/claude-cleanup.log</string>
</dict>
</plist>
EOF

•Load the agent:

bash

launchctl load ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.user.claude-cleanup.plist

•Verify it's running:

bash

launchctl list | grep claude-cleanup

Benefits:

•Survives system restarts
•Native macOS scheduling
•Runs even when not logged in (if configured)

Command Reference

Command	Description
`claude-cleanup`	List orphaned processes (dry run)
`claude-cleanup --kill` or `-k`	Kill processes with confirmation
`claude-cleanup --force` or `-f`	Kill processes without confirmation
`claude-cleanup --help` or `-h`	Show help message

Implementation Reference

Below is the complete bash script that implements this skill:

bash

#!/bin/bash
#
# claude-cleanup - Find and kill orphaned Claude Code processes
#
# Orphaned Claude processes typically have:
#   - PPID=1 (adopted by init/launchd after parent died)
#   - Command patterns related to claude_agent_sdk, shell-snapshots, or MCP tools
#   - Often consuming 100% CPU in stuck state
#
# Usage:
#   claude-cleanup          # List orphaned Claude processes (dry run)
#   claude-cleanup --kill   # Kill all found orphaned processes
#   claude-cleanup --force  # Kill without confirmation
#

set -euo pipefail

RED='\033[0;31m'
GREEN='\033[0;32m'
YELLOW='\033[1;33m'
BLUE='\033[0;34m'
NC='\033[0m' # No Color

KILL_MODE=false
FORCE_MODE=false

while [[ $# -gt 0 ]]; do
    case $1 in
        --kill|-k)
            KILL_MODE=true
            shift
            ;;
        --force|-f)
            KILL_MODE=true
            FORCE_MODE=true
            shift
            ;;
        --help|-h)
            echo "Usage: claude-cleanup [OPTIONS]"
            echo ""
            echo "Find and kill orphaned Claude Code processes"
            echo ""
            echo "Options:"
            echo "  --kill, -k    Kill found orphaned processes (with confirmation)"
            echo "  --force, -f   Kill without confirmation"
            echo "  --help, -h    Show this help message"
            exit 0
            ;;
        *)
            echo "Unknown option: $1"
            exit 1
            ;;
    esac
done

# Patterns that identify Claude Code processes (cross-platform)
CLAUDE_PATTERNS=(
    # Shell environment snapshot mechanism
    "shell-snapshot"
    # Claude Agent SDK internals
    "claude_agent_sdk"
    "_bundled/claude"
    # Temp files for tracking CWD (hex ID pattern)
    "claude-[a-f0-9]+-cwd"
    # Snapshot files in .claude directory (any OS home path)
    "SNAPSHOT_FILE=.*/\\.claude/"
    # Claude's bundled ripgrep wrapper
    "claude --ripgrep"
    # Generic .claude config directory in command args
    "/\\.claude/shell-snapshots"
)

# Build grep pattern
GREP_PATTERN=$(IFS='|'; echo "${CLAUDE_PATTERNS[*]}")

echo -e "${BLUE}=== Claude Code Orphan Process Finder ===${NC}"
echo ""

# Find orphaned processes (PPID=1) matching Claude patterns
# Using ps to get all processes, then filtering
ORPHANS=$(ps -eo pid,ppid,pcpu,etime,args 2>/dev/null | \
    awk '$2 == 1' | \
    grep -E "$GREP_PATTERN" 2>/dev/null || true)

if [[ -z "$ORPHANS" ]]; then
    echo -e "${GREEN}✓ No orphaned Claude Code processes found${NC}"
    exit 0
fi

# Count and display
COUNT=$(echo "$ORPHANS" | wc -l | tr -d ' ')
echo -e "${YELLOW}Found $COUNT orphaned Claude Code process(es):${NC}"
echo ""

# Header
printf "${BLUE}%-8s %-8s %-12s %s${NC}\n" "PID" "CPU%" "ELAPSED" "COMMAND (truncated)"
echo "--------------------------------------------------------------------------------"

# Display each orphan
echo "$ORPHANS" | while read -r line; do
    PID=$(echo "$line" | awk '{print $1}')
    CPU=$(echo "$line" | awk '{print $3}')
    ELAPSED=$(echo "$line" | awk '{print $4}')
    CMD=$(echo "$line" | awk '{$1=$2=$3=$4=""; print substr($0, 5, 60)}')
    
    # Color based on CPU usage
    if (( $(echo "$CPU > 50" | bc -l 2>/dev/null || echo 0) )); then
        printf "${RED}%-8s %-8s %-12s %s...${NC}\n" "$PID" "$CPU%" "$ELAPSED" "$CMD"
    else
        printf "%-8s %-8s %-12s %s...\n" "$PID" "$CPU%" "$ELAPSED" "$CMD"
    fi
done

echo ""

if [[ "$KILL_MODE" == true ]]; then
    PIDS=$(echo "$ORPHANS" | awk '{print $1}' | tr '\n' ' ')
    
    if [[ "$FORCE_MODE" == false ]]; then
        echo -e "${YELLOW}Kill these processes? [y/N]${NC} "
        read -r CONFIRM
        if [[ ! "$CONFIRM" =~ ^[Yy]$ ]]; then
            echo "Aborted."
            exit 0
        fi
    fi
    
    echo -e "${RED}Killing processes: $PIDS${NC}"
    for pid in $PIDS; do
        if kill -9 "$pid" 2>/dev/null; then
            echo -e "${GREEN}  ✓ Killed PID $pid${NC}"
        else
            echo -e "${YELLOW}  ⚠ Could not kill PID $pid (may have already exited)${NC}"
        fi
    done
    echo ""
    echo -e "${GREEN}Done!${NC}"
else
    echo -e "${BLUE}Run with --kill to terminate these processes${NC}"
    echo -e "${BLUE}Run with --force to kill without confirmation${NC}"
fi

Troubleshooting

Script reports "No orphaned processes" but CPU is still high

Check for non-orphaned Claude processes:

bash

ps aux | grep -E 'claude|node.*claude' | grep -v grep

These may be active Claude sessions. Close them normally or kill if unresponsive.

Permission denied when killing processes

Ensure you have permission to kill the process (same user or root):

bash

sudo claude-cleanup --force

Script not found

Ensure the script is in your PATH:

bash

# Check if ~/bin is in PATH
echo $PATH | grep -q "$HOME/bin" && echo "OK" || echo "Add ~/bin to PATH"

# Or run with full path
/Users/greg/bin/claude-cleanup