diff --git a/src/com/pty4j/windows/WinPty.java b/src/com/pty4j/windows/WinPty.java
index a51e845c..84a21cdb 100755
--- a/src/com/pty4j/windows/WinPty.java
+++ b/src/com/pty4j/windows/WinPty.java
@@ -13,7 +13,6 @@
 import java.io.IOException;
 
 import static com.sun.jna.platform.win32.WinBase.INFINITE;
-import static com.sun.jna.platform.win32.WinBase.WAIT_OBJECT_0;
 import static com.sun.jna.platform.win32.WinNT.GENERIC_READ;
 import static com.sun.jna.platform.win32.WinNT.GENERIC_WRITE;
 
@@ -21,13 +20,14 @@
  * @author traff
  */
 public class WinPty {
-  private final Pointer myWinpty;
+  private Pointer myWinpty;
 
+  private WinNT.HANDLE myProcess = null;
   private NamedPipe myConinPipe;
   private NamedPipe myConoutPipe;
   private NamedPipe myConerrPipe;
 
-  private boolean myDone = false;
+  private boolean myChildExited = false;
   private int myStatus = -1;
   private boolean myClosed = false;
 
@@ -88,15 +88,15 @@ public WinPty(String cmdline, String cwd, String env, boolean consoleMode) throw
 
       // Success!  Save the values we want and let the `finally` block clean up the rest.
 
-      // Designate a thread to wait for the process to exit.  That thread will
-      // also be responsible for closing the process handle.
-      new Reaper(processHandle.getValue()).start();
-
       myWinpty = winpty;
+      myProcess = processHandle.getValue();
       myConinPipe = coninPipe;
       myConoutPipe = conoutPipe;
       myConerrPipe = conerrPipe;
 
+      // Designate a thread to wait for the process to exit.
+      new WaitForExitThread().start();
+
       winpty = null;
       processHandle.setValue(null);
       coninPipe = conoutPipe = conerrPipe = null;
@@ -135,27 +135,57 @@ public synchronized void setWinSize(WinSize winSize) {
     INSTANCE.winpty_set_size(myWinpty, winSize.ws_col, winSize.ws_row, null);
   }
 
+  // Close the winpty_t object, which disconnects libwinpty from the winpty
+  // agent process.  The agent will then close the hidden console, killing
+  // everything attached to it.
   public synchronized void close() {
     if (myClosed) {
       return;
     }
     INSTANCE.winpty_free(myWinpty);
+    myWinpty = null;
     myClosed = true;
+    closeUnusedProcessHandle();
   }
 
+  private synchronized void closeUnusedProcessHandle() {
+    // Keep the process handle open until both conditions are met:
+    //  1. The process has exited.
+    //  2. We have disconnected from the agent, by closing the winpty_t
+    //     object.
+    // As long as the process handle is open, Windows will not reuse the child
+    // process' PID.
+    // https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/oldnewthing/20110107-00/?p=11803
+    if (myClosed && myChildExited && myProcess != null) {
+      Kernel32.INSTANCE.CloseHandle(myProcess);
+      myProcess = null;
+    }
+  }
+
+  // Returns true if the child process is still running.  The winpty_t and
+  // WinPty objects may be closed/freed either before or after the child
+  // process exits.
   public synchronized boolean isRunning() {
-    return !myDone;
+    return !myChildExited;
   }
 
+  // Waits for the child process to exit.
   public synchronized int waitFor() throws InterruptedException {
-    while (!myDone) {
+    while (!myChildExited) {
       wait();
     }
     return myStatus;
   }
 
+  public synchronized int getChildProcessId() {
+    if (myClosed) {
+      return -1;
+    }
+    return Kernel32.INSTANCE.GetProcessId(myProcess);
+  }
+
   public synchronized int exitValue() {
-    if (!myDone) {
+    if (!myChildExited) {
       throw new IllegalThreadStateException("Process not Terminated");
     }
     return myStatus;
@@ -188,24 +218,26 @@ public NamedPipe getErrorPipe() {
     return myConerrPipe;
   }
 
-  private class Reaper extends Thread {
-    private WinNT.HANDLE myProcess;
+  // It is mostly possible to avoid using this thread; instead, the above
+  // methods could call WaitForSingleObject themselves, using either a 0 or
+  // INFINITE timeout as appropriate.  It is tricky, though, because we need
+  // to avoid closing the process handle as long as any threads are waiting on
+  // it, but we can't do an INFINITE wait inside a synchronized method.  It
+  // could be done using an extra reference count, or by using DuplicateHandle
+  // for INFINITE waits.
+  private class WaitForExitThread extends Thread {
     private IntByReference myStatusByRef = new IntByReference(-1);
 
-    Reaper(WinNT.HANDLE process) {
-      myProcess = process;
-    }
-
     @Override
     public void run() {
       Kernel32.INSTANCE.WaitForSingleObject(myProcess, INFINITE);
       Kernel32.INSTANCE.GetExitCodeProcess(myProcess, myStatusByRef);
       synchronized (WinPty.this) {
-        WinPty.this.myDone = true;
+        WinPty.this.myChildExited = true;
         WinPty.this.myStatus = myStatusByRef.getValue();
+        closeUnusedProcessHandle();
         WinPty.this.notifyAll();
       }
-      Kernel32.INSTANCE.CloseHandle(myProcess);
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/src/com/pty4j/windows/WinPtyProcess.java b/src/com/pty4j/windows/WinPtyProcess.java
index ee805679..9fcca154 100644
--- a/src/com/pty4j/windows/WinPtyProcess.java
+++ b/src/com/pty4j/windows/WinPtyProcess.java
@@ -116,6 +116,10 @@ public int waitFor() throws InterruptedException {
         return myWinPty.waitFor();
     }
 
+    public int getChildProcessId() {
+        return myWinPty.getChildProcessId();
+    }
+
     @Override
     public int exitValue() {
         return myWinPty.exitValue();