fix(extension): allow killing detached processes

[hdcodedev]

Context

Fixes #2653

The "Kill Command" button would fail to terminate a process if the user had previously clicked "Proceed While Running". This occurred due to two issues:

1. TerminalProcess.abort() checked isListening: The termination signal (\x03) was only sent if isListening was true. Clicking "Proceed While Running" calls continue(), which sets isListening to false.

2. task.terminalProcess was cleared too early: When "Proceed While Running" is clicked, process.continue() emits a "continue" event which resolves the process promise. This triggered the finally block in executeCommandInTerminal() which set task.terminalProcess = undefined, making subsequent kill attempts do nothing.

Implementation

TerminalProcess.ts

• Removed the if (this.isListening) check from abort(). The termination signal is now sent unconditionally.
• Implemented safe dereferencing (terminalRef.deref()) to prevent crashes if the terminal has been garbage collected.

ExecuteCommandTool.ts

• Added if (!runInBackground) check before clearing task.terminalProcess in the finally blocks.
• This preserves the process reference for background processes, allowing the kill button to still access it.

Tests

• Added unit test verifying abort() works after continue() is called.
• Verified that sendText is called exactly once to avoid signal spamming.
• Added safety test ensuring abort() doesn't throw if terminal is undefined.
• Added vi.clearAllMocks() to beforeEach to ensure clean state between tests.

How to Test

1. Start Kilo Code and ask it to run a long-running command that produces output:

   run ping -c 100 localhost

   Note: The "Proceed While Running" button only appears if the command produces visible output. Commands like sleep 60 (without echo) will not trigger the button.

2. Click "Run" to approve the command.

3. Wait for output to appear, then click "Proceed While Running".

4. Click the ⊗ (kill) button next to the PID.

5. Verify: The terminal process terminates successfully.

   • In a separate terminal, run: ps -p <PID> - should show no process

Demo

Before (Bug)

2653-bug.mp4

After (Fix)

2653-fix.mp4

[changeset-bot]

🦋 Changeset detected

Latest commit: 3d23a26

The changes in this PR will be included in the next version bump.

This PR includes changesets to release 1 package

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kilo-code	Patch

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[marius-kilocode]

@hdcodedev I can't really reproduce this with the CLI. Do you have a better example todo so?

[hdcodedev]

I'll test more today and update you with the results.

[hdcodedev]

@marius-kilocode You're right, fix(cli) was misleading, I've renamed it to fix(extension).
The "Proceed While Running" button requires command output to appear, which is why sleep didn't trigger it. I've updated the PR description with:

• Correct title (fix(extension))
• Reliable reproduction steps (using ping)
• Full fix details (we found a second root cause where the process ref was cleared too early)
• Demo videos (Please check PR description)

Update: I verified this fix in the VS Code extension. I haven't checked if a similar issue affects the @kilocode/cli

[hdcodedev]

Why this change is needed
When a user clicks “Proceed/Continue,” we intentionally stop listening to terminal output so the UI stays quiet. That sets isListening = false and removes the line listeners, but the process is still running.
The kill button calls abort(), and the old guard (if (isListening)) meant we never sent Ctrl‑C after Continue. That’s why the kill button looked like a no‑op.

What this fixes

We now send Ctrl‑C unconditionally on user‑initiated abort. Listening state is about UI streaming, not process liveness. This makes “Kill” work even after “Proceed/Continue,” which matches user intent and doesn’t affect normal execution.

[hdcodedev]

Why keep task.terminalProcess when running in background

When the user clicks “Proceed/Continue,” we allow the command to keep running in the terminal. At that point the promise resolves and we enter finally, which used to clear task.terminalProcess.
That wiped the only handle the kill button uses, so later aborts did nothing even though the process was still alive.

By only clearing the reference when not running in background, we keep the handle around so the kill button can still terminate the process after “Proceed/Continue.”

[kevinvandijk]

Lgtm! Thanks!