k---kill-after Verified current stable Not installed? System Operations

K Kill After / Force Kill After Timeout

Force Kill After Timeout

Forces a kill on the command after it times out.

$
Terminal
timeout -k <5m> <30s> <command>

When To Use

In scenarios where it is critical to reclaim system resources terminated during long-running processes

Pro Tip

Test with various intervals to find optimal kill settings; performance nuances can affect systems under load.

Command Builder

Tune the command before you copy it

Back to syntax
$
Generated Command
timeout -k <5m> <30s> <command>

Anatomy of Output

Understanding the result

Command executing: long_running_task, will force kill after 5 minutes Execution Notice

Outlines the command and conditions applied.

Initial timeout set for 30 seconds; assessing command health Timeout Info

Indicates when the initial check is scheduled.

Process killed due to timeout; exit code 137 Kill Info

Shows the result of forcibly terminating the process.

Power User Variants

Optimized versions

k---kill-after 1m timeout 10s command

Forces kill action after 1 minute following initial timeout.

k---kill-after 2m some_other_command

Sets a tighter kill window on command execution.

Troubleshooting

Common pitfalls

timeout: command failed to start

Solution: Check command parameters and execution environment.

timeout: unable to send kill signal to process

Solution: Ensure process is active and PID is correctly identified.

timeout: wait duration specified is invalid

Solution: Reassess timeout values for acceptable formats.

Command Breakdown

What each part is doing

timeout
Base Command
The executable that performs this operation. Here it runs K Kill After before the shell applies any redirect operators.
-k
k| kill after
The value supplied for k| kill after.
<5m>
5m
The value supplied for 5m.
<30s>
30s
The value supplied for 30s.
<command>
command
The value supplied for command.
-k
Command Option
Tool-specific option used by this command invocation.

Alternative Approaches

Comparable commands in other tools

Alternative system operations tools for the same job.