diff --git a/tractor/_spawn.py b/tractor/_spawn.py
index b8620c2..f0eb012 100644
--- a/tractor/_spawn.py
+++ b/tractor/_spawn.py
@@ -148,7 +148,7 @@ async def cancel_on_completion(
         else:
             log.info(
                 f"Cancelling {portal.channel.uid} gracefully "
-                "after result {result}")
+                f"after result {result}")
 
         # cancel the process now that we have a final result
         await portal.cancel_actor()
@@ -159,7 +159,6 @@ async def spawn_subactor(
     subactor: 'Actor',
     parent_addr: Tuple[str, int],
 ):
-
     spawn_cmd = [
         sys.executable,
         "-m",
@@ -184,13 +183,19 @@ async def spawn_subactor(
         ]
 
     proc = await trio.open_process(spawn_cmd)
-    yield proc
+    try:
+        yield proc
+    finally:
+        # XXX: do this **after** cancellation/tearfown
+        # to avoid killing the process too early
+        # since trio does this internally on ``__aexit__()``
 
-    # XXX: do this **after** cancellation/tearfown
-    # to avoid killing the process too early
-    # since trio does this internally on ``__aexit__()``
-    async with proc:
-        log.debug(f"Terminating {proc}")
+        # NOTE: we always "shield" join sub procs in
+        # the outer scope since no actor zombies are
+        # ever allowed. This ``__aexit__()`` also shields
+        # internally.
+        async with proc:
+            log.debug(f"Terminating {proc}")
 
 
 async def new_proc(
@@ -243,16 +248,21 @@ async def new_proc(
                 task_status.started(portal)
 
                 # wait for ActorNursery.wait() to be called
-                await actor_nursery._join_procs.wait()
+                with trio.CancelScope(shield=True):
+                    await actor_nursery._join_procs.wait()
 
                 if portal in actor_nursery._cancel_after_result_on_exit:
                     cancel_scope = await nursery.start(
                         cancel_on_completion, portal, subactor, errors)
 
-                # Wait for proc termination but **dont'** yet call
+                # Wait for proc termination but **dont' yet** call
                 # ``trio.Process.__aexit__()`` (it tears down stdio
                 # which will kill any waiting remote pdb trace).
-                await proc.wait()
+
+                # always "hard" join sub procs:
+                # no actor zombies allowed
+                with trio.CancelScope(shield=True):
+                    await proc.wait()
         else:
             # `multiprocessing`
             assert _ctx