diff --git a/src/server/apps.ts b/src/server/apps.ts
index ade3e7d..e50aa32 100644
--- a/src/server/apps.ts
+++ b/src/server/apps.ts
@@ -644,12 +644,8 @@ async function runApp(dir: string, port: number) {
     const survivalThreshold = 5000 // Consider non-HTTP apps running after 5s
     const startTime = Date.now()
 
-    // Use proc.exited as the authoritative death signal instead of ps(1)
-    let processExited = false
-    proc.exited.then(() => { processExited = true })
-
     while (app.state === 'starting' && app.proc === proc) {
-      if (processExited) {
+      if (proc.exitCode !== null) {
         info(app, 'Process died during startup')
         return
       }
@@ -680,10 +676,7 @@ async function runApp(dir: string, port: number) {
 
       // If process survived long enough, consider it running (non-HTTP app)
       if (Date.now() - startTime >= survivalThreshold) {
-        // One final check — process could have died between loop iterations
-        // Yield to let proc.exited handler run if pending
-        await new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, 0))
-        if (processExited) {
+        if (proc.exitCode !== null) {
           info(app, 'Process died during startup')
           return
         }