diff --git a/internal/command/process.go b/internal/command/process.go
index 31594c1..987998c 100644
--- a/internal/command/process.go
+++ b/internal/command/process.go
@@ -160,6 +160,7 @@ func ResolveProcessTargets(ctx context.Context, plat platform.Platform, p Parsed
 	}
 	var targets []model.Proc
 	seen := map[int32]bool{}
+	protection := kill.NewProtection(ps, protected)
 	for _, proc := range ps {
 		name := processName(proc.Exe)
 		match := slices.Contains(s.pids, proc.PID)
@@ -186,7 +187,7 @@ func ResolveProcessTargets(ctx context.Context, plat platform.Platform, p Parsed
 		if !match || seen[proc.PID] {
 			continue
 		}
-		if reason := kill.ProtectedReason(proc, ps, protected); reason != "" {
+		if reason := protection.Reason(proc); reason != "" {
 			return nil, fmt.Errorf("PID %d: %s", proc.PID, reason)
 		}
 		if proc.Zombie {
diff --git a/internal/kill/protected_test.go b/internal/kill/protected_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0b11b0f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/kill/protected_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,80 @@
+package kill
+
+import (
+	"os"
+	"os/user"
+	"runtime"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/labstack/driga/internal/model"
+)
+
+// PIDs far above any the test runner's own processes have.
+const fakePID = 1 << 30
+
+func ownedProc(t *testing.T, pid, ppid int32, exe string, start time.Time) model.Proc {
+	t.Helper()
+	p := model.Proc{PID: pid, PPID: ppid, Exe: exe, Cmdline: exe, Argv: []string{exe}, StartTime: start, OwnerKnown: true, OwnerUID: uint32(os.Getuid())}
+	if runtime.GOOS == "windows" {
+		u, err := user.Current()
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatal(err)
+		}
+		p.OwnerUID, p.OwnerSID = 0, u.Uid
+	}
+	return p
+}
+
+// Windows keeps the PID of an exited parent, so a Driga process can name a
+// parent PID that a newer, unrelated process now has. On Windows that process
+// is neither Driga's ancestor nor its descendant; elsewhere a PPID always
+// names the live parent.
+func TestProtectionReusedParentPID(t *testing.T) {
+	now := time.Now()
+	driga := ownedProc(t, fakePID+1, fakePID+2, "/opt/driga", now.Add(-time.Hour))
+	newer := ownedProc(t, fakePID+2, fakePID+3, "/bin/sleep", now)
+	shell := ownedProc(t, fakePID+3, 1, "/bin/sh", now.Add(-2*time.Hour))
+	live := []model.Proc{driga, newer, shell}
+	if reason := newProtection(live, nil, true).Reason(newer); reason != "" {
+		t.Fatalf("Windows: process with a reused PID protected: %s", reason)
+	}
+	if newProtection(live, nil, true).Reason(shell) != "" {
+		t.Fatal("Windows: the reused PID's parent protected")
+	}
+	if newProtection(live, nil, false).Reason(newer) == "" {
+		t.Fatal("Unix: Driga's parent not protected")
+	}
+	// A real parent, started before Driga, and Driga's children stay
+	// protected everywhere, as does a child older than its root.
+	older := ownedProc(t, fakePID+2, fakePID+3, "/bin/sleep", now.Add(-2*time.Hour))
+	child := ownedProc(t, fakePID+4, fakePID+1, "/bin/sleep", now.Add(-3*time.Hour))
+	for _, windows := range []bool{false, true} {
+		pr := newProtection([]model.Proc{driga, older, shell, child}, nil, windows)
+		if pr.Reason(older) == "" || pr.Reason(shell) == "" || pr.Reason(child) == "" {
+			t.Fatalf("windows=%v: Driga's family not protected", windows)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// A broker root protects its children even after it exited, and stops
+// protecting a PID only when a clearly newer process holds it.
+func TestProtectionBrokerRoots(t *testing.T) {
+	now := time.Now()
+	root := ownedProc(t, fakePID+5, 1, "/bin/agent", now.Add(-time.Hour))
+	child := ownedProc(t, fakePID+6, fakePID+5, "/bin/sleep", now)
+	for _, windows := range []bool{false, true} {
+		if newProtection([]model.Proc{child}, []model.Proc{root}, windows).Reason(child) == "" {
+			t.Fatalf("windows=%v: exited root's child not protected", windows)
+		}
+	}
+	rounded := root
+	rounded.StartTime = root.StartTime.Add(500 * time.Millisecond)
+	if newProtection([]model.Proc{rounded}, []model.Proc{root}, true).Reason(rounded) == "" {
+		t.Fatal("root with a slightly different start time not protected")
+	}
+	reused := ownedProc(t, fakePID+5, 1, "/bin/sleep", now)
+	if reason := newProtection([]model.Proc{reused}, []model.Proc{root}, true).Reason(reused); reason != "" {
+		t.Fatalf("newer process with a root's PID protected: %s", reason)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/internal/kill/snapshot.go b/internal/kill/snapshot.go
index 6a804a2..dc5f99a 100644
--- a/internal/kill/snapshot.go
+++ b/internal/kill/snapshot.go
@@ -42,58 +42,125 @@ func Owned(p model.Proc) bool {
 	return p.OwnerUID == uint32(os.Getuid()) && p.OwnerSID == ""
 }
 
-// ProtectedReason uses live graph membership on each call, including new Chat
-// descendants and ancestors. The broker supplies its complete protected roots.
