Sentinely
Stop AI-tool helpers left running after you close your editor
AI coding tools start MCP servers for every session. When the tool closes, some keep running with nothing connected. Sentinely finds them and stops them after you review.
AI coding tools such as Claude Code and Cursor start MCP servers as helper processes, often one copy per session. When the tool or its terminal closes, some of those helpers keep running with nothing connected to them. Dev servers and code helpers started from a closed terminal can do the same.
Sentinely looks for MCP servers whose AI app has closed, duplicate copies of the same server started by the same app, idle AI coding sessions, and dev servers whose terminal or editor window is gone. It shows each group with an estimate and stops them after you review.
Steps
Run the check after a long session
Leftovers build up over a day of opening and closing sessions. Sentinely groups them by what started them, so you see "AI-tool helpers left running" rather than a list of process IDs.
Review what will stop
Sentinely shows the helpers it will stop. For duplicates, the newest copy of each server stays running. Command lines are redacted on the Mac before Sentinely shows anything, because they can contain API keys and tokens.
Stop them and read the receipt
Sentinely re-checks each process just before acting, stops only your own processes, and measures what came back at ten seconds and one minute.
Let Autopilot handle it next time
With Pro, you can let Autopilot stop helpers left behind by closed AI apps when memory gets tight. It only stops helpers you have already stopped once by hand.
Before you start
- If an AI tool is still running a task, finish or cancel it first. Sentinely looks for helpers whose app has closed, but you know what you still need.
- A supervisor or launch agent may start a helper again. If one keeps coming back, the setting that starts it lives in that tool.
Questions
Does Sentinely read my prompts or code?
No. It reads process names, paths, and command lines to tell a leftover helper from a working one. Command lines are redacted on the Mac, never stored, and never sent anywhere.
Which AI tools does this cover?
Any app that starts MCP servers as local processes. Sentinely recognizes the servers themselves, so it does not need a list of supported tools for this finding.