diff --git a/docs/mcp-contracts.md b/docs/mcp-contracts.md
index 4d0680d0ac..106372ba51 100644
--- a/docs/mcp-contracts.md
+++ b/docs/mcp-contracts.md
@@ -459,7 +459,10 @@ name them. Listener errors reach the runtime's connection-loss handler only
 after a successful bind; a bind failure prints the listen-failure message alone. Request bodies are bounded by the SDK's
 4 MiB limit, and the response budget keeps its stdio-derived floor. The
 listener ends on SIGINT or SIGTERM only, not on stdin EOF, and exits `130` or
-`143` after cleanup settles.
+`143` after cleanup settles. A signal that arrives while startup is still
+running is recorded and acted on as soon as the listener and its providers are
+owned, so startup never ends without cleanup; a second signal during startup
+exits immediately.
 
 ## Progress and cancellation
 
diff --git a/docs/specs/agent-environments/http-transport/spec.md b/docs/specs/agent-environments/http-transport/spec.md
index 930b4380a4..59421e60d3 100644
--- a/docs/specs/agent-environments/http-transport/spec.md
+++ b/docs/specs/agent-environments/http-transport/spec.md
@@ -42,7 +42,9 @@ client registration keep stdio.
   checks replace an open session; refuse requests once the slot is closed, join
   an arming session during shutdown, and keep close stages retryable.
 - End the HTTP listener on SIGINT/SIGTERM only, never on stdin EOF, and exit with
-  the signal status (`130`/`143`) after cleanup settles.
+  the signal status (`130`/`143`) after cleanup settles; latch a signal that
+  arrives during startup so it is acted on as soon as the lifecycle owner exists,
+  and exit at once on a second one.
 - Export `serveStreamableHttp({ host, port, createMcpServer, routes, logger })`
   returning `{ url, close }` so an agent environment server can add plain routes
   beside `/mcp` without a second bridge.
diff --git a/docs/specs/agent-environments/http-transport/verification.md b/docs/specs/agent-environments/http-transport/verification.md
index 3292ee3e5b..0afdefde2c 100644
--- a/docs/specs/agent-environments/http-transport/verification.md
+++ b/docs/specs/agent-environments/http-transport/verification.md
@@ -234,3 +234,12 @@ request to drain (test: a 4.5 MB sessionless initialize is refused promptly
 while the connected client keeps echoing); and the node:http bridge passes
 repeated `Set-Cookie` values as an array instead of collapsing them (test: two
 cookies from a composed route both arrive).
+
+A sixth round (Codex, one P1) was addressed next: signal handlers were only
+installed after the asynchronous startup returned, so a SIGINT or SIGTERM
+during target opening, provider loading or the HTTP bind ended the process
+without cleanup. The HTTP entry now latches signals before startup, the
+lifecycle owner picks the recorded signal up as soon as it registers, and a
+second signal during startup exits at once (test: the latch records `143`,
+exits on the second signal, hands the status over on release and leaves no
+listeners behind).
diff --git a/src/main.ts b/src/main.ts
index 0a7c42337a..ee767f0c90 100644
--- a/src/main.ts
+++ b/src/main.ts
@@ -22,8 +22,10 @@ import {
 import { createToolResultDelivery } from "./server/toolResult.js";
 import { createShutdown } from "./main/shutdown.js";
 import {
+  latchSignalShutdown,
   registerProcessShutdown,
   registerSignalShutdown,
+  type SignalLatch,
 } from "./main/processShutdown.js";
 import {
   parseMcpHttpEndpoint,
@@ -43,6 +45,7 @@ const runtimeDependencies = (): RuntimeDependencies => ({
 /** Replace stdio with the streamable HTTP listener; signals alone end it, never stdin. */
 const httpRuntimeDependencies = (
   endpoint: McpHttpEndpoint,
+  latch: SignalLatch,
 ): RuntimeDependencies => {
   const base = runtimeDependencies();
   return {
@@ -59,11 +62,19 @@ const httpRuntimeDependencies = (
         ...options,
       });
     },
-    registerShutdown: (request) =>
-      registerSignalShutdown((exitStatus) => {
+    registerShutdown: (request) => {
+      const unregister = registerSignalShutdown((exitStatus) => {
         base.setExitCode(exitStatus);
         request();
-      }),
+      });
+      // A signal that arrived during startup is honoured now that the lifecycle owner exists.
+      const pending = latch.release();
+      if (pending !== undefined) {
+        base.setExitCode(pending);
+        request();
+      }
+      return unregister;
+    },
   };
 };
 
