diff --git a/packages/vitest/src/node/config/resolveConfig.ts b/packages/vitest/src/node/config/resolveConfig.ts
index 8e826edd88ce..cd20f1359932 100644
--- a/packages/vitest/src/node/config/resolveConfig.ts
+++ b/packages/vitest/src/node/config/resolveConfig.ts
@@ -246,6 +246,7 @@ export function resolveTestConfig(
     resolved.coverage = globalConfig.coverage
     resolved.attachmentsDir = globalConfig.attachmentsDir
     resolved.mergeReportsLabel = globalConfig.mergeReportsLabel
+    resolved.watch = globalConfig.watch
   }
 
   const rootStats = statSync(resolved.root, { throwIfNoEntry: false })
diff --git a/packages/vitest/src/typecheck/typechecker.ts b/packages/vitest/src/typecheck/typechecker.ts
index 9355db5b1fa7..23a510a9d519 100644
--- a/packages/vitest/src/typecheck/typechecker.ts
+++ b/packages/vitest/src/typecheck/typechecker.ts
@@ -273,8 +273,17 @@ export class Typechecker {
   }
 
   public async stop(): Promise<void> {
-    this.process?.kill()
+    const child = this.process
     this.process = undefined
+    if (!child) {
+      return
+    }
+
+    // the open pipes keep the main process alive even after the checker is gone
+    child.stdout?.destroy()
+    child.stderr?.destroy()
+
+    await killProcessTree(child)
   }
 
   protected async ensurePackageInstalled(ctx: Vitest, checker: string): Promise<void> {
@@ -343,6 +352,7 @@ export class Typechecker {
     const child = x(typecheck.checker, args, {
       nodeOptions: {
         cwd: root,
+        detached: process.platform !== 'win32',
         stdio: 'pipe',
       },
       throwOnError: false,
@@ -523,3 +533,32 @@ function findGeneratedPosition(traceMap: TraceMap, { line, column, source }: { l
   }
   return { line: null, column: null }
 }
+
+async function killProcessTree(child: ChildProcess): Promise<void> {
+  if (child.pid == null || child.exitCode !== null || child.signalCode !== null) {
+    child.kill()
+    return
+  }
+
+  // Windows has no process groups, so `taskkill` walks the tree instead
+  if (process.platform === 'win32') {
+    const killed = await x('taskkill', ['/pid', String(child.pid), '/T', '/F'], {
+      nodeOptions: { stdio: 'ignore' },
+      throwOnError: false,
+      timeout: 5000,
+    }).then(result => result.exitCode === 0, () => false)
+
+    if (!killed) {
+      child.kill()
+    }
+    return
+  }
+
+  // `prepare` spawns detached, which makes the child the leader of its own group
+  try {
+    process.kill(-child.pid)
+  }
+  catch {
+    child.kill()
+  }
+}
diff --git a/test/e2e/test/config/root.test.ts b/test/e2e/test/config/root.test.ts
index 93d4b53442aa..41c845c4222a 100644
--- a/test/e2e/test/config/root.test.ts
+++ b/test/e2e/test/config/root.test.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import { createHash } from 'node:crypto'
 import { relative, resolve } from 'pathe'
 import { expect, test } from 'vitest'
+import { configDefaults } from 'vitest/config'
 import { resolveConfig } from 'vitest/node'
 import { runVitest, ts, useFS, useTmpFS } from '#test-utils'
 
@@ -60,6 +61,30 @@ test('watch mode re-resolves `test.root` when the config changes', async () => {
   await expect.poll(() => ctx?.config.root, { timeout: 5000 }).toBe(resolve(fs.root, 'nested2'))
 })
 
