fix: background process lifecycle, streaming output, and connection deadlocks

- Timeout: timeout=0 means no deadline (was defaulting to 30s)
- Signal: send to process group (-pgid) not just process; SIGTERM no longer
  cancels context (only SIGKILL does); cmd.Cancel sends SIGTERM with 5s WaitDelay
- Streaming: background procs stream output in real-time via procWriter;
  shell tool no longer buffers all output into a bash variable
- Proc tree: olliesrv exposes proc/{id}/out, proc/{id}/ctl, proc/{id}/status
  as proper 9P directory (was broken flat file)
- Connection: proc handlers dial fresh toolsrv conn per request via
  Session.DialToolServer() to avoid deadlocking the agent's blocked conn
- Stat format: key=value (exited=true, exit_code=N, id=N) matching client parser
- GC: procs auto-removed 10min after LastRead (exited procs only)
- Rename: PID -> ID throughout (synthetic, not OS PID)
- Ctl commands: term (SIGTERM), kill (SIGKILL), signal <n>, dismiss
- System prompt: correct ollie-9p commands for proc management

cmd/olliesrv/internal/agent/background.go

@@ -94,7 +94,7 @@ func (bt *bgTracker) CollectInterrupts(conn *toolsrv.Conn) string {
 		// Tail last 20 lines
 		lines := tailLines(output, 20)
 
-		sb.WriteString("\n\n<system-proc-interrupt pid=\"")
+		sb.WriteString("\n\n<system-proc-interrupt id=\"")
 		sb.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("%d", p.PID))
 		sb.WriteString("\" cmd=\"")
 		sb.WriteString(escapeAttr(p.Cmd))

cmd/olliesrv/internal/agent/loop.go

@@ -578,7 +578,7 @@ func execOne(rt *Runtime, ctx TurnCtx, call backend.ToolCall, resultCache *sync.
 				if ctx.BgTracker != nil {
 					ctx.BgTracker.Add(pid, call.Name, cmdDesc)
 				}
-				result = fmt.Sprintf("<system-proc-background>\npid=%d cmd=%q\n</system-proc-background>", pid, cmdDesc)
+				result = fmt.Sprintf("<system-proc-background>\nid=%d cmd=%q\n</system-proc-background>", pid, cmdDesc)
 			}
 		}
 		emit(ctx, Event{Role: "tool", Name: call.Name, Content: result, OutputFormat: toolOutputFormat(rt, call.Name)})

cmd/olliesrv/internal/fs/handlers_agent.go

@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import (
 	"os"
 	"strconv"
 	"strings"
+	"syscall"
 
 	"ollie/cmd/olliesrv/internal/agent"
 	"ollie/paths"
@@ -495,19 +496,28 @@ func streamChat(al *AgentLog, cctx context.Context, base string) ([]byte, string
 
 // processBindings returns bindings for detached processes.
 func processBindings(ctx HandlerCtx) ([]Binding, error) {
-	if ctx.Agent == nil {
+	if ctx.Session == nil {
 		return nil, nil
 	}
-	procs := ctx.Agent.ListDetached()
-	out := make([]Binding, len(procs))
-	for i, p := range procs {
-		pid := p.PID // capture
-		out[i] = Binding{
-			Name: strconv.Itoa(p.PID),
-			Applier: func(c HandlerCtx) HandlerCtx {
-				c.Data = pid
-				return c
-			},
+	conn := ctx.Session.DialToolServer()
+	if conn == nil {
+		return nil, nil
+	}
+	defer conn.Close()
+	raw := conn.ListDetachedRaw()
+	out := make([]Binding, 0, len(raw))
+	for _, r := range raw {
+		if m, ok := r.(map[string]any); ok {
+			if pid, ok := m["pid"].(int); ok {
+				id := pid // capture
+				out = append(out, Binding{
+					Name: strconv.Itoa(id),
+					Applier: func(c HandlerCtx) HandlerCtx {
+						c.Data = id
+						return c
+					},
+				})
+			}
 		}
 	}
 	return out, nil
@@ -515,17 +525,72 @@ func processBindings(ctx HandlerCtx) ([]Binding, error) {
 
