diff --git a/scripts/test-docker-all.mjs b/scripts/test-docker-all.mjs
index 1c4c6815a859..c4da2a142ca6 100644
--- a/scripts/test-docker-all.mjs
+++ b/scripts/test-docker-all.mjs
@@ -43,6 +43,9 @@ const DEFAULT_PREFLIGHT_RUN_TIMEOUT_MS = 60_000;
 const CLEANUP_SMOKE_NAME = "cleanup-smoke";
 export const SHELL_CAPTURE_MAX_CHARS = 1024 * 1024;
 export const LOG_TAIL_MAX_BYTES = 1024 * 1024;
+const SHELL_TIMEOUT_KILL_GRACE_MS = 10_000;
+const SHELL_POST_FORCE_KILL_WAIT_MS = 1_000;
+const SHELL_PROCESS_GROUP_EXIT_POLL_MS = 25;
 const DEFAULT_TIMINGS_FILE = path.join(ROOT_DIR, ".artifacts/docker-tests/lane-timings.json");
 const DEFAULT_GITHUB_WORKFLOW = "openclaw-live-and-e2e-checks-reusable.yml";
 const IS_MAIN = process.argv[1]
@@ -551,7 +554,15 @@ export function dockerPreflightSmokeCommand(arch = process.arch) {
   return `docker run --rm --platform ${shellQuote(platform)} alpine:3.20 true`;
 }
 
-export function runShellCommand({ command, env, label, logFile, timeoutMs, noOutputTimeoutMs }) {
+export function runShellCommand({
+  command,
+  env,
+  label,
+  logFile,
+  timeoutMs,
+  noOutputTimeoutMs,
+  timeoutKillGraceMs = SHELL_TIMEOUT_KILL_GRACE_MS,
+}) {
   return new Promise((resolve) => {
     const pipeOutput = Boolean(logFile || noOutputTimeoutMs > 0);
     const child = spawn("bash", ["-c", command], {
@@ -564,6 +575,7 @@ export function runShellCommand({ command, env, label, logFile, timeoutMs, noOut
     let timedOut = false;
     let noOutputTimedOut = false;
     let killTimer;
+    let killAt;
     let stream;
     let noOutputTimer;
     const terminateForTimeout = (message, options = {}) => {
@@ -578,7 +590,8 @@ export function runShellCommand({ command, env, label, logFile, timeoutMs, noOut
         console.error(`==> [${label}] ${message}; sending SIGTERM`);
       }
       terminateChild(child, "SIGTERM");
-      killTimer = setTimeout(() => terminateChild(child, "SIGKILL"), 10_000);
+      killAt = Date.now() + timeoutKillGraceMs;
+      killTimer = setTimeout(() => terminateChild(child, "SIGKILL"), timeoutKillGraceMs);
       killTimer.unref?.();
     };
     const resetNoOutputTimer = () => {
@@ -627,23 +640,31 @@ export function runShellCommand({ command, env, label, logFile, timeoutMs, noOut
       if (noOutputTimer) {
         clearTimeout(noOutputTimer);
       }
+      const finish = () => {
+        if (killTimer) {
+          clearTimeout(killTimer);
+        }
+        killAt = undefined;
+        activeChildren.delete(child);
+        const exitCode = typeof status === "number" ? status : signal ? 128 : 1;
+        if (stream) {
+          stream.write(
+            `\n==> [${label}] finished: ${utcStamp()} status=${exitCode}${
+              noOutputTimedOut ? " noOutputTimedOut=true" : ""
+            }\n`,
+          );
+          stream.end();
+        }
+        resolve({ signal, status: exitCode, timedOut, noOutputTimedOut });
+      };
       if (timedOut) {
-        terminateChild(child, "SIGKILL");
-      }
-      if (killTimer) {
-        clearTimeout(killTimer);
-      }
-      activeChildren.delete(child);
-      const exitCode = typeof status === "number" ? status : signal ? 128 : 1;
-      if (stream) {
-        stream.write(
-          `\n==> [${label}] finished: ${utcStamp()} status=${exitCode}${
-            noOutputTimedOut ? " noOutputTimedOut=true" : ""
-          }\n`,
+        void finishTimedOutShellProcessTree(child, { killAt, timeoutKillGraceMs }).then(
+          finish,
+          finish,
         );
-        stream.end();
+        return;
       }
-      resolve({ signal, status: exitCode, timedOut, noOutputTimedOut });
+      finish();
     });
   });
 }
@@ -656,7 +677,13 @@ export function appendBoundedShellCapture(current, chunk, maxChars = SHELL_CAPTU
   return { text: combined.slice(-maxChars), truncated: true };
 }
 
