diff --git a/crates/neuromesh-cli/src/commands/mod.rs b/crates/neuromesh-cli/src/commands/mod.rs
index 59e592a..bb7e557 100644
--- a/crates/neuromesh-cli/src/commands/mod.rs
+++ b/crates/neuromesh-cli/src/commands/mod.rs
@@ -128,13 +128,15 @@ pub fn print_file_cap(report: &neuromesh_index::ScanReport, indent: &str) {
     }
 }
 
+/// Starts the background index of `dir`; returns whether it will be indexed
+/// (`false` when the path is rejected — the server then answers from nothing).
 pub fn spawn_live_sync(
     graph: std::sync::Arc<neuromesh_graph::NeuralProjectGraph>,
     dir: std::path::PathBuf,
     pid: ProjectId,
     cap: FileCapArg,
     explicit: bool,
-) {
+) -> bool {
     // The one choke point where the CLI starts a scan. A path the user gave us
     // only has to be safe; a path we guessed also has to look like a project,
     // which is what stops a server launched with no workspace from indexing
@@ -150,7 +152,7 @@ pub fn spawn_live_sync(
             "NeuroMesh: pass a project path (`neuromesh mcp <path>`) or set NEUROMESH_WORKSPACE"
         );
         graph.mark_index_ready();
-        return;
+        return false;
     }
     // Marked before the scan thread is scheduled: until then the gate still
     // said Ready over an empty graph, and a first question got "no seed".
@@ -174,6 +176,7 @@ pub fn spawn_live_sync(
             let _ = graph.save_persisted(&dir);
         }
     });
+    true
 }
 
 #[cfg(test)]
diff --git a/crates/neuromesh-cli/src/commands/monitor.rs b/crates/neuromesh-cli/src/commands/monitor.rs
index d8ac861..10f8fda 100644
--- a/crates/neuromesh-cli/src/commands/monitor.rs
+++ b/crates/neuromesh-cli/src/commands/monitor.rs
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ pub async fn execute(port_override: Option<u16>, cap: FileCapArg) -> Result<()>
     let bg_pid = project_id.clone();
     // `monitor` has no workspace argument; the root is the current directory,
     // so it is a guess and has to look like a project.
-    super::spawn_live_sync(bg_graph, bg_dir, bg_pid, cap, false);
+    let _ = super::spawn_live_sync(bg_graph, bg_dir, bg_pid, cap, false);
 
     let state = AppState::new(config, graph, memory_db, provider);
     state.attach_graph_proxy_if_configured().await;
diff --git a/crates/neuromesh-cli/src/main.rs b/crates/neuromesh-cli/src/main.rs
index 8bc2c14..e663d3c 100644
--- a/crates/neuromesh-cli/src/main.rs
+++ b/crates/neuromesh-cli/src/main.rs
@@ -287,7 +287,7 @@ async fn async_main(command: &str, args: &[String]) -> Result<()> {
             {
                 graph.mark_index_loading();
             }
-            commands::spawn_live_sync(
+            let indexable = commands::spawn_live_sync(
                 graph.clone(),
                 current_dir.clone(),
                 project_id.clone(),
@@ -316,16 +316,27 @@ async fn async_main(command: &str, args: &[String]) -> Result<()> {
                 });
                 // Separate task: only open a browser once we know the real
                 // bound port, but this never delays the stdio server below.
+                // A workspace that will not be indexed gets no tab: its
+                // dashboard would show an empty graph ("no modules").
                 let workspace_for_ui = current_dir.clone();
                 tokio::spawn(async move {
                     if let Ok(actual_port) = port_rx.await {
-                        maybe_open_ui_first_run(&workspace_for_ui, actual_port);
+                        if indexable {
+                            maybe_open_ui_first_run(&workspace_for_ui, actual_port);
+                        }
                     }
                 });
             }
 
             let server = neuromesh_mcp::McpServer::new(handler);
             server.run_stdio().await?;
+            // The client closed stdin: the session is over. Dropping the
+            // runtime would wait on the file watcher's blocking task forever,
+            // leaving an orphan process per closed client (a probe that closed
+            // stdin found the server still alive after 10 minutes).
+            use std::io::Write;
+            let _ = std::io::stdout().flush();
+            std::process::exit(0);
         }
         "--help" | "-h" | "help" => {
             print_help();