diff --git a/src-tauri/crates/berd-call/src/host_session.rs b/src-tauri/crates/berd-call/src/host_session.rs
index c358edb38..359145dc8 100644
--- a/src-tauri/crates/berd-call/src/host_session.rs
+++ b/src-tauri/crates/berd-call/src/host_session.rs
@@ -1729,32 +1729,20 @@ impl SessionProcess {
         let write_fd = fds[1];
         let executable = std::env::current_exe()
             .map_err(|error| format!("could not locate berd-call executable: {error}"))?;
+        // Only the write end reaches the child; `pipe` leaves both inheritable.
+        unsafe { libc::fcntl(read_fd, libc::F_SETFD, libc::FD_CLOEXEC) };
         let mut command = Command::new(executable);
-        command
+        // No pre_exec, so std uses posix_spawn: forking a process with AppKit's threads can abort the child.
+        // The host owns Ctrl-C, so terminal signals stay out of the child's process group.
+        let result = command
             .args(arguments)
             .arg("--pcm-output-fd")
             .arg(write_fd.to_string())
+            .process_group(0)
             .stdin(Stdio::piped())
             .stdout(Stdio::piped())
-            .stderr(Stdio::inherit());
-        unsafe {
-            command.pre_exec(move || {
-                // The host owns Ctrl-C: keep terminal signals away from the
-                // child and restore the default mask the host blocked.
-                libc::setpgid(0, 0);
-                let mut signals = std::mem::zeroed::<libc::sigset_t>();
-                libc::sigemptyset(&mut signals);
-                libc::pthread_sigmask(libc::SIG_SETMASK, &signals, std::ptr::null_mut());
-                libc::close(read_fd);
-                let flags = libc::fcntl(write_fd, libc::F_GETFD);
-                if flags < 0 || libc::fcntl(write_fd, libc::F_SETFD, flags & !libc::FD_CLOEXEC) < 0
-                {
-                    return Err(std::io::Error::last_os_error());
-                }
-                Ok(())
-            });
-        }
-        let result = command.spawn();
+            .stderr(Stdio::inherit())
+            .spawn();
         unsafe { libc::close(write_fd) };
         let mut child = match result {
             Ok(child) => child,
diff --git a/src-tauri/crates/berd-call/src/main.rs b/src-tauri/crates/berd-call/src/main.rs
index 3a116ed65..eed2d517e 100644
--- a/src-tauri/crates/berd-call/src/main.rs
+++ b/src-tauri/crates/berd-call/src/main.rs
@@ -614,6 +614,12 @@ fn main() {
             print_pretty_json(&response).unwrap_or_else(|error| operational_error("stop", error));
         }
         Some("session") => {
+            // A host blocks its stop signals, and the session inherits that mask.
+            unsafe {
+                let mut signals = std::mem::zeroed::<libc::sigset_t>();
+                libc::sigemptyset(&mut signals);
+                libc::pthread_sigmask(libc::SIG_SETMASK, &signals, std::ptr::null_mut());
+            }
             let config = parse_or_exit(parse_args(&args), &args);
             let pcm_output_fd = parse_or_exit(parse_pcm_output_fd(&args), &args);
             let result = match config.mode {
diff --git a/src-tauri/crates/berd-call/tests/session_protocol.rs b/src-tauri/crates/berd-call/tests/session_protocol.rs
index 6f0e9e460..391cd6ebf 100644
--- a/src-tauri/crates/berd-call/tests/session_protocol.rs
+++ b/src-tauri/crates/berd-call/tests/session_protocol.rs
@@ -497,6 +497,44 @@ fn session_rejects_a_read_only_pcm_descriptor_before_hello() {
         .contains("PCM output file descriptor is not writable"));
 }
 
+#[test]
+fn a_session_stops_on_sigterm_even_when_its_host_blocks_it() {
+    let (mut command, _pcm, _host) = session_command();
+    unsafe {
+        command.pre_exec(|| {
+            // The host blocks its stop signals, and a spawned process inherits that mask.
+            let mut signals = std::mem::zeroed::<libc::sigset_t>();
+            libc::sigemptyset(&mut signals);
+            libc::sigaddset(&mut signals, libc::SIGINT);
+            libc::sigaddset(&mut signals, libc::SIGTERM);
+            libc::pthread_sigmask(libc::SIG_BLOCK, &signals, std::ptr::null_mut());
+            Ok(())
+        });
+    }
+    let mut child = command
+        .args(["--tts-backend", "openai"])
+        .env("OPENAI_API_KEY", "test-key-not-used")
+        .stdin(Stdio::piped())
+        .stdout(Stdio::null())
+        .stderr(Stdio::null())
+        .spawn()
+        .unwrap();
+    unsafe { libc::kill(child.id() as i32, libc::SIGTERM) };
+    let deadline = std::time::Instant::now() + Duration::from_secs(5);
+    let status = loop {
+        if let Some(status) = child.try_wait().unwrap() {
+            break status;
+        }
+        if std::time::Instant::now() > deadline {
+            child.kill().unwrap();
+            panic!("the session ignored SIGTERM");
+        }
+        std::thread::sleep(Duration::from_millis(20));
+    };
+    use std::os::unix::process::ExitStatusExt;
+    assert_eq!(status.signal(), Some(libc::SIGTERM));
+}
+
 #[test]
 fn framed_hello_reports_input_initialization_failure_before_ready() {
     let missing =