 func readProcess(ctx HandlerCtx) ([]byte, error) {
 	pid := ctx.Data.(int)
-	output, err := ctx.Agent.GetDetachedOutput(pid)
+	conn := ctx.Session.DialToolServer()
+	if conn == nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("no tool server")
+	}
+	defer conn.Close()
+	output, err := conn.GetDetachedOutput(pid)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
 	return []byte(output), nil
 }
 
-func removeProcess(ctx HandlerCtx) error {
+func readProcessStatus(ctx HandlerCtx) ([]byte, error) {
 	pid := ctx.Data.(int)
-	if !ctx.Agent.DismissDetached(pid) {
-		return fmt.Errorf("process %d not found or still running", pid)
+	conn := ctx.Session.DialToolServer()
+	if conn == nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("no tool server")
+	}
+	defer conn.Close()
+	raw := conn.ListDetachedRaw()
+	for _, r := range raw {
+		if m, ok := r.(map[string]any); ok {
+			if id, ok := m["pid"].(int); ok && id == pid {
+				if exited, ok := m["exited"].(bool); ok && exited {
+					exitCode := 0
+					if code, ok := m["exit_code"].(int); ok {
+						exitCode = code
+					}
+					return []byte(fmt.Sprintf("exited %d\n", exitCode)), nil
+				}
+				return []byte("running\n"), nil
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	return nil, fmt.Errorf("process %d not found", pid)
+}
+
+func writeProcessCtl(ctx HandlerCtx, data []byte) error {
+	pid := ctx.Data.(int)
+	conn := ctx.Session.DialToolServer()
+	if conn == nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("no tool server")
+	}
+	defer conn.Close()
+	cmd := strings.TrimSpace(string(data))
+	switch {
+	case cmd == "term":
+		return conn.SignalDetached(pid, syscall.SIGTERM)
+	case cmd == "kill":
+		return conn.SignalDetached(pid, syscall.SIGKILL)
+	case cmd == "dismiss":
+		if !conn.DismissDetached(pid) {
+			return fmt.Errorf("process %d not found", pid)
+		}
+		return nil
+	case strings.HasPrefix(cmd, "signal "):
+		parts := strings.Fields(cmd)
+		if len(parts) < 2 {
+			return fmt.Errorf("signal requires signal number")
+		}
+		sig, err := strconv.Atoi(parts[1])
+		if err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("invalid signal: %s", parts[1])
+		}
+		return conn.SignalDetached(pid, syscall.Signal(sig))
+	default:
+		return fmt.Errorf("unknown command: %s (valid: term, kill, signal <n>, dismiss)", cmd)
 	}
-	return nil
 }

cmd/olliesrv/internal/fs/session_node.go

@@ -69,6 +69,10 @@ func (s *SessionNode) ToolsConn() *toolsrv.Conn {
 	return s.Core.ToolsConn()
 }
 
+func (s *SessionNode) DialToolServer() *toolsrv.Conn {
+	return s.Core.DialToolServer()
+}
+
 // --- AgentLog management ---
 
 func (s *SessionNode) AgentLog() *AgentLog {

cmd/olliesrv/internal/fs/spec.go

@@ -294,10 +294,21 @@ FileNode("generate", 0666,
 						Doc("Detached background processes started by this agent."),
 
