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fix(PocketIC): Kill and reap the PocketIC server when all tests finish#10751

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fix(PocketIC): Kill and reap the PocketIC server when all tests finish#10751
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What

start_server used to spawn the PocketIC server, detach it into its own process group (process_group(0)) and discard the Child handle. As a result the server — and the canister-sandbox processes it re-execs, which inherit the server's stdio — outlived the test process and shut down only on its TTL (this was the TODO: SDK-1936).

A lingering server keeps the test action's inherited stdout/stderr pipe write-ends open past process exit. On some CI runners that only consider an action complete once those pipes reach EOF, this caused spurious failures.

Change

  • Every spawned server is transferred to a process-global registry (server_process.rs) that owns the Child exclusively.
  • On unix, a libc::atexit callback runs once all subtests in the test binary have finished (i.e. the harness is exiting) and, for each registered server:
    • sends SIGTERM to the whole process group — so the launcher/sandbox children die too and release the inherited pipes — escalating to SIGKILL after a short, bounded grace period;
    • waitpid-reaps the direct child.
  • The #[allow(clippy::zombie_processes)] workaround is removed.
  • start_server now returns a ServerHandle instead of a std::process::Child. Callers that previously kept the Child to terminate the server themselves should call ServerHandle::kill_and_wait (see tests/unix.rs).

This is gated behind #[cfg(unix)]; Windows behaviour is unchanged (the server is still bounded by its TTL there).

API impact

Breaking change to the public start_server (return type) — noted under ## Unreleased in CHANGELOG.md; warrants a major version bump at release time.

Testing

rustfmt, clippy --all-features -p pocket-ic (strict flags), and bazel build all clean. Ran the pocket-ic package suites and the pocket_ic_server integration tests (incl. the gateway / live-mode / bitcoind / dogecoind cases that spawn long-lived servers and sidecars) — all pass, and every test binary exits cleanly, confirming the atexit reaper runs without hanging.

🤖 Generated with Claude Code

`start_server` used to spawn the PocketIC server, detach it into its own
process group and discard the `Child` handle, so the server (and the
canister-sandbox processes it re-execs) outlived the test process and shut
down only on its TTL. A lingering server keeps the test action's inherited
stdout/stderr pipes open past process exit, which caused issues on some CI
runners that wait for those pipes to reach EOF.

The spawned server is now transferred to a process-global registry. On unix,
a `libc::atexit` callback runs once all subtests have finished, kills each
server's whole process group (so the sandbox children are terminated too and
release the inherited pipes) and reaps it. This also removes the
`#[allow(clippy::zombie_processes)]` workaround.

`start_server` now returns a `ServerHandle` instead of a `std::process::Child`;
callers that terminated the server themselves should call
`ServerHandle::kill_and_wait`.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

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Pull request overview

This PR fixes pocket-ic test-runner hangs caused by spawned pocket-ic-server (and its sandbox descendants) outliving the test process and keeping inherited stdout/stderr pipes open. It introduces process-lifetime management for the server on Unix by tracking spawned servers in a global registry and reaping them at process exit, and updates the public API accordingly.

Changes:

  • Introduces a process-global server registry and an atexit reaper on Unix to terminate the server process group and waitpid-reap the server process.
  • Updates start_server to return a ServerHandle (breaking change) and updates callers that explicitly terminate the server.
  • Documents the API change in the CHANGELOG and adds libc dependency wiring.

Reviewed changes

Copilot reviewed 6 out of 7 changed files in this pull request and generated 2 comments.

Show a summary per file
File Description
packages/pocket-ic/tests/unix.rs Updates test to use ServerHandle::kill_and_wait instead of Child::kill.
packages/pocket-ic/src/server_process.rs Adds global registry + Unix atexit reaper to kill process groups and reap server children.
packages/pocket-ic/src/lib.rs Switches start_server return type to ServerHandle and registers spawned server in registry.
packages/pocket-ic/CHANGELOG.md Notes the breaking API change and new lifecycle behavior (Unix).
packages/pocket-ic/Cargo.toml Adds libc as a Unix-only dependency.
packages/pocket-ic/BUILD.bazel Adds libc to Bazel deps for the crate.
Cargo.lock Records the libc dependency addition.

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Comment thread packages/pocket-ic/src/server_process.rs
Comment thread packages/pocket-ic/src/lib.rs Outdated
- Handle EINTR in the reaper's waitpid loop by retrying instead of treating
  it as terminal, so an interrupting signal cannot let the server outlive
  process exit while still holding the inherited stdout/stderr pipes. Only
  non-EINTR errors (expected: ECHILD) are terminal. The final blocking wait
  after SIGKILL escalation also retries on EINTR.
- Qualify the `start_server` doc comment: automatic kill+reap on process exit
  happens on unix only; on other platforms the server shuts down on its TTL.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

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Pull request overview

Copilot reviewed 6 out of 7 changed files in this pull request and generated 3 comments.

Comment thread packages/pocket-ic/src/server_process.rs Outdated
Comment thread packages/pocket-ic/src/server_process.rs Outdated
Comment thread packages/pocket-ic/src/server_process.rs Outdated
- Bound the reaper's wait so it can never hang process exit. The unbounded
  `blocking_reap` (waitpid with no timeout) is replaced by `reap_until`, which
  polls with WNOHANG until a deadline (retrying on EINTR). reap_one now signals,
  waits one bounded grace period, escalates to SIGKILL, then waits one more
  bounded window; if the child is still not reaped it is left for init (the
  pipes are already closed by the kill).
- Update the reap_one doc to describe the bounded, best-effort reap instead of
  promising a guaranteed reap.
- Check the `libc::atexit` return value and assert on failure, so a failure to
  register the reaper surfaces loudly instead of silently reintroducing the
  leaked-server problem.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

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Pull request overview

Copilot reviewed 6 out of 7 changed files in this pull request and generated 3 comments.

Comment thread packages/pocket-ic/src/server_process.rs Outdated
Comment thread packages/pocket-ic/src/server_process.rs Outdated
Comment thread packages/pocket-ic/src/lib.rs Outdated
…tees

The kill+reap of the PocketIC server is unix-only and bounded/best-effort, but
several doc comments still promised more. Adjust them to match:

- `kill_and_wait`: no longer claims it waits for the server to be reaped
  "immediately"; it kills and makes a bounded, best-effort reap attempt.
- `register` / `ServerHandle`: the exit-time kill+reap is unix-only and
  best-effort, not a guarantee; drop it from the "guarantees" wording.
- `start_server`: the process is owned by the process-global registry; the
  returned `ServerHandle` only refers to it (dropping it does not stop the
  server), so it no longer implies drop/ownership semantics on the handle value.

Doc-comment-only; no behavioural change.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

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Pull request overview

Copilot reviewed 6 out of 7 changed files in this pull request and generated no new comments.

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