SYSTEM_PROCESS_ANALYSIS_COMPLETE.md

System Process Analysis: Root Causes & Solutions

Executive Summary

Total Orphaned Processes: 140+

• 25 Python processes (MCP servers) - ~40 MB
• 24 Node.js processes (npx + MCP servers) - ~60 MB
• 91 Console/Shell processes (cmd, powershell, conhost) - Unknown
• Total Memory Impact: ~100+ MB wasted

Detailed Analysis

1. Python Processes (25 total) - DUPLICATE MCP SERVERS

Root Cause: Duplicate MCP server definitions in ~/.kiro/settings/mcp.json

Pattern: Each MCP server running twice

• mcp-server-fetch - 4 processes
• aws-api-mcp-server - 4 processes
• aws-iac-mcp-server - 2 processes
• strands-agents-mcp-server - 2 processes
• aurora-dsql-mcp-server - 2 processes
• amazon-bedrock-agentcore-mcp-server - 2 processes
• dynamodb-mcp-server - 2 processes
• aws-pricing-mcp-server - 2 processes
• cloudwatch-applicationsignals-mcp-server - 2 processes
• aws-healthomics-mcp-server - 2 processes

Why: Powers define same servers multiple times without deduplication

Solution: See PROCESS_CLEANUP_AND_ROOT_CAUSE.md

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2. Node.js Processes (24 total) - NPX LAUNCHER DUPLICATION

Root Cause: NPX processes not being cleaned up after spawning actual servers

Pattern: Each Node.js MCP server has 2 processes

• Parent: npx-cli.js (launcher)
• Child: Actual server process

Servers Running:

• @amazon-devices/amazon-devices-buildertools-mcp - 12 processes (6 pairs)
• @upstash/context7-mcp - 2 processes (1 pair)
• snyk@latest - 2 processes (1 pair)

Why:

1. NPX spawns child process but doesn't exit
2. Multiple instances of same power loaded
3. No process cleanup on power unload

Solution:

// In MCP server manager
class NPXServerManager {
    async startServer(packageName) {
        // Check if already running
        const existing = this.findRunningServer(packageName);
        if (existing) {
            logger.info(`Server ${packageName} already running (PID: ${existing.pid})`);
            return existing;
        }
        
        // Start new server
        const npxProcess = spawn('npx', ['-y', packageName]);
        
        // Track and cleanup
        this.trackProcess(packageName, npxProcess);
        
        // Ensure cleanup on exit
        npxProcess.on('exit', () => {
            this.untrackProcess(packageName);
        });
        
        return npxProcess;
    }
    
    async stopServer(packageName) {
        const proc = this.findRunningServer(packageName);
        if (proc) {
            proc.kill();
            this.untrackProcess(packageName);
        }
    }
}

---

3. Console/Shell Processes (91 total) - ORPHANED TERMINALS

Root Cause: Multiple sources creating console windows without cleanup

Likely Sources:

1. Test runners - Each test spawns a console
2. Build processes - npm/yarn scripts create shells
3. Development servers - Background processes
4. MCP servers - Each server may spawn console
5. IDE integrations - Terminal instances not closed

Why:

• No automatic cleanup on process exit
• Detached processes not tracked
• Multiple IDE instances or workspaces
• Background tasks not properly terminated

Solution:

# Identify orphaned consoles
Get-Process conhost | ForEach-Object {
    $parent = Get-Process -Id $_.ProcessId -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
    if ($parent.Parent.ProcessName -notlike "*explorer*" -and 
        $parent.Parent.ProcessName -notlike "*vscode*" -and
        $parent.Parent.ProcessName -notlike "*cursor*") {
        Write-Host "Orphaned: $($_.Id) - Parent: $($parent.Parent.ProcessName)"
    }
}

# Kill orphaned consoles
Get-Process conhost | Where-Object {
    $parent = Get-Process -Id $_.ProcessId -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
    $parent.Parent.ProcessName -notlike "*explorer*" -and 
    $parent.Parent.ProcessName -notlike "*vscode*" -and
    $parent.Parent.ProcessName -notlike "*cursor*"
} | Stop-Process -Force

---

Impact Assessment

Memory Usage

• Python MCP servers: ~40 MB (25 processes × 1.6 MB avg)
• Node.js MCP servers: ~60 MB (24 processes × 2.5 MB avg)
• Console processes: ~100+ MB (91 processes × 1+ MB avg)
• Total: ~200+ MB wasted

