diff --git a/app/Roster/Data/ProcessLiveness.swift b/app/Roster/Data/ProcessLiveness.swift
index 93b1b6f..4daf6d5 100644
--- a/app/Roster/Data/ProcessLiveness.swift
+++ b/app/Roster/Data/ProcessLiveness.swift
@@ -80,8 +80,41 @@ enum ProcessLiveness {
         guard sysctl(&mib, 3, nil, &size, nil, 0) == 0, size > 0 else { return nil }
         var buffer = [UInt8](repeating: 0, count: size)
         guard sysctl(&mib, 3, &buffer, &size, nil, 0) == 0 else { return nil }
-        let strings = buffer.dropFirst(MemoryLayout<Int32>.size)
-            .map { $0 == 0 ? UInt8(ascii: " ") : $0 }
-        return String(decoding: strings, as: UTF8.self)
+        return parseArguments(from: buffer)
+    }
+
+    /// Exec path + argv from a KERN_PROCARGS2 buffer — stopping BEFORE the
+    /// environment. The layout is `argc` (Int32), the exec path, NUL padding,
+    /// then exactly `argc` argv strings, and only *then* the environment block.
+    /// The environment must not be part of the searchable string: a shell that
+    /// merely inherited `PATH=…/.claude/…` (near-universal once Claude Code is
+    /// installed) is not a `claude` process, and matching its env would keep
+    /// dead desks alive and resurrect just-quit sessions — the exact "hearsay"
+    /// this type exists to rule out. The previous version mapped every NUL to a
+    /// space and returned the whole remainder, so it searched envp too.
+    static func parseArguments(from buffer: [UInt8]) -> String? {
+        let headerSize = MemoryLayout<Int32>.size
+        guard buffer.count > headerSize else { return nil }
+        // argc is a little-endian Int32 (every Apple platform is little-endian).
+        let argc = Int(buffer[0]) | Int(buffer[1]) << 8
+            | Int(buffer[2]) << 16 | Int(buffer[3]) << 24
+        var index = headerSize
+        let end = buffer.count
+        func nextString() -> String? {
+            guard index < end else { return nil }
+            var stop = index
+            while stop < end, buffer[stop] != 0 { stop += 1 }
+            defer { index = stop + 1 }
+            return String(decoding: buffer[index..<stop], as: UTF8.self)
+        }
+        guard let execPath = nextString() else { return nil }
+        while index < end, buffer[index] == 0 { index += 1 }   // skip NUL padding
+        var parts = [execPath]
+        var remaining = max(0, argc)
+        while remaining > 0, let argument = nextString() {
+            parts.append(argument)
+            remaining -= 1
+        }
+        return parts.joined(separator: " ")
     }
 }
diff --git a/app/RosterTests/ProcessLivenessTests.swift b/app/RosterTests/ProcessLivenessTests.swift
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6d4c948
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/RosterTests/ProcessLivenessTests.swift
@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+import XCTest
+
+/// The pure parse of a KERN_PROCARGS2 buffer. The live sysctl/libproc path is
+/// not exercised — only the argc / exec-path / argv / env splitting, which is
+/// where the searchable command-line string is built.
+final class ProcessLivenessTests: XCTestCase {
+
+    /// Builds a KERN_PROCARGS2-shaped buffer: `argc` (little-endian Int32), the
+    /// exec path, NUL padding, `argv.count` argv strings, then the environment.
+    private func procArgs(
+        execPath: String, argv: [String], env: [String]
+    ) -> [UInt8] {
+        var bytes: [UInt8] = []
+        withUnsafeBytes(of: Int32(argv.count).littleEndian) {
+            bytes.append(contentsOf: $0)
+        }
+        bytes.append(contentsOf: Array(execPath.utf8)); bytes.append(0)
+        bytes.append(contentsOf: [0, 0, 0])                 // padding
+        for arg in argv { bytes.append(contentsOf: Array(arg.utf8)); bytes.append(0) }
+        for entry in env { bytes.append(contentsOf: Array(entry.utf8)); bytes.append(0) }
+        return bytes
+    }
+
+    func testParseArgumentsStopsBeforeTheEnvironment() {
+        // A plain login shell whose inherited PATH mentions ~/.claude — the
+        // near-universal case on a Claude Code user's machine, with no `claude`
+        // process actually running.
+        let buffer = procArgs(
+            execPath: "/bin/zsh",
+            argv: ["-zsh"],
+            env: ["PATH=/Users/me/.claude/local/bin:/usr/bin", "PWD=/repo"]
+        )
+        let parsed = ProcessLiveness.parseArguments(from: buffer)
+        XCTAssertEqual(parsed, "/bin/zsh -zsh")
+        // The environment must not leak into the searchable string, or a shell
+        // that merely inherited a claude-flavoured PATH would look like a live
+        // `claude` CLI and keep a dead desk alive.
+        XCTAssertFalse(
+            parsed?.contains("claude") ?? true,
+            "the environment block must not be searched"
+        )
+    }
+
+    func testParseArgumentsStillFindsARealCLI() {
+        let buffer = procArgs(
+            execPath: "/Users/me/.claude/local/claude",
+            argv: ["claude", "--resume"],
+            env: ["PWD=/repo"]
+        )
+        XCTAssertTrue(
+            ProcessLiveness.parseArguments(from: buffer)?.contains("claude") ?? false,
+            "a real claude process is still detected"
+        )
+    }
+}
diff --git a/app/project.yml b/app/project.yml
index dc3df9c..afff2c7 100644
--- a/app/project.yml
+++ b/app/project.yml
@@ -138,6 +138,7 @@ targets:
       - path: Roster/Data/ClaudeConfigRoots.swift
       - path: Roster/Data/CursorTranscripts.swift
       - path: Roster/Data/WorkspaceActions.swift
+      - path: Roster/Data/ProcessLiveness.swift
     settings:
       base:
         PRODUCT_BUNDLE_IDENTIFIER: com.lndev.roster.tests