diff --git a/packages/core/src/mcp/mcp-runtime-runner.ts b/packages/core/src/mcp/mcp-runtime-runner.ts
index 21765fc..fa682d7 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/mcp/mcp-runtime-runner.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/mcp/mcp-runtime-runner.ts
@@ -249,16 +249,23 @@ export async function cancelManagedTree (
     if (!(await waitFor(closed, deadline))) {
       return { confirmed: false, error: 'npm process did not exit after SIGKILL' }
     }
+    let probeError: string | undefined
     while (Date.now() < deadline) {
       try {
         process.kill(groupId, 0)
-        await sleep(25) // group still exists (e.g. a grandchild) — keep polling
+        probeError = undefined
       } catch (err) {
-        if ((err as NodeJS.ErrnoException).code === 'ESRCH') return { confirmed: true }
-        return { confirmed: false, error: `process group check failed (${(err as NodeJS.ErrnoException).code})` }
+        const code = (err as NodeJS.ErrnoException).code
+        if (code === 'ESRCH') return { confirmed: true }
+        probeError = `process group check failed (${code})`
+        // Darwin skips zombies when probing a group and can return EPERM
+        // until they are reaped. Keep waiting for ESRCH within the same
+        // deadline; EPERM alone never proves that cleanup is safe.
+        if (platform !== 'darwin' || code !== 'EPERM') return { confirmed: false, error: probeError }
       }
+      await sleep(25) // group still exists or its state is unconfirmed — keep polling
     }
-    return { confirmed: false, error: 'managed npm process group still exists after the confirmation deadline' }
+    return { confirmed: false, error: probeError ?? 'managed npm process group still exists after the confirmation deadline' }
   } catch (err) {
     return { confirmed: false, error: (err as Error).message }
   }
diff --git a/packages/core/test/unit/mcp/mcp-runtime-runner.test.ts b/packages/core/test/unit/mcp/mcp-runtime-runner.test.ts
index c0736e4..5df607d 100644
--- a/packages/core/test/unit/mcp/mcp-runtime-runner.test.ts
+++ b/packages/core/test/unit/mcp/mcp-runtime-runner.test.ts
@@ -45,6 +45,64 @@ function killTree (pid: number): void {
   }
 }
 
+describe('cancelManagedTree (Unix termination confirmation)', () => {
+  it('waits for a transient Darwin EPERM to become ESRCH before confirming termination', async (t) => {
+    let probes = 0
+    const calls: Array<[number, NodeJS.Signals | number]> = []
+    t.mock.method(process, 'kill', (pid: number, signal: NodeJS.Signals | number) => {
+      calls.push([pid, signal])
+      if (signal === 0) {
+        probes++
+        throw Object.assign(new Error('group probe'), { code: probes === 1 ? 'EPERM' : 'ESRCH' })
+      }
+      return true
+    })
+
+    const outcome = await cancelManagedTree({ pid: 1234 }, Promise.resolve(), {
+      platform: 'darwin',
+      confirmMs: 5_000,
+    })
+
+    assert.deepStrictEqual(outcome, { confirmed: true })
+    assert.strictEqual(probes, 2, 'confirmation requires a later ESRCH, not EPERM alone')
+    assert.deepStrictEqual(calls, [[-1234, 'SIGTERM'], [-1234, 'SIGKILL'], [-1234, 0], [-1234, 0]])
+  })
+
+  it('does not confirm termination when Darwin EPERM persists to the deadline', async (t) => {
+    t.mock.method(process, 'kill', (pid: number, signal: NodeJS.Signals | number) => {
+      assert.strictEqual(pid, -1234)
+      if (signal === 0) throw Object.assign(new Error('permission denied'), { code: 'EPERM' })
+      return true
+    })
+    const start = Date.now()
+    const outcome = await cancelManagedTree({ pid: 1234 }, Promise.resolve(), {
+      platform: 'darwin',
+      confirmMs: 50,
+    })
+
+    assert.strictEqual(outcome.confirmed, false)
+    assert.match(outcome.error ?? '', /process group check failed \(EPERM\)/)
+    assert.ok(Date.now() - start < 5_000, 'confirmation remains bounded')
+  })
+
+  for (const { platform, code } of [
+    { platform: 'linux', code: 'EPERM' },
+    { platform: 'darwin', code: 'EACCES' },
+  ] as const) {
+    it(`does not reinterpret ${code} on ${platform} as confirmed termination`, async (t) => {
+      t.mock.method(process, 'kill', (_pid: number, signal: NodeJS.Signals | number) => {
+        if (signal === 0) throw Object.assign(new Error('probe failed'), { code })
+        return true
+      })
+
+      const outcome = await cancelManagedTree({ pid: 1234 }, Promise.resolve(), { platform })
+
+      assert.strictEqual(outcome.confirmed, false)
+      assert.match(outcome.error ?? '', new RegExp(`process group check failed \\(${code}\\)`))
+    })
+  }
+})
+
 describe('cancelManagedTree (Windows termination branch)', () => {
   it('returns a bounded terminationError when taskkill never exits', async () => {
     const killer = fakeKiller()