diff --git a/tractor/_testing/_reap.py b/tractor/_testing/_reap.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..3e2309ff
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tractor/_testing/_reap.py
@@ -0,0 +1,230 @@
+# tractor: structured concurrent "actors".
+# Copyright 2018-eternity Tyler Goodlet.
+
+# This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
+# it under the terms of the GNU Affero General Public License as published by
+# the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or
+# (at your option) any later version.
+
+# This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+# but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+# MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+# GNU Affero General Public License for more details.
+
+# You should have received a copy of the GNU Affero General Public License
+# along with this program.  If not, see <https://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+
+'''
+Zombie-subactor reaper — SC-polite (SIGINT first, SIGKILL
+as last resort with a bounded grace window).
+
+Shared implementation between the `tractor-reap` CLI
+(`scripts/tractor-reap`) and the pytest session-scoped
+auto-fixture that guards the test suite against leftover
+subactor processes.
+
+Design notes
+------------
+
+- Linux-only: reads `/proc/<pid>/{status,cwd,cmdline}`.
+- Two detection modes:
+
+  1. **descendant-mode** — when invoked from a still-live
+     parent (e.g. a pytest session-end fixture), match by
+     `PPid == parent_pid`. Direct + precise; the target
+     PIDs are still reparented to the live pytest process
+     at teardown time, before pytest exits.
+
+  2. **orphan-mode** — when invoked after the parent died
+     (e.g. the `tractor-reap` CLI run post-Ctrl+C), match
+     by `PPid == 1` (reparented to init) AND `cwd ==
+     <repo-root>` AND cmdline contains `python`. The cwd
+     filter is what keeps the heuristic from sweeping up
+     unrelated init-children on the box.
+
+- Escalation: for every matched PID, SIGINT, poll for up
+  to `grace` seconds, then SIGKILL any survivors. The
+  two-phase pattern is the SC-graceful-cancel discipline
+  documented in `feedback_sc_graceful_cancel_first.md` —
+  we want the subactor runtime to run its trio cancel
+  shield + IPC teardown paths where it can.
+
+'''
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import os
+import pathlib
+import signal
+import time
+
+
+def _read_status_ppid(pid: int) -> int | None:
+    '''
+    Return the parent-pid from `/proc/<pid>/status` or
+    `None` if the proc went away / is unreadable.
+
+    '''
+    try:
+        with open(f'/proc/{pid}/status') as f:
+            for line in f:
+                if line.startswith('PPid:'):
+                    return int(line.split()[1])
+    except (FileNotFoundError, PermissionError, ProcessLookupError):
+        return None
+    return None
+
+
+def _read_cwd(pid: int) -> str | None:
+    try:
+        return os.readlink(f'/proc/{pid}/cwd')
+    except (FileNotFoundError, PermissionError, ProcessLookupError):
+        return None
+
+
+def _read_cmdline(pid: int) -> str:
+    try:
+        with open(f'/proc/{pid}/cmdline', 'rb') as f:
+            return f.read().replace(b'\0', b' ').decode(errors='replace')
+    except (FileNotFoundError, PermissionError, ProcessLookupError):
+        return ''
+
+
+def _iter_live_pids() -> list[int]:
+    '''
+    Enumerate currently-alive pids from `/proc`.
+
+    '''
+    try:
+        entries: list[str] = os.listdir('/proc')
+    except OSError:
+        return []
+    return [int(e) for e in entries if e.isdigit()]
+
+
+def find_descendants(
+    parent_pid: int,
+) -> list[int]:
+    '''
+    PIDs whose `PPid == parent_pid` — i.e. direct
+    children of the given pid. Used by the pytest
+    session-end fixture where `parent_pid` is still
+    alive as the pytest-python process.
+
+    '''
+    return [
+        pid
+        for pid in _iter_live_pids()
+        if _read_status_ppid(pid) == parent_pid
+    ]
+
+
+def find_orphans(
+    repo_root: pathlib.Path,
+) -> list[int]:
+    '''
+    PIDs that are:
+
+    - reparented to init (`PPid == 1`),
+    - have `cwd == <repo_root>`,
+    - and have a `python` in their cmdline.
+
+    This is the "pytest-died-mid-session" case where the
+    subactor forks got reparented. The cwd filter is the
+    critical bit that keeps us from sweeping up unrelated
+    init-children on the box.
+
+    '''
+    repo: str = str(repo_root)
+    hits: list[int] = []
+    for pid in _iter_live_pids():
+        if _read_status_ppid(pid) != 1:
+            continue
+        cwd: str | None = _read_cwd(pid)
+        if cwd != repo:
+            continue
+        cmd: str = _read_cmdline(pid)
+        if 'python' not in cmd:
+            continue
+        hits.append(pid)
+    return hits
+
+
+def reap(
+    pids: list[int],
+    *,
+    grace: float = 3.0,
+    poll: float = 0.25,
+    log=print,
+) -> tuple[list[int], list[int]]:
+    '''
+    Deliver SIGINT to each pid, wait up to `grace`
+    seconds for them to exit, then SIGKILL any that
+    survive.
+
+    Returns `(signalled, survivors_killed)` so callers
+    can report / assert.
+
+    `log` is the logger function for user-visible
+    progress lines — default `print`; pytest fixture
+    swaps it for a `pytest`-friendly writer.
+
+    '''
+    if not pids:
+        return ([], [])
+
+    signalled: list[int] = []
+    for pid in pids:
+        try:
+            os.kill(pid, signal.SIGINT)
+            signalled.append(pid)
+        except ProcessLookupError:
+            # raced — already gone
+            pass
+
+    if signalled:
+        log(
+            f'[tractor-reap] SIGINT → {len(signalled)} '
+            f'proc(s): {signalled}'
+        )
+
+    deadline: float = time.monotonic() + grace
+    while time.monotonic() < deadline:
+        time.sleep(poll)
+        alive: list[int] = [
+            pid for pid in signalled if _is_alive(pid)
+        ]
+        if not alive:
+            return (signalled, [])
+
+    survivors: list[int] = [
+        pid for pid in signalled if _is_alive(pid)
+    ]
+    if survivors:
+        log(
+            f'[tractor-reap] SIGKILL (after {grace}s '
+            f'grace) → {survivors}'
+        )
+        for pid in survivors:
+            try:
+                os.kill(pid, signal.SIGKILL)
+            except ProcessLookupError:
+                pass
+
+    return (signalled, survivors)
+
+
+def _is_alive(pid: int) -> bool:
+    '''
+    True iff `/proc/<pid>` still exists AND the proc
+    isn't already a zombie (Z state).
+
+    '''
+    try:
+        with open(f'/proc/{pid}/status') as f:
+            for line in f:
+                if line.startswith('State:'):
+                    # e.g. 'State:\tZ (zombie)'
+                    return 'Z' not in line.split()[1]
+    except (FileNotFoundError, ProcessLookupError):
+        return False
+    return True
diff --git a/tractor/_testing/pytest.py b/tractor/_testing/pytest.py
index ef3cc9a7..c707e0db 100644
--- a/tractor/_testing/pytest.py
+++ b/tractor/_testing/pytest.py
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ from typing import (
 
