diff --git a/scripts/release.py b/scripts/release.py
index 85556acad0ca..37f46281ed38 100755
--- a/scripts/release.py
+++ b/scripts/release.py
@@ -1254,6 +1254,7 @@
     "17683456+wanazhar@users.noreply.github.com": "wanazhar",
     "26782336+cixuuz@users.noreply.github.com": "cixuuz",
     "aleksandr.pasevin@openzeppelin.com": "pasevin",
+    "pasevin@gmail.com": "pasevin",
     "ubuntu@localhost.localdomain": "holynn-q",
     "holynn@placeholder.local": "holynn-q",
     "agent@hermes.local": "jacdevos",
diff --git a/tests/tui_gateway/test_slash_worker_drain.py b/tests/tui_gateway/test_slash_worker_drain.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..7b5cb11c31f2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/tui_gateway/test_slash_worker_drain.py
@@ -0,0 +1,143 @@
+"""Tests for _SlashWorker drain thread cleanup (#53303)."""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import threading
+import time
+from unittest.mock import MagicMock, patch
+
+import pytest
+
+
+class _FakeProc:
+    """Minimal subprocess.Popen stand-in for _SlashWorker tests."""
+
+    def __init__(self):
+        self.stdin = MagicMock()
+        self.stdout = MagicMock()
+        self.stderr = MagicMock()
+        self._poll = None  # None = still running
+
+        # Make stdout/stderr iteration return empty (drain threads exit)
+        self.stdout.__iter__ = lambda self: iter([])
+        self.stderr.__iter__ = lambda self: iter([])
+
+    def poll(self):
+        return self._poll
+
+    def terminate(self):
+        self._poll = 0
+
+    def kill(self):
+        self._poll = -9
+
+    def wait(self, timeout=None):
+        return self._poll or 0
+
+
+def test_slash_worker_close_joins_drain_threads():
+    """_SlashWorker.close() must join its drain threads (#53303).
+
+    Prior to the fix, close() terminated the subprocess and closed
+    the pipes but never joined the _drain_stdout/_drain_stderr threads.
+    This left 2 leaked daemon threads per session on Linux, each holding
+    references to the _SlashWorker instance and its buffers.
+
+    The fix stores thread references and calls join(timeout=2) in close().
+    In production, closing proc.stdout/proc.stderr causes the readline()
+    in the drain threads to hit EOF and exit, so join() returns quickly.
+    This test uses threads that exit promptly to verify the join path works.
+    """
+    from tui_gateway.server import _SlashWorker
+
+    worker = _SlashWorker.__new__(_SlashWorker)
+    worker._lock = threading.Lock()
+    worker._seq = 0
+    worker.stderr_tail = []
+    worker.stdout_queue = __import__("queue").Queue()
+    worker._closed = False
+    worker.proc = _FakeProc()
+
+    # Use threads that exit quickly (simulating EOF on the pipe)
+    exit_event = threading.Event()
+    exit_event.set()  # let them exit immediately
+
+    def quick_drain():
+        exit_event.wait(timeout=5)
+
+    worker._drain_thread_stdout = threading.Thread(
+        target=quick_drain, daemon=True, name="test-drain-stdout"
+    )
+    worker._drain_thread_stderr = threading.Thread(
+        target=quick_drain, daemon=True, name="test-drain-stderr"
+    )
+    worker._drain_thread_stdout.start()
+    worker._drain_thread_stderr.start()
+
+    # Give threads time to exit
+    time.sleep(0.1)
+
+    # Call close()
+    worker.close()
+
+    # close() should have set _closed
+    assert worker._closed
+
+    # close() should have terminated the proc
+    assert worker.proc.poll() is not None
+
+    # close() should have closed stdin/stdout/stderr
+    worker.proc.stdin.close.assert_called()
+    worker.proc.stdout.close.assert_called()
+    worker.proc.stderr.close.assert_called()
+
+    # The drain threads should have exited (they exit on their own, and
+    # close() joins them — so they're definitely not alive after close()).
+    assert not worker._drain_thread_stdout.is_alive(), (
+        "_drain_thread_stdout is still alive after close()"
+    )
+    assert not worker._drain_thread_stderr.is_alive(), (
+        "_drain_thread_stderr is still alive after close()"
+    )
+
+
+def test_slash_worker_close_is_idempotent():
+    """close() can be called multiple times safely."""
+    from tui_gateway.server import _SlashWorker
+
+    worker = _SlashWorker.__new__(_SlashWorker)
+    worker._closed = False
+    worker.proc = _FakeProc()
+
+    def noop():
+        pass
+
+    worker._drain_thread_stdout = threading.Thread(target=noop, daemon=True)
+    worker._drain_thread_stderr = threading.Thread(target=noop, daemon=True)
+    worker._drain_thread_stdout.start()
+    worker._drain_thread_stderr.start()
+
+    worker.close()
+    assert worker._closed
+
+    # Second call should be a no-op (guard at top of close())
+    worker.close()
+    assert worker._closed
+
+
+def test_slash_worker_drain_threads_are_named():
+    """Drain threads should have identifiable names for debugging."""
+    # This is a regression guard: anonymous threads (no name) make it
+    # impossible to identify the source of leaked threads in py-spy dumps.
+    # The fix gives them explicit names: slash-drain-stdout, slash-drain-stderr.
+    import inspect
+
+    from tui_gateway import server
+
+    source = inspect.getsource(_SlashWorker := server._SlashWorker)
+    assert "slash-drain-stdout" in source, (
+        "_SlashWorker should name its stdout drain thread 'slash-drain-stdout'"
+    )
+    assert "slash-drain-stderr" in source, (
+        "_SlashWorker should name its stderr drain thread 'slash-drain-stderr'"
+    )
diff --git a/tui_gateway/server.py b/tui_gateway/server.py
index 826efc9faa2f..ccdb519fbba1 100644
--- a/tui_gateway/server.py
+++ b/tui_gateway/server.py
@@ -276,8 +276,14 @@ def __init__(self, session_key: str, model: str):
             cwd=os.getcwd(),
             env=os.environ.copy(),
         )
-        threading.Thread(target=self._drain_stdout, daemon=True).start()
-        threading.Thread(target=self._drain_stderr, daemon=True).start()
+        self._drain_thread_stdout = threading.Thread(
+            target=self._drain_stdout, daemon=True, name="slash-drain-stdout"
+        )
+        self._drain_thread_stderr = threading.Thread(
+            target=self._drain_stderr, daemon=True, name="slash-drain-stderr"
+        )
+        self._drain_thread_stdout.start()
+        self._drain_thread_stderr.start()
 
     def _drain_stdout(self):
         for line in self.proc.stdout or []:
@@ -347,6 +353,18 @@ def close(self):
                     stream.close()
                 except Exception:
                     pass
+            # Join drain threads so they don't outlive the worker. After
+            # proc.terminate() and stream.close(), the readline() in
+            # _drain_stdout/_drain_stderr hits EOF and the threads exit
+            # promptly. The timeout is a safety net for edge cases where
+            # the subprocess is mid-write (#53303).
+            for t in (getattr(self, '_drain_thread_stdout', None),
+                      getattr(self, '_drain_thread_stderr', None)):
+                if t is not None:
+                    try:
+                        t.join(timeout=2)
+                    except Exception:
+                        pass
 
 
 def _load_busy_input_mode() -> str: