github / github/copilot-cli

MCP server processes not killed on CLI exit

Open
#2,817 0 comments 2 reactions 0 assignees View on GitHub
area:mcp
Dominant language
Shell
Stars
11.2k
Forks
1.9k
Avg merge
14h 16m
Merged PRs (30d)
6

Description

### Describe the bug

_No response_

### Affected version

_No response_

### Steps to reproduce the behavior

Body: After exiting copilot, ssh-mcp (and other MCP) child processes remain alive in Activity Monitor. Each
consumes ~tens of MB. Expected behavior: CLI should send SIGTERM to all spawned MCP child processes on exit.
Steps to reproduce: 1. Start copilot with SSH MCP servers configured. 2. Exit with Ctrl+D or /exit. 3. Run
pgrep -la mcp — processes still alive.

### Expected behavior

_No response_

### Additional context

_No response_

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

Research direction

Start by reproducing the issue from the copilot CLI with an SSH MCP server configured, exiting via Ctrl+D and /exit, then check the remaining processes with `pgrep -la mcp`. Trace the CLI entry point's shutdown and MCP child-process handling; done means all spawned MCP processes receive SIGTERM and no longer remain after exit.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
shell
Domain
cli
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
3/5
Estimated time
1-2 days
Activity status
Quiet
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
52/100

Get new issues in your inbox

A short digest of beginner-friendly GitHub issues.