 import pytest
 import tractor
+from tractor.spawn._spawn import SpawnMethodKey
 import trio
 
 
@@ -274,7 +275,12 @@ def pytest_collection_modifyitems(
     default_reason: str = f'Borked on --spawn-backend={backend!r}'
     for item in items:
         for mark in item.iter_markers(name='skipon_spawn_backend'):
-            if backend in mark.args:
+            skip_backends: tuple[str] = mark.args
+            for skip_backend in skip_backends:
+                assert skip_backend in get_args(SpawnMethodKey)
+            # ?TODO, run these through the try-set-backend checker to
+            # avoid typos?
+            if backend in skip_backends:
                 reason: str = mark.kwargs.get(
                     'reason',
                     default_reason,
@@ -285,6 +291,42 @@ def pytest_collection_modifyitems(
                 break
 
 
+@pytest.fixture(
+    scope='session',
+    autouse=True,
+)
+def _reap_orphaned_subactors():
+    '''
+    Session-scoped autouse fixture: after the whole test
+    session finishes, SIGINT any subactor processes still
+    parented to this `pytest` process, wait a bounded
+    grace window, then SIGKILL survivors.
+
+    Rationale: under fork-based spawn backends (notably
+    `subint_forkserver`), a test that times out or bails
+    mid-teardown can leave subactor forks alive. Without
+    this reap, they linger across sessions and compete
+    for ports / inherit pytest's capture-pipe fds — which
+    flakifies later tests. SC-polite discipline: SIGINT
+    first to let the subactor's trio cancel shield + IPC
+    teardown paths run before we escalate.
+
+    Matching companion CLI: `scripts/tractor-reap` for
+    the pytest-died-mid-session case.
+
+    '''
+    import os
+    parent_pid: int = os.getpid()
+    yield
+    from tractor._testing._reap import (
+        find_descendants,
+        reap,
+    )
+    pids: list[int] = find_descendants(parent_pid)
+    if pids:
+        reap(pids, grace=3.0)
+
+
 @pytest.fixture(scope='session')
 def debug_mode(
     request: pytest.FixtureRequest,
@@ -398,7 +440,6 @@ def pytest_generate_tests(
     # drive the valid-backend set from the canonical `Literal` so
     # adding a new spawn backend (e.g. `'subint'`) doesn't require
     # touching the harness.
-    from tractor.spawn._spawn import SpawnMethodKey
     assert spawn_backend in get_args(SpawnMethodKey)
 
     # NOTE: used-to-be-used-to dyanmically parametrize tests for when