+test('projects inherit the root watch mode', async () => {
+  const fs = useTmpFS({
+    './vitest.config.ts': ts`
+      import { defineConfig } from 'vitest/config'
+
+      export default defineConfig({
+        test: {
+          projects: [{ test: { name: 'project' } }],
+        },
+      })
+    `,
+  })
+
+  const config = await resolveConfig({
+    config: fs.resolveFile('./vitest.config.ts'),
+    watch: !configDefaults.watch,
+  })
+
+  expect(config.test.watch).toBe(!configDefaults.watch)
+  expect(config.test.resolvedProjects.map(project => project.projectConfig.watch)).toEqual([
+    config.test.watch,
+  ])
+})
+
 test('`--root` overrides `test.root` from the config file', async () => {
   const fs = useTmpFS({
     './vitest.config.ts': testRootConfig,
diff --git a/test/typescript/test/typechecker.test.ts b/test/typescript/test/typechecker.test.ts
index 9e53a191a3bb..805be1d61241 100644
--- a/test/typescript/test/typechecker.test.ts
+++ b/test/typescript/test/typechecker.test.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
+import fs from 'node:fs'
 import { resolve } from 'pathe'
-import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest'
-import { runVitest } from '../../test-utils'
+import { describe, expect, it, onTestFinished } from 'vitest'
+import { runInlineTests, runVitest, ts } from '../../test-utils'
 
 describe('Typechecker', () => {
   it('handles non-existing typechecker command gracefully', async () => {
@@ -40,4 +41,105 @@ describe('Typechecker', () => {
     expect(stderr).toContain('before type checking finished')
     expect(stderr).toContain('ran out of memory')
   })
+
+  it('stops the typechecker process tree', async () => {
+    const { ctx, root } = await runInlineTests({
+      'vitest.config.mjs': ts`
+        import { chmodSync } from 'node:fs'
+        import { resolve } from 'node:path'
+
+        const checker = resolve(
+          import.meta.dirname,
+          process.platform === 'win32' ? 'fake-checker.cmd' : 'fake-checker.mjs',
+        )
+        if (process.platform !== 'win32') {
+          chmodSync(checker, 0o755)
+        }
+
+        export default {
+          test: {
+            typecheck: {
+              enabled: true,
+              only: true,
+              checker,
+            },
+          },
+        }
+      `,
+      'fake-checker.cmd': '@node "%~dp0fake-checker.mjs" %*',
+      'fake-checker.mjs': ts`#!/usr/bin/env node
+        import { spawn } from 'node:child_process'
+        import { writeFileSync } from 'node:fs'
+        import { resolve } from 'node:path'
+
+        const child = spawn(
+          process.execPath,
+          ['-e', 'setInterval(() => {}, 1_000)'],
+          { stdio: 'inherit' },
+        )
+        writeFileSync(
+          resolve(process.cwd(), 'checker-pids.json'),
+          JSON.stringify([process.pid, child.pid]),
+        )
+        process.stdout.write('Found 0 errors. Watching for file changes.\n')
+        setInterval(() => {}, 1_000)
+      `,
+      'test/foo.test-d.ts': '',
+    }, {
+      watch: true,
+    })
+
+    const pidFile = resolve(root, 'checker-pids.json')
+    let pids: number[] = []
+    onTestFinished(() => {
+      for (const pid of pids.reverse()) {
+        if (isProcessAlive(pid)) {
+          process.kill(pid)
+        }
+      }
+    })
+
+    await expect.poll(() => {
+      pids = readPids(pidFile)
+      return pids
+    }, { timeout: 5000 }).toHaveLength(2)
+
+    expect(pids.map(isProcessAlive)).toEqual([true, true])
+    await ctx!.close()
+    await expect.poll(
+      () => pids.map(isProcessAlive),
+      { timeout: 5000 },
+    ).toEqual([false, false])
+  })
 })
+
+function isProcessAlive(pid: number): boolean {
+  try {
+    // Sending signal 0 checks if the process exists without actually killing it:
+    // https://nodejs.org/api/process.html#processkillpid-signal
+    process.kill(pid, 0)
+    return true
+  }
+  catch (error) {
+    // ESRCH means the process is gone. Treat anything else (e.g. EPERM) as alive
+    // so we never reclaim a lock from a process that is still running.
+    return (error as NodeJS.ErrnoException).code !== 'ESRCH'
+  }
+}
+
+function readPids(pidFile: string) {
+  try {
+    const pids = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(pidFile, 'utf8'))
+    if (
+      Array.isArray(pids)
+      && pids.length === 2
+      && pids.every((pid): pid is number => Number.isInteger(pid) && pid > 0)
+    ) {
+      return pids
+    }
+  }
+  catch {
+    // The checker may still be writing the file.
+  }
+  return []
+}