 						Each("{pid}", processBindings,
-							Doc("Process output buffer. Read: output. Remove: dismiss after completion."),
+							Doc("Background process. Directory contains out, ctl, status."),
 							Bind(BindData),
-							Read(readProcess),
-							Remove(removeProcess),
+
+							FileNode("out", 0444,
+								Doc("Process output buffer."),
+								Read(readProcess),
+							),
+							FileNode("ctl", 0222,
+								Doc("Process control. Write: term, kill, signal <n>, dismiss."),
+								Write(writeProcessCtl),
+							),
+							FileNode("status", 0444,
+								Doc("Process status: running or exited <code>."),
+								Read(readProcessStatus),
+							),
 						),
 					),
 				),

cmd/olliesrv/internal/prompts/system_prompt.md

@@ -50,13 +50,13 @@ When a tool or shell command fails due to sandbox restrictions, you may retry wi
 
 Run long-running commands in the background by passing `"background": true` to shell: `{"cmd": "go test ./...", "background": true}`.
 
-The result is a `<system-proc-background>` tag containing the PID. You do NOT need to poll for output — background process updates are automatically injected into your context as `<system-proc-interrupt>` blocks alongside tool results. These include status (running/exited), exit code, and the last 20 lines of output.
+The result is a `<system-proc-background>` tag containing the process ID. You do NOT need to poll for output — background process updates are automatically injected into your context as `<system-proc-interrupt>` blocks alongside tool results. These include status (running/exited), exit code, and the last 20 lines of output.
 
 **Rules**:
 - Use background for long operations (builds, test suites, deployments, log tailing). Do NOT background short commands (< 5s).
 - React to `<system-proc-interrupt>` naturally. If a build fails, fix it. If output is irrelevant, kill the process.
-- Kill background processes when done: `{"cmd": "kill <pid>"}`.
-- You can still read full output explicitly via `process_output` if needed.
+- Stop background processes when done: `echo term | ollie-9p write session/$OLLIE_SESSION_ID/agent/$OLLIE_UNAME/proc/<id>/ctl` (use `kill` instead of `term` to force-kill)
+- Read full output: `ollie-9p read session/$OLLIE_SESSION_ID/agent/$OLLIE_UNAME/proc/<id>/out`
 
 # Security
 
@@ -102,6 +102,9 @@ Your world model is a 9P filesystem. Your session ID is `${OLLIE_SESSION_ID}`. U
 | `stats`     | read  | Usage, cost, context size |
 | `tools`     | r/w   | Write: load tool by name. Read: list loaded tools. |
 | `proc/`     | dir   | Detached background processes |
+| `proc/{id}/out` | read | Process output buffer |
+| `proc/{id}/ctl` | write | Process control: term, kill, signal \<n\>, dismiss |
+| `proc/{id}/status` | read | Process status: running or exited \<code\> |
 
 ## Operations
 

cmd/olliesrv/internal/session/session.go

@@ -84,6 +84,22 @@ func (s *Session) ToolsConn() *toolsrv.Conn {
 	return s.toolsConn
 }
 
+// DialToolServer dials a fresh toolsrv connection via the keeper.
+// Caller is responsible for closing the returned conn.
+func (s *Session) DialToolServer() *toolsrv.Conn {
+	s.mu.RLock()
+	k := s.Keeper
+	s.mu.RUnlock()
+	if k == nil {
+		return nil
+	}
+	conn, err := k.Dial()
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil
+	}
+	return conn
+}
+
 // SetToolsConn sets the tool server connection.
 func (s *Session) SetToolsConn(conn *toolsrv.Conn) {
 	s.mu.Lock()

cmd/toolsrv/internal/exec/exec.go

@@ -27,6 +27,8 @@ type Config struct {
 	Env     map[string]string
 	Yolo    bool
 	Timeout int
+	Output  io.Writer    // if set, stream stdout/stderr here in real-time
+	Started chan *os.Process // if set, receives the os.Process after Start()
 }
 