@@ -177,11 +188,17 @@ export const runMcpHttpEntrypoint = async (
     io.setExitCode(1);
     return;
   }
-  await runEntrypoint(
-    () => run(httpRuntimeDependencies(endpoint.value)),
-    io.writeStderr,
-    io.setExitCode,
-  );
+  // Latched before any asynchronous startup so a signal cannot end the process without cleanup.
+  const latch = latchSignalShutdown();
+  try {
+    await runEntrypoint(
+      () => run(httpRuntimeDependencies(endpoint.value, latch)),
+      io.writeStderr,
+      io.setExitCode,
+    );
+  } finally {
+    latch.release();
+  }
 };
 
 /** Return false when the runtime's argv path is synthetic or no longer exists. */
diff --git a/src/main/processShutdown.ts b/src/main/processShutdown.ts
index 1b39f90da9..f60e87ea70 100644
--- a/src/main/processShutdown.ts
+++ b/src/main/processShutdown.ts
@@ -61,3 +61,32 @@ export const registerSignalShutdown = (
     },
     { signals },
   );
+
+/** A signal recorded while startup is still running, before the lifecycle owner can act on it. */
+export interface SignalLatch {
+  /** Stop recording; returns the exit status of the first signal seen, if any. */
+  readonly release: () => number | undefined;
+}
+
+/** Record the first SIGINT or SIGTERM during startup and exit at once on a second one, so startup never dies without its cleanup. */
+export const latchSignalShutdown = (
+  signals: ShutdownSignalSource = process,
+  exit: (status: number) => void = (status) => process.exit(status),
+): SignalLatch => {
+  let pending: number | undefined;
+  const record = (signal: ShutdownSignal) => (): void => {
+    if (pending === undefined) pending = SIGNAL_EXIT_STATUS[signal];
+    else exit(pending);
+  };
+  const onInterrupt = record("SIGINT");
+  const onTerminate = record("SIGTERM");
+  signals.on("SIGINT", onInterrupt);
+  signals.on("SIGTERM", onTerminate);
+  return {
+    release: () => {
+      signals.off("SIGINT", onInterrupt);
+      signals.off("SIGTERM", onTerminate);
+      return pending;
+    },
+  };
+};
diff --git a/src/server/shutdownRegistration.test.ts b/src/server/shutdownRegistration.test.ts
index 41eb94ecec..f3dda49b80 100644
--- a/src/server/shutdownRegistration.test.ts
+++ b/src/server/shutdownRegistration.test.ts
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import pino from "pino";
 
 import { createShutdown } from "../main/shutdown.js";
 import {
+  latchSignalShutdown,
   registerProcessShutdown,
   registerSignalShutdown,
 } from "../main/processShutdown.js";
@@ -220,3 +221,19 @@ it("joins concurrent shutdown events and retries only failed owners", async () =
   expect(input.listenerCount("end")).toBe(0);
   expect(input.listenerCount("close")).toBe(0);
 });
+
+it("latches the first startup signal, exits at once on a second, and hands the status over on release", () => {
+  const signals = new EventEmitter();
+  const exits: number[] = [];
+  const latch = latchSignalShutdown(signals, (status) => exits.push(status));
+  expect(signals.listenerCount("SIGINT")).toBe(1);
+  signals.emit("SIGTERM");
+  expect(exits).toEqual([]);
+  signals.emit("SIGINT");
+  expect(exits).toEqual([143]);
+  expect(latch.release()).toBe(143);
+  expect(signals.listenerCount("SIGINT")).toBe(0);
+  expect(signals.listenerCount("SIGTERM")).toBe(0);
+  const quiet = latchSignalShutdown(signals, (status) => exits.push(status));
+  expect(quiet.release()).toBeUndefined();
+});