Windows: ConoutConnection worker thread prevents Node.js from exiting after kill()

[privatenumber]

Environment

• OS: Windows (ConPTY path)
• node-pty version: 1.2.0-beta.10
• Node.js: v22.22.0

Description

After calling kill() on a Windows PTY and awaiting its exit event, Node.js cannot exit because active handles remain on the event loop. This forces consumers to call process.exit() as a workaround.

The root cause is that the ConoutConnection worker thread, its internal sockets, and several cleanup timeouts are never unref()'d. There is no .unref() call anywhere in node-pty's source.

Reproduction

const pty = require('node-pty');

const term = pty.spawn('cmd.exe', [], { cols: 80, rows: 24 });

term.onExit(() => {
  console.log('exited');
  // Node.js should exit here, but it hangs indefinitely
});

setTimeout(() => term.kill(), 500);

Expected: process exits after "exited" is logged.
Actual: process hangs indefinitely.

Root cause

There are three categories of handles keeping the event loop alive after kill():

1. Worker thread (primary)

src/windowsConoutConnection.ts:47 — the Worker is created but never unref()'d:

this._worker = new Worker(join(scriptPath, 'worker/conoutSocketWorker.js'), { workerData });

The worker runs a net.Socket + net.createServer (src/worker/conoutSocketWorker.ts:11-17) that are also never unref()'d. Both the worker thread and its internal sockets keep the event loop alive.

2. Drain timeout

When dispose() is called, it schedules a 1-second timeout before terminating the worker (src/windowsConoutConnection.ts:76):

this._drainTimeout = setTimeout(() => this._destroySocket(), FLUSH_DATA_INTERVAL);

This timeout is not unref()'d, keeping the event loop alive for the duration.

A similar un-unref()'d timeout exists in WindowsPtyAgent._flushDataAndCleanUp() (src/windowsPtyAgent.ts:179):

this._closeTimeout = setTimeout(() => this._cleanUpProcess(), FLUSH_DATA_INTERVAL);

3. I/O sockets

_outSocket and _inSocket in WindowsPtyAgent (src/windowsPtyAgent.ts:78-94) are never unref()'d.

Suggested fix

Call unref() on handles that shouldn't prevent process exit:

// windowsConoutConnection.ts — constructor
this._worker = new Worker(join(scriptPath, 'worker/conoutSocketWorker.js'), { workerData });
this._worker.unref();

// windowsConoutConnection.ts — _drainDataAndClose
this._drainTimeout = setTimeout(() => this._destroySocket(), FLUSH_DATA_INTERVAL);
this._drainTimeout.unref();

// windowsPtyAgent.ts — constructor (sockets)
this._outSocket.unref();
this._inSocket.unref();

// windowsPtyAgent.ts — _flushDataAndCleanUp
this._closeTimeout = setTimeout(() => this._cleanUpProcess(), FLUSH_DATA_INTERVAL);
this._closeTimeout.unref();

This ensures cleanup completes if other work keeps the event loop alive, but doesn't prevent the process from exiting when everything else is done.