diff --git a/lib/common.sh b/lib/common.sh
index 19e22eb..b5d6b25 100644
--- a/lib/common.sh
+++ b/lib/common.sh
@@ -171,6 +171,11 @@ PROMPT
 
 # Start background TTS streamer that reads from DEBUGLOG
 start_tts_streamer() {
+    # Kill any prior streamer before truncating the shared log. A streamer left
+    # running from an overlapping request keeps its read cursor at the old
+    # offset; truncating the log strands that cursor past EOF and the streamer
+    # then tails the file forever — hanging the crab stop that waits on it.
+    pkill -f "$LIB_DIR/tts-streamer" 2>/dev/null
     : > "$DEBUGLOG"
     DESKCRAB_DEBUGLOG="$DEBUGLOG" DESKCRAB_PIPER_VOICE="$PIPER_VOICE" \
         DESKCRAB_PIPER_LENGTH_SCALE="${PIPER_LENGTH_SCALE:-}" \
@@ -203,6 +208,14 @@ run_claude_and_respond() {
         --append-system-prompt "$SYSTEM_PROMPT" \
         "$TEXT" > "$DEBUGLOG" 2>&1
 
+    # Guarantee the TTS streamer always receives a stop signal. claude normally
+    # ends its stream with a {"type":"result"} line, but if it crashed, was
+    # killed, or got rate-limited mid-stream it may not — and without a result
+    # event the streamer tails the log forever and the wait below never returns.
+    # extract-response ignores a result line that has no "result" field, so this
+    # terminator is harmless on the success path.
+    printf '{"type":"result"}\n' >> "$DEBUGLOG"
+
     # Dismiss thinking notification
     notify-send -t 1 -h string:x-dunst-stack-tag:deskcrab "$NOTIFY_NAME" "" 2>/dev/null
 
diff --git a/lib/tts-streamer b/lib/tts-streamer
index 4aaa08c..7b8cf7b 100755
--- a/lib/tts-streamer
+++ b/lib/tts-streamer
@@ -39,6 +39,12 @@ def speak(text):
         pass
 
 
+# Remember who launched us (the crab process). If it dies we get reparented —
+# to PID 1 or, under a systemd user manager, to a subreaper — either way our
+# ppid changes. That's our cue to stop, since an orphaned crab can no longer
+# append the terminator and we must not tail the log forever.
+ORIG_PPID = os.getppid()
+
 while not os.path.exists(LOG):
     time.sleep(0.1)
 
@@ -46,6 +52,11 @@ with open(LOG) as f:
     while True:
         line = f.readline()
         if not line:
+            # Backstop: if our launching crab process is gone we've been
+            # reparented (ppid changes) — it can no longer append a terminator,
+            # so stop instead of tailing the log forever.
+            if os.getppid() != ORIG_PPID:
+                break
             time.sleep(0.05)
             continue
         line = line.strip()