Ghost Dev Server Killer (Node.js Server Killer v2)

A lightweight Python tool to detect and terminate “ghost” Node.js dev servers (e.g. npm run dev processes left behind after closing VS Code, crashes, or failed hot reloads).

Unlike v1 (which scanned all Node processes), v2 focuses on the real problem: Node processes that are still LISTENING on a port (i.e. still running a dev server).

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What’s New in v2

✅ Smarter detection (no more guessing ports)

v2 automatically finds Node processes that are actively listening on network ports, which is what causes the classic issues:

• EADDRINUSE: address already in use
• “Port 3000 / 5173 already in use”
• Dev server still accessible even after the terminal/editor was closed

You do not need to know what port the server was using — v2 detects it for you.

✅ Much safer than “kill all node”

v1 could kill unrelated Node processes (tooling, language servers, other projects).

v2 targets only:

• Node-ish processes (node, node.exe, nodejs)
• that have LISTEN sockets (server processes)

✅ Kills the whole process tree

npm run dev often spawns child processes. Killing only the parent PID can leave zombie workers behind.

v2 terminates:

• the target PID
• all child processes (recursive)

First it attempts graceful termination, then force kills remaining processes if needed.

✅ Better Windows support

v2 uses proper process inspection (including ports and process trees), making it much more reliable on Windows.

✅ Live monitoring improvements

Live mode continuously updates the list of detected listening Node processes, and supports instant kill commands.

✅ Self-contained dependency handling

v2 is still easy to run:

• it detects if psutil is installed at launch
• if missing, it asks permission to install it automatically via pip

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Features

• Detect Node.js dev servers by LISTEN ports
• Show PID + listening ports + command line
• Kill one process or all detected dev servers
• Kill process trees (prevents true ghost servers)
• Live monitoring mode with auto-refresh
• Cross-platform: Windows + Linux
• Self-contained installer prompt for dependency

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Installation

Option A — Download

1. Download stop_node_servers.py
2. Ensure Python 3.x is installed
3. Run it

Option B — Clone

git clone https://github.com/techcow2/<repo>.git
cd <repo>
python stop_node_servers.py

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Requirements

• Python 3.x

Dependency (v2)

• psutil

The script will prompt to install psutil automatically if it is missing.

Manual install:

pip install psutil

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Usage

python stop_node_servers.py

Menu Options

• 1 Terminate ALL listening Node processes (ghost dev servers)
• 2 Terminate selected PIDs (from detected listening list)
• 3 Live monitoring mode
• 4 Exit

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Live Monitoring Commands

In live mode, type commands and press Enter:

• k → kill all detected listening Node processes
• k <pid> → kill one PID (must be listed)
• r → refresh immediately
• h → help
• q → quit live mode

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Why this tool exists

When developing with Node frameworks like:

• Vite
• Next.js / Nuxt
• Webpack / React scripts
• Astro / SvelteKit / Remix

it’s common for dev servers to get orphaned. This tool solves that cleanly by focusing on what matters: servers that are still listening.

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License

MIT — see LICENSE