claude-code - 💡(How to fix) Fix [Bug] Scheduled task cron fires leak Claude Code processes and API sessions [1 comments, 1 participants]

Bug Description SUMMARY Scheduled-task cron fires leak Claude Code processes that never exit. Over hours they accumulate, holding local RAM AND active Anthropic API session state that keeps billing the account. Discovered 78 orphan processes / 5.6 GB RAM on one laptop on 10 May 2026. Account token usage continued to drain ~2% even after local cleanup, suggesting the server-side API sessions remain active.

REPRO

1. Create a scheduled task with a frequent cron (*/5 * * * *)
2. Let it run for ~1 hour
3. ps -eo pid,etime,command | grep claude.app | grep -v -- --resume
4. You'll see many orphan processes paired by start time, no --resume flag

EXPECTED Each cron fire should: spawn → run task → exit cleanly, releasing the local process and the server-side API session.

IMPACT

• 5.6 GB RAM leaked on one laptop
• ~150 MB of accumulated JSONL session files per day
• Continued account token drain after local cleanup (server-side sessions)
• iMessage plugin holds a single session for 10+ days (40 MB), replays full context on every incoming text

WORKAROUND Built a Bash sweeper that kills orphans (no --resume, age >10 min) running 3x/day. Patches the symptom locally; can't fix the server-side leak.

ALSO FILED

• GitHub: https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/issues/57910
• Email: [email protected] (from [email protected])

Environment Info

• Platform: darwin
• Terminal: Apple_Terminal
• Version: 2.1.136
• Feedback ID: e9b91ec8-6de0-48a0-8736-3eaa1ea4c1e7

Errors

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