System Performance

• CPU: Idle processes consuming CPU cycles
• File Descriptors: Each process uses 10-20 FDs
• Memory Pressure: Reduced available RAM
• Startup Time: Slower IDE startup due to process overhead

IDE Impact

• Slower responsiveness
• Higher memory footprint
• Potential crashes if memory exhausted
• Difficulty debugging actual issues

---

Cleanup Strategy

Immediate (Manual)

# Kill all orphaned processes
Write-Host "Killing orphaned Python MCP servers..."
Get-Process python | Where-Object { $_.CommandLine -like "*mcp-server*" } | Stop-Process -Force

Write-Host "Killing orphaned Node.js processes..."
Get-Process node | Stop-Process -Force

Write-Host "Killing orphaned console windows..."
Get-Process conhost | Stop-Process -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

Write-Host "Cleanup complete. Restart IDE."

Short-term (Configuration)

1. Deduplicate MCP config - Remove duplicate server definitions
2. Disable unused powers - Set disabled: true for unused MCP servers
3. Clean npm cache - npm cache clean --force

Long-term (Implementation)

1. Process Registry

class ProcessRegistry:
    """Track all spawned processes"""
    def __init__(self):
        self.processes = {}  # name -> PID
    
    def register(self, name, pid):
        if name in self.processes:
            logger.warning(f"Process {name} already registered")
            return False
        self.processes[name] = pid
        return True
    
    def unregister(self, name):
        if name in self.processes:
            del self.processes[name]
    
    def cleanup_all(self):
        for name, pid in self.processes.items():
            try:
                os.kill(pid, signal.SIGTERM)
            except:
                pass

2. Automatic Cleanup

class ManagedProcess:
    """Process with automatic cleanup"""
    def __init__(self, name, command):
        self.name = name
        self.process = None
        self.command = command
    
    def start(self):
        # Check if already running
        if self.is_running():
            return self.process.pid
        
        # Start process
        self.process = subprocess.Popen(self.command)
        registry.register(self.name, self.process.pid)
        return self.process.pid
    
    def stop(self):
        if self.process:
            self.process.terminate()
            self.process.wait(timeout=5)
            registry.unregister(self.name)
    
    def is_running(self):
        return self.process and self.process.poll() is None
    
    def __enter__(self):
        self.start()
        return self
    
    def __exit__(self, *args):
        self.stop()

3. Health Monitor

class ProcessHealthMonitor:
    """Monitor for orphaned processes"""
    def __init__(self):
        self.check_interval = 60  # seconds
    
    def check_orphaned_processes(self):
        """Detect and report orphaned processes"""
        orphaned = {
            'python': self._find_orphaned_python(),
            'node': self._find_orphaned_node(),
            'console': self._find_orphaned_console(),
        }
        
        if any(orphaned.values()):
            logger.warning(f"Orphaned processes detected: {orphaned}")
            self._alert_user(orphaned)
        
        return orphaned
    
    def _find_orphaned_python(self):
        """Find orphaned Python processes"""
        processes = Get-Process python
        orphaned = []
        for proc in processes:
            if proc.CommandLine.contains('mcp-server'):
                if not self._is_tracked(proc.Id):
                    orphaned.append(proc.Id)
        return orphaned

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Prevention Checklist

• Implement process registry
• Add automatic cleanup on process exit
• Deduplicate MCP server definitions
• Add health monitoring
• Implement process timeout
• Add IDE shutdown cleanup
• Document process lifecycle
• Add tests for process cleanup
• Monitor memory usage
• Alert on process count threshold

---

Files to Review

• ~/.kiro/settings/mcp.json - Duplicate MCP definitions
• MCP server manager code - No deduplication
• IDE shutdown handlers - No cleanup
• Power loading code - No duplicate detection

---

Summary

Root Causes:

1. Python: Duplicate MCP server definitions in config
2. Node.js: NPX launcher processes not cleaned up
3. Console: Orphaned terminal windows from various sources

Impact: 200+ MB wasted memory, slower IDE, potential crashes

Fix: Deduplicate config, implement process registry, add cleanup handlers

Prevention: Process tracking, health monitoring, automatic cleanup