diff --git a/server/src/__tests__/heartbeat-process-recovery.test.ts b/server/src/__tests__/heartbeat-process-recovery.test.ts
index 3ed328bdf95..d95b5d1bce9 100644
--- a/server/src/__tests__/heartbeat-process-recovery.test.ts
+++ b/server/src/__tests__/heartbeat-process-recovery.test.ts
@@ -1352,6 +1352,62 @@ describeEmbeddedPostgres("heartbeat orphaned process recovery", () => {
     });
   });
 
+  it("terminates owned provider descendants without signaling a reused guardian pid", async () => {
+    const ownerToken = randomUUID();
+    const guardian = spawn(
+      "/bin/sh",
+      ["-c", "sleep 3600 & echo $!; sleep 0.2"],
+      {
+        detached: true,
+        env: { ...process.env, PAPERCLIP_PROVIDER_OWNER_TOKEN: ownerToken },
+        stdio: ["ignore", "pipe", "ignore"],
+      },
+    );
+    childProcesses.add(guardian);
+    expect(guardian.pid).toBeTypeOf("number");
+    const descendantPid = await new Promise<number>((resolvePid, rejectPid) => {
+      guardian.stdout?.once("data", (chunk: Buffer) => {
+        const parsedPid = Number.parseInt(chunk.toString("utf8").trim(), 10);
+        if (Number.isInteger(parsedPid) && parsedPid > 0) resolvePid(parsedPid);
+        else rejectPid(new Error("Provider descendant pid was not emitted"));
+      });
+      guardian.once("error", rejectPid);
+    });
+    cleanupPids.add(descendantPid);
+    await new Promise<void>((resolveExit) => guardian.once("exit", () => resolveExit()));
+    expect(isPidAlive(descendantPid)).toBe(true);
+
+    // This unrelated process represents the live process now occupying the
+    // persisted guardian PID after reuse. Its different start identity must
+    // not hide the still-owned provider group or become a cleanup target.
+    const reusedPidOwner = spawnAliveProcess();
+    childProcesses.add(reusedPidOwner);
+    expect(reusedPidOwner.pid).toBeTypeOf("number");
+
+    const { runId } = await seedRunFixture({
+      processPid: 999_999_999,
+      providerProcessPid: reusedPidOwner.pid ?? null,
+      providerProcessGroupId: guardian.pid ?? null,
+      providerProcessStartedAt: new Date("2020-01-01T00:00:00.000Z"),
+      providerProcessOwnerToken: ownerToken,
+      includeIssue: false,
+    });
+    const heartbeat = heartbeatService(db);
+
+    const result = await heartbeat.reapOrphanedRuns();
+
+    expect(result.reaped).toBe(1);
+    expect(await waitForPidExit(descendantPid)).toBe(true);
+    expect(isPidAlive(reusedPidOwner.pid)).toBe(true);
+    expect(await heartbeat.getRun(runId)).toMatchObject({
+      status: "failed",
+      providerProcessPid: null,
+      providerProcessGroupId: null,
+      providerProcessStartedAt: null,
+      providerProcessOwnerToken: null,
+    });
+  });
+
   it("does not signal a reused provider group with a different owner token", async () => {
     const replacementToken = randomUUID();
     const replacementLeader = spawn(
@@ -1459,6 +1515,39 @@ describeEmbeddedPostgres("heartbeat orphaned process recovery", () => {
     });
   });
 
+  it("keeps repeated terminal provider cleanup idempotent", async () => {
+    const provider = spawnAliveProcess();
+    childProcesses.add(provider);
+    expect(provider.pid).toBeTypeOf("number");
+
+    const { runId } = await seedRunFixture({
+      runStatus: "failed",
+      providerProcessPid: provider.pid ?? null,
+      providerProcessStartedAt: new Date(await readProcessStartedAt(provider.pid ?? 0) ?? 0),
+      includeIssue: false,
+    });
+    const heartbeat = heartbeatService(db);
+
+    expect((await heartbeat.reapOrphanedRuns()).reaped).toBe(0);
+    expect(await waitForPidExit(provider.pid ?? 0)).toBe(true);
+    expect(await heartbeat.getRun(runId)).toMatchObject({
+      status: "failed",
+      providerProcessPid: null,
+      providerProcessGroupId: null,
+      providerProcessStartedAt: null,
+      providerProcessOwnerToken: null,
+    });
+
+    expect((await heartbeat.reapOrphanedRuns()).reaped).toBe(0);
+    expect(await heartbeat.getRun(runId)).toMatchObject({
+      status: "failed",
+      providerProcessPid: null,
+      providerProcessGroupId: null,
+      providerProcessStartedAt: null,
+      providerProcessOwnerToken: null,
+    });
+  });
+
   it("skips generic timer wakes without invoking an adapter when no assigned work is actionable", async () => {
     const { companyId, agentId } = await seedIdleTimerAgentFixture();
     const heartbeat = heartbeatService(db);
diff --git a/server/src/services/heartbeat.ts b/server/src/services/heartbeat.ts
index 069945630c5..c70e8458163 100644
--- a/server/src/services/heartbeat.ts
+++ b/server/src/services/heartbeat.ts
@@ -9991,6 +9991,8 @@ export function heartbeatService(db: Db, options: HeartbeatServiceOptions = {})
     const pidAlive = isProcessAlive(pid);
     const processGroupAlive = isProcessGroupAlive(processGroupId);
     let identity: "owned" | "foreign" | "inconclusive" | "empty" = "empty";
+    let ownedPid: number | null = null;
+    let ownedProcessGroupId: number | null = null;
     if (pidAlive && pid && run.providerProcessStartedAt) {
       const observedStartedAt = await readProcessStartedAt(pid).catch(() => null);
       identity = observedStartedAt === null
@@ -9998,8 +10000,16 @@ export function heartbeatService(db: Db, options: HeartbeatServiceOptions = {})
         : Date.parse(observedStartedAt) === run.providerProcessStartedAt.getTime()
           ? "owned"
           : "foreign";
-    } else if (
-      processGroupAlive
+      if (identity === "owned") {
+        ownedPid = pid;
+        ownedProcessGroupId = processGroupId;
+      }
+    } else if (pidAlive || processGroupAlive) {
+      identity = "inconclusive";
+    }
+    if (
+      identity !== "owned"
+      && processGroupAlive
       && processGroupId
       && run.providerProcessOwnerToken
     ) {
@@ -10007,11 +10017,19 @@ export function heartbeatService(db: Db, options: HeartbeatServiceOptions = {})
         processGroupId,
         run.providerProcessOwnerToken,
       );
-    } else if (pidAlive || processGroupAlive) {
-      identity = "inconclusive";
+      if (identity === "owned") {
+        // A recycled guardian PID is not a safe direct signal target. The
+        // owner token proves the surviving provider group independently, so
+        // terminate only that authenticated group.
+        ownedPid = null;
+        ownedProcessGroupId = processGroupId;
+      }
     }
     if (identity === "owned") {
-      await terminateHeartbeatRunProcess({ pid, processGroupId });
+      await terminateHeartbeatRunProcess({
+        pid: ownedPid,
+        processGroupId: ownedProcessGroupId,
+      });
     }
     if (identity !== "inconclusive" && (pid || processGroupId)) {
       await clearRunProviderProcessMetadata(run.id);