diff --git a/scripts/rea.mjs b/scripts/rea.mjs
index e6050e03a1..518baf9965 100755
--- a/scripts/rea.mjs
+++ b/scripts/rea.mjs
@@ -52,6 +52,8 @@ const isMcpHttpMode =
   isMcpEntry &&
   (args[1]?.startsWith("-") ?? false) &&
   args.slice(1).includes("--http");
+/** How long an exiting command may wait for its remaining handles to close. */
+const EXIT_DRAIN_GRACE_MS = 1_000;
 /** Exit status of a writer terminated by SIGPIPE (128 + 13). */
 const SIGPIPE_EXIT_STATUS = 141;
 // Set once the reader of CLI output has closed the pipe.
@@ -160,7 +162,15 @@ if (!(await compiledRuntimeExists(runtimeFiles))) {
               process.stderr.write(`${cleanupFailureText(cause)}\n`);
             if (status === 0) status = 1;
           }
-          process.exit(stdoutClosed ? SIGPIPE_EXIT_STATUS : status);
+          // process.exit() shuts the platform down without tearing the
+          // isolate down, so a V8 compile thread waiting for a collection can
+          // deadlock that shutdown. Let the event loop drain instead, and force
+          // the exit only when a handle outlives a short grace.
+          process.exitCode = stdoutClosed ? SIGPIPE_EXIT_STATUS : status;
+          setTimeout(
+            () => process.exit(process.exitCode),
+            EXIT_DRAIN_GRACE_MS,
+          ).unref();
         })();
       },
     });
diff --git a/tests/boundary/cli/dispatcher.test.ts b/tests/boundary/cli/dispatcher.test.ts
index da05a9c482..928de7b9f0 100644
--- a/tests/boundary/cli/dispatcher.test.ts
+++ b/tests/boundary/cli/dispatcher.test.ts
@@ -648,3 +648,40 @@ describe("project-scoped Amp registration dispatch", () => {
     },
   );
 });
+
+describe("executable dispatcher exit", () => {
+  workspaceCliTest(
+    "exits with the requested status once the command's handles close",
+    async ({ processes, workspace }) => {
+      // The interval stops after the exit request: the loop drains, the
+      // process does not wait for the forced-exit grace, and the status holds.
+      await installCliRuntime(
+        workspace,
+        "export const closeCliResources = () => {}; export const createCli = () => ({ serve: (_args, options) => { const timer = setInterval(() => {}, 50); options.exit(3); setTimeout(() => clearInterval(timer), 100); } });\n",
+      );
+      const result = await processes.run(
+        process.execPath,
+        [workspace.path("scripts/rea.mjs"), "fixture"],
+        { cwd: workspace.root },
+      );
+      expect(result.exitCode, result.stderr).toBe(3);
+    },
+  );
+
+  workspaceCliTest(
+    "forces the requested exit when a command leaves a handle open",
+    async ({ processes, workspace }) => {
+      await installCliRuntime(
+        workspace,
+        "export const closeCliResources = () => {}; export const createCli = () => ({ serve: (_args, options) => { setInterval(() => {}, 1_000); options.exit(4); } });\n",
+      );
+      const result = await processes.run(
+        process.execPath,
+        [workspace.path("scripts/rea.mjs"), "fixture"],
+        { cwd: workspace.root },
+      );
+      expect(result.exitCode, result.stderr).toBe(4);
+      expect(result.signal).toBeNull();
+    },
+  );
+});