-export function runShellCaptureCommand({ command, env, label, timeoutMs }) {
+export function runShellCaptureCommand({
+  command,
+  env,
+  label,
+  timeoutMs,
+  timeoutKillGraceMs = SHELL_TIMEOUT_KILL_GRACE_MS,
+}) {
   return new Promise((resolve) => {
     const child = spawn("bash", ["-c", command], {
       cwd: ROOT_DIR,
@@ -671,12 +698,14 @@ export function runShellCaptureCommand({ command, env, label, timeoutMs }) {
     let stderrTruncated = false;
     let timedOut = false;
     let killTimer;
+    let killAt;
     const timeoutTimer =
       timeoutMs > 0
         ? setTimeout(() => {
             timedOut = true;
             terminateChild(child, "SIGTERM");
-            killTimer = setTimeout(() => terminateChild(child, "SIGKILL"), 10_000);
+            killAt = Date.now() + timeoutKillGraceMs;
+            killTimer = setTimeout(() => terminateChild(child, "SIGKILL"), timeoutKillGraceMs);
             killTimer.unref?.();
           }, timeoutMs)
         : undefined;
@@ -695,24 +724,32 @@ export function runShellCaptureCommand({ command, env, label, timeoutMs }) {
       if (timeoutTimer) {
         clearTimeout(timeoutTimer);
       }
+      const finish = () => {
+        if (killTimer) {
+          clearTimeout(killTimer);
+        }
+        killAt = undefined;
+        activeChildren.delete(child);
+        const exitCode = typeof status === "number" ? status : signal ? 128 : 1;
+        resolve({
+          label,
+          signal,
+          status: exitCode,
+          stderr,
+          stderrTruncated,
+          stdout,
+          stdoutTruncated,
+          timedOut,
+        });
+      };
       if (timedOut) {
-        terminateChild(child, "SIGKILL");
+        void finishTimedOutShellProcessTree(child, { killAt, timeoutKillGraceMs }).then(
+          finish,
+          finish,
+        );
+        return;
       }
-      if (killTimer) {
-        clearTimeout(killTimer);
-      }
-      activeChildren.delete(child);
-      const exitCode = typeof status === "number" ? status : signal ? 128 : 1;
-      resolve({
-        label,
-        signal,
-        status: exitCode,
-        stderr,
-        stderrTruncated,
-        stdout,
-        stdoutTruncated,
-        timedOut,
-      });
+      finish();
     });
   });
 }
@@ -1225,6 +1262,47 @@ async function printFailureSummary(failures, tailLines) {
 }
 
 const activeChildren = new Set();
+
+function shellProcessGroupAlive(child) {
+  if (process.platform === "win32" || !child.pid) {
+    return false;
+  }
+  try {
+    process.kill(-child.pid, 0);
+    return true;
+  } catch (error) {
+    return error?.code === "EPERM";
+  }
+}
+
+async function waitForShellProcessGroupExit(child, timeoutMs) {
+  const deadlineAt = Date.now() + timeoutMs;
+  while (Date.now() < deadlineAt) {
+    if (!shellProcessGroupAlive(child)) {
+      return true;
+    }
+    await new Promise((resolvePoll) => {
+      setTimeout(resolvePoll, SHELL_PROCESS_GROUP_EXIT_POLL_MS);
+    });
+  }
+  return !shellProcessGroupAlive(child);
+}
+
+async function finishTimedOutShellProcessTree(child, { killAt, timeoutKillGraceMs }) {
+  if (!shellProcessGroupAlive(child)) {
+    return;
+  }
+  const graceRemainingMs =
+    killAt === undefined ? timeoutKillGraceMs : Math.max(0, killAt - Date.now());
+  if (graceRemainingMs > 0) {
+    await waitForShellProcessGroupExit(child, graceRemainingMs);
+  }
+  if (shellProcessGroupAlive(child)) {
+    terminateChild(child, "SIGKILL");
+  }
+  await waitForShellProcessGroupExit(child, SHELL_POST_FORCE_KILL_WAIT_MS);
+}
+
 function terminateChild(child, signal) {
   if (process.platform !== "win32" && child.pid) {
     try {
diff --git a/test/scripts/docker-all-scheduler.test.ts b/test/scripts/docker-all-scheduler.test.ts
index 770b64861dff..6474340ce117 100644
--- a/test/scripts/docker-all-scheduler.test.ts
+++ b/test/scripts/docker-all-scheduler.test.ts
@@ -15,10 +15,12 @@ import {
   LOG_TAIL_MAX_BYTES,
   parseDockerAllCliArgs,
   resolveDockerPreflightPlatform,
+  runShellCaptureCommand,
   runShellCommand,
   SHELL_CAPTURE_MAX_CHARS,
   tailFile,
 } from "../../scripts/test-docker-all.mjs";
+import { createScriptTestHarness } from "./test-helpers.js";
 