 // StreamFunc returns the streaming output function from context, if any.
@@ -55,7 +57,8 @@ func ExecuteTool(ctx context.Context, info toolsrv.ToolInfo, args json.RawMessag
 	// Extract dispatch-level flags from args
 	bypassed := false
 	timeout := cfg.Timeout
-	if timeout <= 0 {
+	timeoutExplicit := timeout > 0
+	if !timeoutExplicit {
 		timeout = 30
 	}
 	sandboxName := "default"
@@ -72,6 +75,7 @@ func ExecuteTool(ctx context.Context, info toolsrv.ToolInfo, args json.RawMessag
 			delete(argMap, "bypass")
 		}
 		if t, ok := argMap["timeout"]; ok {
+			timeoutExplicit = true
 			switch v := t.(type) {
 			case float64:
 				timeout = int(v)
@@ -116,7 +120,7 @@ func ExecuteTool(ctx context.Context, info toolsrv.ToolInfo, args json.RawMessag
 		bypassCode := fmt.Sprintf("cat <<'OLLIE_EOF' | %s\n%s\nOLLIE_EOF", toolPath, stdinData)
 		result, err = executeBypassDirect(ctx, bypassCode, cwd, cfg.Env, timeout, false)
 	} else {
-		result, err = executeSandboxed(ctx, toolPath, stdinData, cwd, cfg.Env, timeout, sandboxName, cfg.Yolo)
+		result, err = executeSandboxed(ctx, toolPath, stdinData, cwd, cfg.Env, timeout, sandboxName, cfg.Yolo, cfg.Output, cfg.Started)
 	}
 
 	if err != nil {
@@ -131,11 +135,7 @@ func ExecuteTool(ctx context.Context, info toolsrv.ToolInfo, args json.RawMessag
 }
 
 // executeSandboxed runs a tool script inside the sandbox.
-func executeSandboxed(ctx context.Context, toolPath, stdinData, cwd string, envExtra map[string]string, timeout int, sandboxName string, yolo bool) (string, error) {
-	if timeout <= 0 {
-		timeout = 30
-	}
-
+func executeSandboxed(ctx context.Context, toolPath, stdinData, cwd string, envExtra map[string]string, timeout int, sandboxName string, yolo bool, streamOut io.Writer, started chan *os.Process) (string, error) {
 	var sandboxCfg *sandbox.Config
 	if !yolo {
 		cfgPath := filepath.Join(paths.CfgDir(), "sandbox", sandboxName+".yaml")
@@ -151,8 +151,11 @@ func executeSandboxed(ctx context.Context, toolPath, stdinData, cwd string, envE
 		}
 	}
 
-	ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(ctx, time.Duration(timeout)*time.Second)
-	defer cancel()
+	if timeout > 0 {
+		var cancel context.CancelFunc
+		ctx, cancel = context.WithTimeout(ctx, time.Duration(timeout)*time.Second)
+		defer cancel()
+	}
 
 	interpreter := []string{"bash", "-c", toolPath}
 
@@ -197,15 +200,19 @@ func executeSandboxed(ctx context.Context, toolPath, stdinData, cwd string, envE
 	cmd.SysProcAttr = &syscall.SysProcAttr{Setpgid: true}
 	cmd.Cancel = func() error {
 		if cmd.Process != nil {
-			syscall.Kill(-cmd.Process.Pid, syscall.SIGKILL)
+			syscall.Kill(-cmd.Process.Pid, syscall.SIGTERM)
 		}
 		return nil
 	}
-	cmd.WaitDelay = time.Second
+	cmd.WaitDelay = 5 * time.Second
 
 	var outputBuf bytes.Buffer
+	var w io.Writer = &outputBuf
+	if streamOut != nil {
+		w = io.MultiWriter(&outputBuf, streamOut)
+	}
 	lw := &limitedWriter{
-		w:      &outputBuf,
+		w:      w,
 		limit:  10 * 1024 * 1024,
 		stream: StreamFunc(ctx),
 	}
@@ -213,9 +220,16 @@ func executeSandboxed(ctx context.Context, toolPath, stdinData, cwd string, envE
 	cmd.Stderr = lw
 
 	if err := cmd.Start(); err != nil {
+		if started != nil {
+			close(started)
+		}
 		return "", fmt.Errorf("execution failed: %w", err)
 	}
 
