microsoft / microsoft/WSL

vmmemwslc-cli remains running after all containers have exited

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#40,961 3 comments 3 reactions 1 assignee View on GitHub

@craigloewen-msft is already working on this.

Since Jul 7, 2026.

feature fixinbound wslc
Dominant language
C++
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Description

### Windows Version

Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.26200.8655]

### WSL Version

2.9.3.0

### Are you using WSL 1 or WSL 2?

- [x] WSL 2
- [ ] WSL 1

### Kernel Version

6.18.35.2

### Distro Version

Debian

### Other Software

_No response_

### Repro Steps

1. Run a temporary Alpine container:

```powershell
wslc run --rm -it alpine:latest
```

2. Exit the container (for example, by running exit or pressing Ctrl+D).

3. Verify that there are no running containers:

```powershell
wslc ps
```

Output:
```powershell
CONTAINER ID NAME IMAGE CREATED STATUS PORTS
```

4. Verify that there are no existing containers:

```powershell
wslc container list
```

Output:
```powershell
CONTAINER ID NAME IMAGE CREATED STATUS PORTS
```

5. Open Task Manager (or run `tasklist`) and observe that `vmmemwslc-cli-` is still running.

### Expected Behavior

Once the container exits and there are no running or existing containers, the `wslc` VM should become idle and shut down automatically after the configured idle timeout. The `vmmemwslc-cli-` process should terminate and release its memory.

### Actual Behavior

Although there are no running or existing containers, `vmmemwslc-cli-` continues running indefinitely and keeps consuming memory (around 500 MB in my case). It does not exit even after waiting longer than the configured VM idle timeout.

### Diagnostic Logs

_No response_

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