 const limits = {
   resourceLimits: {
@@ -28,6 +30,7 @@ const limits = {
   weightLimit: 2,
 };
 const posixIt = process.platform === "win32" ? it.skip : it;
+const { createTempDir } = createScriptTestHarness();
 
 function activePool({
   count = 0,
@@ -489,6 +492,7 @@ setInterval(() => {}, 1000);
         )} ${JSON.stringify(grandchildPidPath)}`,
         env: process.env,
         label: "timeout-leader-exits",
+        timeoutKillGraceMs: 25,
         timeoutMs: 1_000,
       });
 
@@ -507,6 +511,86 @@ setInterval(() => {}, 1000);
     }
   });
 
+  posixIt("lets timed-out shell command descendants exit during kill grace", async () => {
+    const root = createTempDir("openclaw-docker-all-grace-");
+    const scriptPath = path.join(root, "leader-exits.mjs");
+    const donePath = path.join(root, "done");
+    const readyPath = path.join(root, "ready");
+    const childScript = [
+      "const fs = require('node:fs');",
+      `fs.writeFileSync(${JSON.stringify(readyPath)}, 'ready');`,
+      "process.on('SIGTERM', () => {",
+      `  setTimeout(() => { fs.writeFileSync(${JSON.stringify(donePath)}, 'done'); process.exit(0); }, 75);`,
+      "});",
+      "setInterval(() => {}, 1000);",
+    ].join("\n");
+
+    writeFileSync(
+      scriptPath,
+      `
+import { spawn } from "node:child_process";
+
+spawn(process.execPath, ["-e", ${JSON.stringify(childScript)}], { stdio: "ignore" });
+process.on("SIGTERM", () => process.exit(0));
+setInterval(() => {}, 1000);
+`,
+      "utf8",
+    );
+
+    const runPromise = runShellCommand({
+      command: `exec ${JSON.stringify(process.execPath)} ${JSON.stringify(scriptPath)}`,
+      env: process.env,
+      label: "timeout-grace",
+      timeoutKillGraceMs: 500,
+      timeoutMs: 500,
+    });
+
+    await waitFor(() => existsSync(readyPath));
+    const result = await runPromise;
+    expect(result).toMatchObject({ timedOut: true });
+    expect(readFileSync(donePath, "utf8")).toBe("done");
+  });
+
+  posixIt("lets timed-out shell capture descendants exit during kill grace", async () => {
+    const root = createTempDir("openclaw-docker-all-capture-grace-");
+    const scriptPath = path.join(root, "leader-exits.mjs");
+    const donePath = path.join(root, "done");
+    const readyPath = path.join(root, "ready");
+    const childScript = [
+      "const fs = require('node:fs');",
+      `fs.writeFileSync(${JSON.stringify(readyPath)}, 'ready');`,
+      "process.on('SIGTERM', () => {",
+      `  setTimeout(() => { fs.writeFileSync(${JSON.stringify(donePath)}, 'done'); process.exit(0); }, 75);`,
+      "});",
+      "setInterval(() => {}, 1000);",
+    ].join("\n");
+
+    writeFileSync(
+      scriptPath,
+      `
+import { spawn } from "node:child_process";
+
+spawn(process.execPath, ["-e", ${JSON.stringify(childScript)}], { stdio: "ignore" });
+process.on("SIGTERM", () => process.exit(0));
+setInterval(() => {}, 1000);
+`,
+      "utf8",
+    );
+
+    const runPromise = runShellCaptureCommand({
+      command: `exec ${JSON.stringify(process.execPath)} ${JSON.stringify(scriptPath)}`,
+      env: process.env,
+      label: "capture-timeout-grace",
+      timeoutKillGraceMs: 500,
+      timeoutMs: 500,
+    });
+
+    await waitFor(() => existsSync(readyPath));
+    const result = await runPromise;
+    expect(result).toMatchObject({ timedOut: true });
+    expect(readFileSync(donePath, "utf8")).toBe("done");
+  });
+
   it("describes effective scheduler limits for operator errors", () => {
     expect(describeDockerSchedulerLimits(2, limits)).toBe(
       "parallelism=2 weightLimit=2 resources=docker=2 npm=2",