+// ProtectedReason is why p may not be signalled given one live snapshot and
+// the broker's protected roots, or "" when it may.
 func ProtectedReason(p model.Proc, live, protected []model.Proc) string {
-	if p.PID <= 1 {
-		return "system PID or process group is refused"
+	if reason := identityReason(p); reason != "" {
+		return reason
 	}
-	if !Owned(p) {
-		return "process owner is unknown or differs from your user"
+	return NewProtection(live, protected).Reason(p)
+}
+
+// Protection is the set of processes one live snapshot protects: Driga, Chat
+// and the broker's protected roots, all their descendants, and the ancestors
+// of all of them. It errs toward protecting: descendants follow every parent
+// link, and an ancestor walk stops only at a parent that provably reused an
+// exited parent's PID on Windows, where a process keeps its creator's PID.
+type Protection struct{ blocked map[int32]bool }
+
+// NewProtection computes the protected set once, so callers checking many
+// targets against one snapshot do not rebuild it per target.
+func NewProtection(live, protected []model.Proc) Protection {
+	return newProtection(live, protected, runtime.GOOS == "windows")
+}
+
+func newProtection(live, protected []model.Proc, windows bool) Protection {
+	byPID := make(map[int32]model.Proc, len(live))
+	children := map[int32][]int32{}
+	for _, r := range live {
+		byPID[r.PID] = r
+		children[r.PPID] = append(children[r.PPID], r.PID)
 	}
-	if p.Partial || p.StartTime.IsZero() || p.Exe == "" || p.Cmdline == "" || len(p.Argv) == 0 {
-		return "process identity is incomplete"
+	blocked := map[int32]bool{}
+	ancestors := func(pid int32) {
+		for seen := map[int32]bool{pid: true}; ; {
+			cur, ok := byPID[pid]
+			if !ok || cur.PPID <= 0 || seen[cur.PPID] {
+				return
+			}
+			parent, ok := byPID[cur.PPID]
+			if ok && windows && !parent.StartTime.IsZero() && !cur.StartTime.IsZero() && parent.StartTime.After(cur.StartTime) {
+				return
+			}
+			pid = cur.PPID
+			seen[pid] = true
+			blocked[pid] = true
+		}
+	}
+	rooted := map[int32]bool{}
+	root := func(pid int32) {
+		if rooted[pid] {
+			return
+		}
+		blocked[pid] = true
+		ancestors(pid)
+		for pending := []int32{pid}; len(pending) > 0; {
+			parent := pending[len(pending)-1]
+			pending = pending[:len(pending)-1]
+			rooted[parent] = true
+			for _, child := range children[parent] {
+				if !rooted[child] {
+					blocked[child] = true
+					pending = append(pending, child)
+				}
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	self := int32(os.Getpid())
+	blocked[self] = true
+	if _, ok := byPID[self]; ok {
+		ancestors(self)
+	} else {
+		// Without itself in the snapshot, Driga still protects its parent and
+		// whatever of the parent's ancestry the snapshot has.
+		parent := int32(os.Getppid())
+		blocked[parent] = true
+		ancestors(parent)
 	}
-	roots := map[int32]bool{}
-	blocked := map[int32]bool{int32(os.Getpid()): true, int32(os.Getppid()): true}
 	for _, r := range protected {
-		roots[r.PID] = true
-		blocked[r.PID] = true
+		// A newer process holding the PID of a broker root that exited is
+		// not that root. Only a clearly later start proves it; any other
+		// mismatch keeps the protection.
+		if now, ok := byPID[r.PID]; ok && !r.StartTime.IsZero() && !now.StartTime.IsZero() && now.StartTime.After(r.StartTime.Add(time.Second)) {
+			continue
+		}
+		root(r.PID)
 	}
 	for _, r := range live {
 		name := strings.ToLower(filepath.Base(strings.ReplaceAll(r.Exe, "\\", "/")))
 		if name == "driga" || name == "driga.exe" || strings.HasPrefix(name, "driga-") || r.Role == "chat" || strings.Contains(r.Cmdline, model.ChatPreamble) {
-			roots[r.PID] = true
-			blocked[r.PID] = true
-		}
-	}
-	// Ancestors are protected, but their unrelated descendants are not. Only
-	// explicit Chat/Driga roots propagate protection downwards.
-	for changed := true; changed; {
-		changed = false
-		for _, r := range live {
-			if roots[r.PPID] && !roots[r.PID] {
-				roots[r.PID] = true
-				blocked[r.PID] = true
-				changed = true
-			}
+			root(r.PID)
 		}
 	}
-	for changed := true; changed; {
-		changed = false
-		for _, r := range live {
-			if blocked[r.PID] && r.PPID > 0 && !blocked[r.PPID] {
-				blocked[r.PPID] = true
-				changed = true
-			}
-		}
+	return Protection{blocked: blocked}
+}
+
+// Reason is why p may not be signalled, or "" when it may.
+func (pr Protection) Reason(p model.Proc) string {
+	if reason := identityReason(p); reason != "" {
+		return reason
 	}
-	if blocked[p.PID] {
+	if pr.blocked[p.PID] {
 		return "Driga, Chat, or an ancestor/descendant is protected"
 	}
 	return ""
 }
 
+// identityReason refuses a target whose own identity rules out a signal,
+// before any process graph is built.
+func identityReason(p model.Proc) string {
+	if p.PID <= 1 {
+		return "system PID or process group is refused"
+	}
+	if !Owned(p) {
+		return "process owner is unknown or differs from your user"
+	}
+	if p.Partial || p.StartTime.IsZero() || p.Exe == "" || p.Cmdline == "" || len(p.Argv) == 0 {
+		return "process identity is incomplete"
+	}
+	return ""
+}
+
 func Snapshot(ctx context.Context, plat platform.Platform, targets, protected []model.Proc, force bool, wait time.Duration) (SnapshotResult, error) {
 	return snapshot(ctx, plat, targets, protected, force, wait, signalSnapshotIdentity)
 }