+	if started != nil {
+		started <- cmd.Process
+	}
+
 	err := cmd.Wait()
 	output := outputBuf.Bytes()
 	if lw.truncated {
@@ -244,8 +258,11 @@ func executeBypassDirect(ctx context.Context, cmd, cwd string, envExtra map[stri
 	}
 	sockPath := filepath.Join(xdg, "ollie", "bypass.sock")
 
-	ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(ctx, time.Duration(timeout)*time.Second)
-	defer cancel()
+	if timeout > 0 {
+		var cancel context.CancelFunc
+		ctx, cancel = context.WithTimeout(ctx, time.Duration(timeout)*time.Second)
+		defer cancel()
+	}
 
 	// Build environment map
 	envMap := make(map[string]string)

cmd/toolsrv/internal/fs/proc.go

@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import (
 	"context"
 	"encoding/json"
 	"fmt"
+	"io"
 	"os"
 	"runtime"
 	"strconv"
@@ -33,7 +34,7 @@ type State struct {
 	// Process management
 	procMu    sync.Mutex
 	procs     map[int]*Proc
-	nextPID   int
+	nextID   int
 	procLimit int
 
 	// Callbacks
@@ -42,13 +43,14 @@ type State struct {
 
 // Proc represents a running or completed process.
 type Proc struct {
-	PID       int
+	ID        int
 	Tool      string
 	Args      map[string]string
 	StartTime time.Time
 	EndTime   time.Time
 	ExitCode  int
 	Exited    bool
+	LastRead  time.Time // last time output was read; GC TTL counts from here
 
 	mu     sync.Mutex
 	output bytes.Buffer
@@ -63,7 +65,7 @@ func NewState(cwd string) *State {
 		cwd:       cwd,
 		env:       make(map[string]string),
 		procs:     make(map[int]*Proc),
-		nextPID:   1,
+		nextID:   1,
 		procLimit: 32,
 	}
 }
@@ -177,12 +179,12 @@ func (st *State) UnloadTool(name string) error {
 
 // --- Process Management ---
 
-// allocPID allocates a new process ID.
-func (st *State) allocPID() int {
+// allocID allocates a new process ID.
+func (st *State) allocID() int {
 	st.procMu.Lock()
 	defer st.procMu.Unlock()
-	pid := st.nextPID
-	st.nextPID++
+	pid := st.nextID
+	st.nextID++
 	return pid
 }
 
@@ -229,7 +231,7 @@ func (st *State) NewProc(ctx context.Context, payload string, background bool) (
 	// Create proc
 	procCtx, cancel := context.WithCancel(ctx)
 	proc := &Proc{
-		PID:       st.allocPID(),
+		ID:        st.allocID(),
 		Tool:      toolName,
 		Args:      args,
 		StartTime: time.Now(),
@@ -238,26 +240,43 @@ func (st *State) NewProc(ctx context.Context, payload string, background bool) (
 	}
 
 	st.procMu.Lock()
-	st.procs[proc.PID] = proc
+	st.procs[proc.ID] = proc
 	st.procMu.Unlock()
 
+	// For background procs, stream output directly into the proc buffer.
+	// For foreground, use nil (local buffer in exec path).
+	var outputWriter io.Writer
+	var startedCh chan *os.Process
+	if background {
+		outputWriter = &procWriter{proc: proc}
+		startedCh = make(chan *os.Process, 1)
+	}
+
 	// Execute in goroutine
 	go func() {
 		defer close(proc.done)
 		defer cancel()
 
