---
title: internal/proclife
description: Go API reference for the proclife package.
---

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# proclife

```go
import "github.com/jbcom/radioactive-ralph/internal/proclife"
```

Package proclife exposes the cross\-platform parent\-death primitives that back up variantpool's lifeline pipe.

The lifeline pipe alone \(see internal/variantpool\) is portable and sufficient — children that honor EOF\-on\-FD\-3 self\-terminate when the parent dies, regardless of OS. This package adds OS\-level defenses for children that don't cooperate:

- Linux: PR\_SET\_PDEATHSIG via syscall.SysProcAttr.Pdeathsig. Kernel signals the child when the parent exits.
- macOS: kqueue NOTE\_EXIT on the parent pid. Child registers a watch and exits when the kevent fires.
- Windows: Job Objects with JOB\_OBJECT\_LIMIT\_KILL\_ON\_JOB\_CLOSE. Kernel kills every process in the job when the job handle is released.

Each implementation is a single file behind a go:build tag. Callers import this package and call Attach\(cmd\) before Start.

Attach is best\-effort: if the OS primitive is unavailable or fails, the function returns nil \(the lifeline pipe remains the primary safety net, not this\). Errors surface only in platform tests.

## Index

- [func Attach\(cmd \*exec.Cmd\) error](<#Attach>)
- [func PostStart\(cmd \*exec.Cmd\) error](<#PostStart>)


<a name="Attach"></a>
## func [Attach](<https://github.com/jbcom/radioactive-ralph/blob/main/internal/proclife/proclife.go#L35>)

```go
func Attach(cmd *exec.Cmd) error
```

Attach configures the \(unstarted\) command with the strongest parent\-death primitive available on this OS. Callers must call Attach BEFORE cmd.Start\(\).

On POSIX this is a one\-liner that extends cmd.SysProcAttr. On Windows it's a no\-op at Attach\-time; the Job Object setup happens in a separate step after cmd.Start\(\) on that platform.

<a name="PostStart"></a>
## func [PostStart](<https://github.com/jbcom/radioactive-ralph/blob/main/internal/proclife/proclife.go#L42>)

```go
func PostStart(cmd *exec.Cmd) error
```

PostStart is called after cmd.Start\(\) for platforms that need to bind the child to the parent's lifetime at process\-handle level \(Windows\). POSIX implementations make it a no\-op.

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