diff --git a/src/termio/Exec.zig b/src/termio/Exec.zig
index 7fb4f39b455..e97214ac344 100644
--- a/src/termio/Exec.zig
+++ b/src/termio/Exec.zig
@@ -1163,16 +1163,13 @@ const Subprocess = struct {
                 },
             }
         } else if (comptime builtin.os.tag != .windows) {
-            // The process watcher may already have consumed the direct child's
-            // wait status. Its process group remains ours to terminate.
-            if (self.process_group_id) |pgid| {
-                killProcessGroupsWithTimeouts(
-                    pgid,
-                    foreground_process_group_id,
-                    null,
-                    timeouts,
-                ) catch |err|
-                    log.err("error stopping process group: {}", .{err});
+            // Once the watcher consumes the direct child's wait status, its
+            // cached numeric process-group id may be recycled. A foreground
+            // group freshly observed through this retained PTY is the only
+            // group identity that remains attributable to this subprocess.
+            if (foreground_process_group_id) |pgid| {
+                killProcessGroupWithTimeouts(pgid, null, timeouts) catch |err|
+                    log.err("error stopping foreground process group: {}", .{err});
             }
         }
 
@@ -2546,6 +2543,87 @@ test "subprocess stop kills descendants after the group leader was reaped" {
     try testing.expectEqual(posix.E.SRCH, group_probe_err);
 }
 
+test "subprocess stop ignores a cached process group after the child was reaped" {
+    if (comptime builtin.os.tag == .windows or builtin.os.tag == .ios) {
+        return error.SkipZigTest;
+    }
+
+    const testing = std.testing;
+    const c = Subprocess.c;
+    var pty = try Pty.open(.{});
+    defer pty.deinit();
+
+    const ready_pipe = try internal_os.pipe();
+    defer {
+        _ = posix.system.close(ready_pipe[0]);
+        _ = posix.system.close(ready_pipe[1]);
+    }
+
+    const unrelated_pid: posix.pid_t = unrelated: {
+        const rc = posix.system.fork();
+        switch (posix.errno(rc)) {
+            .SUCCESS => break :unrelated @intCast(rc),
+            .AGAIN, .NOMEM => return error.SystemResources,
+            else => |err| return posix.unexpectedErrno(err),
+        }
+    };
+    if (unrelated_pid == 0) {
+        _ = posix.system.close(ready_pipe[0]);
+        if (c.setsid() < 0) c._exit(1);
+
+        var action: posix.Sigaction = .{
+            .handler = .{ .handler = posix.SIG.IGN },
+            .mask = posix.sigemptyset(),
+            .flags = 0,
+        };
+        posix.sigaction(posix.SIG.HUP, &action, null);
+        if (posix.system.write(ready_pipe[1], "r", 1) != 1) c._exit(1);
+        while (true) _ = c.pause();
+    }
+
+    var unrelated_reaped = false;
+    defer if (!unrelated_reaped) {
+        _ = c.killpg(unrelated_pid, c.SIGKILL);
+        var status: c_int = 0;
+        _ = posix.system.waitpid(unrelated_pid, &status, 0);
+    };
+    _ = posix.system.close(ready_pipe[1]);
+    var ready: [1]u8 = undefined;
+    try testing.expectEqual(@as(usize, 1), try posix.read(ready_pipe[0], &ready));
+
+    var arena = ArenaAllocator.init(testing.allocator);
+    defer arena.deinit();
+    var subprocess: Subprocess = .{
+        .arena = arena,
+        .cwd = null,
+        .env = null,
+        .args = &.{},
+        .grid_size = .{},
+        .screen_size = .{ .width = 1, .height = 1 },
+        .pty = pty,
+        .process = null,
+        .process_group_id = unrelated_pid,
+        .rt_pre_exec_info = undefined,
+        .rt_post_fork_info = undefined,
+    };
+    try testing.expectEqual(
+        @as(?c.pid_t, null),
+        subprocess.foregroundProcessGroupId(),
+    );
+
+    subprocess.stopWithTimeouts(.{
+        .sighup_grace = .fromMilliseconds(20),
+        .sigkill_grace = .fromMilliseconds(100),
+    });
+
+    var status: c_int = 0;
+    const wait_result: posix.pid_t = @intCast(
+        posix.system.waitpid(unrelated_pid, &status, std.c.W.NOHANG),
+    );
+    unrelated_reaped = wait_result == unrelated_pid;
+    try testing.expectEqual(@as(posix.pid_t, 0), wait_result);
+}
+
 test "subprocess stop kills a distinct foreground process group" {
     if (comptime builtin.os.tag == .windows or builtin.os.tag == .ios) {
         return error.SkipZigTest;
@@ -2604,7 +2682,7 @@ test "subprocess stop kills a distinct foreground process group" {
         if (posix.system.read(job_ready_pipe[0], &job_ready, 1) != 1) c._exit(1);
         if (c.tcsetpgrp(pty.slave, @intCast(job_pid)) < 0) c._exit(1);
         if (posix.system.write(ready_pipe[1], "r", 1) != 1) c._exit(1);
-        while (true) _ = c.pause();
+        c._exit(0);
     }
 
     var leader_reaped = false;
@@ -2623,6 +2701,13 @@ test "subprocess stop kills a distinct foreground process group" {
     try testing.expectEqual(@as(usize, 1), try posix.read(ready_pipe[0], &ready));
     _ = posix.system.close(pty.slave);
 
+    var leader_status: c_int = 0;
+    try testing.expectEqual(
+        leader_pid,
+        @as(posix.pid_t, @intCast(posix.system.waitpid(leader_pid, &leader_status, 0))),
+    );
+    leader_reaped = true;
+
     foreground_pgid = @intCast(
         pty.getProcessInfo(.foreground_pid) orelse
             return error.ForegroundProcessGroupUnavailable,
@@ -2644,34 +2729,12 @@ test "subprocess stop kills a distinct foreground process group" {
         .rt_pre_exec_info = undefined,
         .rt_post_fork_info = undefined,
     };
-    var leader_status: c_int = 0;
-    var wait_result: posix.pid_t = 0;
-    const leader_reaper = try std.Thread.spawn(.{}, struct {
-        fn run(
-            pid: posix.pid_t,
-            status: *c_int,
-            result: *posix.pid_t,
-        ) void {
-            result.* = @intCast(posix.system.waitpid(pid, status, 0));
-        }
-    }.run, .{ leader_pid, &leader_status, &wait_result });
-    var leader_reaper_joined = false;
-    defer if (!leader_reaper_joined) {
-        _ = c.killpg(leader_pid, c.SIGKILL);
-        leader_reaper.join();
-        leader_reaped = true;
-    };
 
     subprocess.stopWithTimeouts(.{
         .sighup_grace = .fromMilliseconds(20),
         .sigkill_grace = .fromSeconds(1),
     });
 
-    leader_reaper.join();
-    leader_reaper_joined = true;
-    leader_reaped = wait_result == leader_pid;
-    try testing.expectEqual(leader_pid, wait_result);
-
     const foreground_probe = c.killpg(foreground_pgid.?, 0);
     const foreground_probe_err = posix.errno(foreground_probe);
     try testing.expectEqual(@as(c_int, -1), foreground_probe);