diff --git a/.changes/shell-kill-on-drop.md b/.changes/shell-kill-on-drop.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..033e8f8c6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changes/shell-kill-on-drop.md
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+---
+"shell": minor:feat
+"shell-js": minor:feat
+---
+
+Add `Command::kill_on_drop` to kill the spawned process (or its process group / job object when `Command::set_process_group` is enabled) when its `CommandChild` is dropped.
diff --git a/plugins/shell/src/process/mod.rs b/plugins/shell/src/process/mod.rs
index 2d6c18593..35650d506 100644
--- a/plugins/shell/src/process/mod.rs
+++ b/plugins/shell/src/process/mod.rs
@@ -63,6 +63,7 @@ pub struct Command {
     cmd: StdCommand,
     raw_out: bool,
     process_group: bool,
+    kill_on_drop: bool,
 }
 
 /// Spawned child process.
@@ -74,6 +75,7 @@ pub struct CommandChild {
     process_group: bool,
     #[cfg(windows)]
     job: Option<job_object::JobObject>,
+    kill_on_drop: bool,
 }
 
 impl CommandChild {
@@ -85,7 +87,16 @@ impl CommandChild {
 
     /// Sends a kill signal to the child and waits for it to exit.
     /// With `process_group` enabled this kills the whole process group (POSIX) or job object (Windows).
-    pub fn kill(self) -> crate::Result<()> {
+    pub fn kill(mut self) -> crate::Result<()> {
+        self.send_kill()?;
+        // Already killed, so `Drop` must not do it again.
+        self.kill_on_drop = false;
+        self.inner.wait()?;
+        Ok(())
+    }
+
+    /// Sends the kill signal without waiting for the child to exit.
+    fn send_kill(&self) -> crate::Result<()> {
         // No early return when the child already exited: the rest of its
         // process group or job object may still be running.
         #[cfg(unix)]
@@ -110,7 +121,6 @@ impl CommandChild {
             None => self.inner.kill()?,
         }
 
-        self.inner.wait()?;
         Ok(())
     }
 
@@ -120,6 +130,17 @@ impl CommandChild {
     }
 }
 
+impl Drop for CommandChild {
+    /// Kills the child process (or its process group / job object) if `kill_on_drop` is enabled.
+    fn drop(&mut self) {
+        if self.kill_on_drop
+            && let Err(e) = self.send_kill()
+        {
+            log::error!("Failed to kill child process {}: {}", self.inner.id(), e);
+        }
+    }
+}
+
 /// Describes the result of a process after it has terminated.
 #[derive(Debug)]
 pub struct ExitStatus {
@@ -210,6 +231,7 @@ impl Command {
             cmd: command,
             raw_out: false,
             process_group: false,
+            kill_on_drop: false,
         }
     }
 
@@ -288,6 +310,21 @@ impl Command {
         self
     }
 
+    /// Configures whether the child process is killed when its [`CommandChild`] is dropped.
+    /// Defaults to `false`, so a dropped [`CommandChild`] leaves the process running.
+    ///
+    /// The kill works like [`CommandChild::kill`] but does not wait for the process to exit.
+    /// Without [`Command::set_process_group`] only the child itself is killed, and any
+    /// processes it spawned keep running; enable it to kill the whole process group (POSIX)
+    /// or job object (Windows).
+    ///
+    /// This has no effect on processes spawned from the JavaScript API; the plugin kills those when the app exits.
+    #[must_use]
+    pub fn kill_on_drop(mut self, kill_on_drop: bool) -> Self {
+        self.kill_on_drop = kill_on_drop;
+        self
+    }
+
     /// Spawns the command.
     ///
     /// # Examples
@@ -350,6 +387,7 @@ impl Command {
     pub fn spawn(self) -> crate::Result<(Receiver<CommandEvent>, CommandChild)> {
         let raw = self.raw_out;
         let process_group = self.process_group;
+        let kill_on_drop = self.kill_on_drop;
         let mut command: StdCommand = self.into();
         let (stdout_reader, stdout_writer) = pipe()?;
         let (stderr_reader, stderr_writer) = pipe()?;
@@ -425,6 +463,7 @@ impl Command {
                 process_group,
                 #[cfg(windows)]
                 job,
+                kill_on_drop,
             },
         ))
     }
@@ -774,6 +813,63 @@ mod tests {
         assert_ne!(ret, 0, "process group should no longer exist");
     }
 
+    #[cfg(not(windows))]
+    fn wait_terminated(mut rx: Receiver<CommandEvent>) -> TerminatedPayload {
+        tauri::async_runtime::block_on(async move {
+            while let Some(event) = rx.recv().await {
+                if let CommandEvent::Terminated(payload) = event {
+                    return payload;
+                }
+            }
+            panic!("channel closed without a Terminated event");
+        })
+    }
+
+    #[cfg(not(windows))]
+    #[test]
+    fn test_cmd_kill_on_drop() {
+        let (rx, child) = Command::new("sleep")
+            .args(["60"])
+            .kill_on_drop(true)
+            .spawn()
+            .unwrap();
+        drop(child);
+
+        let payload = wait_terminated(rx);
+        assert_eq!(payload.signal, Some(libc::SIGKILL));
+    }
+
+    #[cfg(not(windows))]
+    #[test]
+    fn test_cmd_no_kill_on_drop_by_default() {
+        let (_rx, child) = Command::new("sleep").args(["60"]).spawn().unwrap();
+        let pid = child.pid();
+        drop(child);
+
+        std::thread::sleep(std::time::Duration::from_millis(200));
+        let ret = unsafe { libc::kill(pid as i32, 0) };
+        assert_eq!(ret, 0, "process should still be running");
+        unsafe { libc::kill(pid as i32, libc::SIGKILL) };
+    }
+
+    #[cfg(not(windows))]
+    #[test]
+    fn test_cmd_kill_on_drop_process_group() {
+        // The shell's own child (sleep) must die too, not just the shell.
+        let (rx, child) = Command::new("sh")
+            .args(["-c", "sleep 60; true"])
+            .set_process_group(true)
+            .kill_on_drop(true)
+            .spawn()
+            .unwrap();
+        let pid = child.pid();
+        drop(child);
+
+        wait_terminated(rx);
+        let ret = unsafe { libc::killpg(pid as i32, 0) };
+        assert_ne!(ret, 0, "process group should no longer exist");
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn test_cmd_process_group_output() {
         // Hangs on Windows if the suspended child is never resumed.