-		out, exitCode := st.executeTool(procCtx, info, args, cwd, envCopy, yolo)
+		out, exitCode := st.executeTool(procCtx, info, args, cwd, envCopy, yolo, outputWriter, startedCh)
 
 		proc.mu.Lock()
-		proc.output.WriteString(out)
+		if !background {
+			proc.output.WriteString(out)
+		}
 		proc.ExitCode = exitCode
 		proc.Exited = true
 		proc.EndTime = time.Now()
 		proc.mu.Unlock()
 	}()
 
+	// For background procs, wait for the process to start and store its reference.
 	if background {
-		return fmt.Sprintf("%d", proc.PID), proc.PID, nil
+		if p, ok := <-startedCh; ok && p != nil {
+			proc.mu.Lock()
+			proc.proc = p
+			proc.mu.Unlock()
+		}
+		return fmt.Sprintf("%d", proc.ID), proc.ID, nil
 	}
 
 	// Wait for completion
@@ -270,24 +289,26 @@ func (st *State) NewProc(ctx context.Context, payload string, background bool) (
 
 	// Auto-cleanup for foreground procs
 	st.procMu.Lock()
-	delete(st.procs, proc.PID)
+	delete(st.procs, proc.ID)
 	st.procMu.Unlock()
 
 	if exitCode != 0 {
-		return result, proc.PID, fmt.Errorf("exit %d", exitCode)
+		return result, proc.ID, fmt.Errorf("exit %d", exitCode)
 	}
-	return result, proc.PID, nil
+	return result, proc.ID, nil
 }
 
 // executeTool runs a tool and returns output + exit code.
-func (st *State) executeTool(ctx context.Context, info toolsrv.ToolInfo, args map[string]string, cwd string, envExtra map[string]string, yolo bool) (string, int) {
+func (st *State) executeTool(ctx context.Context, info toolsrv.ToolInfo, args map[string]string, cwd string, envExtra map[string]string, yolo bool, output io.Writer, started chan *os.Process) (string, int) {
 	// Convert args map to JSON for the execution path
 	jsonArgs := argsToJSON(args)
 
 	cfg := exec.Config{
-		CWD:  cwd,
-		Env:  envExtra,
-		Yolo: yolo,
+		CWD:     cwd,
+		Env:     envExtra,
+		Yolo:    yolo,
+		Output:  output,
+		Started: started,
 	}
 
 	result, err := exec.ExecuteTool(ctx, info, jsonArgs, cfg)
@@ -326,6 +347,40 @@ func (st *State) DismissProc(pid int) bool {
 	return false
 }
 
+const procGCTTL = 10 * time.Minute
+
+// StartProcGC runs a background goroutine that removes exited procs
+// whose output has been read and whose LastRead is older than procGCTTL.
+func (st *State) StartProcGC(ctx context.Context) {
+	go func() {
+		ticker := time.NewTicker(1 * time.Minute)
+		defer ticker.Stop()
+		for {
+			select {
+			case <-ctx.Done():
+				return
+			case <-ticker.C:
+				st.gcProcs()
+			}
+		}
+	}()
+}
+
+func (st *State) gcProcs() {
+	st.procMu.Lock()
+	defer st.procMu.Unlock()
+	now := time.Now()
+	for pid, p := range st.procs {
+		p.mu.Lock()
+		exited := p.Exited
+		lastRead := p.LastRead
+		p.mu.Unlock()
+		if exited && !lastRead.IsZero() && now.Sub(lastRead) >= procGCTTL {
+			delete(st.procs, pid)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
 // SignalProc sends a signal to a process.
 func (st *State) SignalProc(pid int, sig syscall.Signal) error {
 	proc := st.GetProc(pid)
@@ -333,17 +388,17 @@ func (st *State) SignalProc(pid int, sig syscall.Signal) error {
 		return fmt.Errorf("process not found: %d", pid)
 	}
 
-	// Cancel the context (for graceful stop)
-	if sig == syscall.SIGTERM || sig == syscall.SIGINT {
-		proc.cancel()
-	}
-
-	// Also signal the underlying process if available
+	// Signal the process group (we set Setpgid: true)
 	proc.mu.Lock()
 	p := proc.proc
 	proc.mu.Unlock()
 	if p != nil {
-		p.Signal(sig)
+		syscall.Kill(-p.Pid, sig)
+	}
+
+	// Cancel context on SIGKILL (hard stop)
+	if sig == syscall.SIGKILL {
+		proc.cancel()
 	}
 
 	return nil
@@ -441,6 +496,10 @@ func (st *State) HandleProcCtl(pid int, input string) error {
 	}
 
 	switch parts[0] {
+	case "term":
+		return st.SignalProc(pid, syscall.SIGTERM)
+	case "kill":
+		return st.SignalProc(pid, syscall.SIGKILL)
 	case "signal":
 		if len(parts) < 2 {
 			return fmt.Errorf("signal requires signal number")
@@ -458,12 +517,26 @@ func (st *State) HandleProcCtl(pid int, input string) error {
 	}
 }
 
+// --- procWriter ---
+
+// procWriter is a thread-safe writer that streams into a Proc's output buffer.
+type procWriter struct {
+	proc *Proc
+}
+
+func (pw *procWriter) Write(p []byte) (int, error) {
+	pw.proc.mu.Lock()
+	defer pw.proc.mu.Unlock()
+	return pw.proc.output.Write(p)
+}
+
 // --- Proc Methods ---
 
-// Output returns the current output buffer.
+// Output returns the current output buffer and updates LastRead.
 func (p *Proc) Output() string {
 	p.mu.Lock()
 	defer p.mu.Unlock()
+	p.LastRead = time.Now()
 	return p.output.String()
 }
 
@@ -475,7 +548,7 @@ func (p *Proc) Wait() int {
 	return p.ExitCode
 }
 
-// Stat returns a status string.
+// Stat returns a status string in key=value format.
 func (p *Proc) Stat() string {
 	p.mu.Lock()
 	defer p.mu.Unlock()
@@ -483,9 +556,9 @@ func (p *Proc) Stat() string {
 	rt := time.Since(p.StartTime)
 	if p.Exited {
 		rt = p.EndTime.Sub(p.StartTime)
-		return fmt.Sprintf("exited %d\nruntime=%v\ntool=%s\n", p.ExitCode, rt, p.Tool)
+		return fmt.Sprintf("id=%d\nexited=true\nexit_code=%d\nruntime=%v\ntool=%s\n", p.ID, p.ExitCode, rt, p.Tool)
 	}
-	return fmt.Sprintf("running\nruntime=%v\ntool=%s\n", rt, p.Tool)
+	return fmt.Sprintf("id=%d\nexited=false\nruntime=%v\ntool=%s\n", p.ID, rt, p.Tool)
 }
 
 // --- Helpers ---

cmd/toolsrv/internal/fs/proc_test.go

@@ -126,7 +126,7 @@ func TestState_HandleProcCtl(t *testing.T) {
 
 func TestProc_Stat(t *testing.T) {
 	proc := &Proc{
-		PID:       1,
+		ID:       1,
 		Tool:      "shell",
 		StartTime: time.Now(),
 		done:      make(chan struct{}),
@@ -134,8 +134,8 @@ func TestProc_Stat(t *testing.T) {
 
 	// Running state
 	stat := proc.Stat()
-	if !strings.Contains(stat, "running") {
-		t.Errorf("Stat() for running proc should contain 'running', got %q", stat)
+	if !strings.Contains(stat, "exited=false") {
+		t.Errorf("Stat() for running proc should contain 'exited=false', got %q", stat)
 	}
 
 	// Mark as exited
@@ -144,8 +144,8 @@ func TestProc_Stat(t *testing.T) {
 	proc.EndTime = time.Now()
 
 	stat = proc.Stat()
-	if !strings.Contains(stat, "exited 0") {
-		t.Errorf("Stat() for exited proc should contain 'exited 0', got %q", stat)
+	if !strings.Contains(stat, "exited=true") {
+		t.Errorf("Stat() for exited proc should contain 'exited=true', got %q", stat)
 	}
 }
 
@@ -191,3 +191,56 @@ func TestParsePayload(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 	}
 }
+
+func TestGcProcs(t *testing.T) {
+	st := NewState("/tmp")
+
+	// Add a proc that's exited and was read long ago
+	st.procMu.Lock()
+	st.procs[1] = &Proc{
+		ID:      1,
+		Exited:   true,
+		EndTime:  time.Now().Add(-20 * time.Minute),
+		LastRead: time.Now().Add(-15 * time.Minute),
+		done:     make(chan struct{}),
+	}
+	// Add a proc that's exited but never read
+	st.procs[2] = &Proc{
+		ID:    2,
+		Exited: true,
+		done:   make(chan struct{}),
+	}
+	// Add a proc that's exited and recently read
+	st.procs[3] = &Proc{
+		ID:      3,
+		Exited:   true,
+		LastRead: time.Now(),
+		done:     make(chan struct{}),
+	}
+	// Add a still-running proc
+	st.procs[4] = &Proc{
+		ID:      4,
+		Exited:   false,
+		LastRead: time.Now().Add(-20 * time.Minute),
+		done:     make(chan struct{}),
+	}
+	st.procMu.Unlock()
+
+	st.gcProcs()
+
+	st.procMu.Lock()
+	defer st.procMu.Unlock()
+
+	if _, ok := st.procs[1]; ok {
+		t.Error("proc 1 should have been GC'd (exited, read >10min ago)")
+	}
+	if _, ok := st.procs[2]; !ok {
+		t.Error("proc 2 should NOT be GC'd (never read)")
+	}
+	if _, ok := st.procs[3]; !ok {
+		t.Error("proc 3 should NOT be GC'd (recently read)")
+	}
+	if _, ok := st.procs[4]; !ok {
+		t.Error("proc 4 should NOT be GC'd (still running)")
+	}
+}

cmd/toolsrv/internal/fs/spec.go

@@ -165,7 +165,7 @@ func handleProcCtlWrite(ctx Ctx, data []byte) error {
 	if ctx.Proc == nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("no process context")
 	}
-	return ctx.Server.Fs.HandleProcCtl(ctx.Proc.PID, strings.TrimSpace(string(data)))
+	return ctx.Server.Fs.HandleProcCtl(ctx.Proc.ID, strings.TrimSpace(string(data)))
 }
 
 // Mode constants for convenience.

cmd/toolsrv/main.go

@@ -110,6 +110,9 @@ func main() {
 		go idleMonitor(runCtx, cancel, *idleTimeout)
 	}
 
+	// Start proc GC
+	srv.Fs.StartProcGC(runCtx)
+
 	// Remove stale socket if it exists
 	os.Remove(*listenPath)
 

data/tools/shell

@@ -30,10 +30,8 @@ fi
 
 # Execute the command. The sandbox (landlock) is already applied by toolsrv.
 # We use eval to handle pipes, redirects, and compound commands.
-# Capture output and exit code, always report both.
-output=$(eval "$cmd" 2>&1) && rc=$? || rc=$?
-if [ -n "$output" ]; then
-  printf '%s\n' "$output"
-fi
+# Output streams directly to stdout/stderr for real-time capture.
+eval "$cmd" 2>&1
+rc=$?
 echo "exit: $rc"
 exit $rc

toolsrv/client9p.go

@@ -379,7 +379,7 @@ func (c *Conn) readProcInfo(name string) map[string]any {
 			key := line[:idx]
 			val := line[idx+1:]
 			switch key {
-			case "pid":
+			case "id":
 				var pid int
 				fmt.Sscanf(val, "%d", &pid)
 				info["pid"] = pid