diff --git a/lib/terminate/kill-descendants.js b/lib/terminate/kill-descendants.js
index 6b6817faec..20ca25284b 100644
--- a/lib/terminate/kill-descendants.js
+++ b/lib/terminate/kill-descendants.js
@@ -14,14 +14,16 @@ export const getSpawnOptions = options => options.killDescendants && !isWindows
 	: options;
 
 // Returns the low-level function used to send a signal to the subprocess.
-// With the `killDescendants` option, the signal is sent to the whole process tree.
+// With the `killDescendants` option, non-zero signals are sent to the whole process tree.
 export const getKillFunction = (subprocess, {killDescendants}) => {
 	if (!killDescendants) {
 		return subprocess.kill.bind(subprocess);
 	}
 
 	const killDescendantsFunction = isWindows ? killDescendantsWindows : killDescendantsUnix;
-	return killDescendantsFunction.bind(undefined, subprocess);
+	return signal => signal === 0
+		? subprocess.kill(0)
+		: killDescendantsFunction(subprocess, signal);
 };
 
 // On Unix, the subprocess is its own process group leader (its PGID equals its PID), since it
diff --git a/test/terminate/kill-descendants-signal-zero.js b/test/terminate/kill-descendants-signal-zero.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..ca494f2e76
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/terminate/kill-descendants-signal-zero.js
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+import process from 'node:process';
+import {setTimeout} from 'node:timers/promises';
+import test from 'ava';
+import isRunning from 'is-running';
+import {execa} from '../../index.js';
+import {setFixtureDirectory} from '../helpers/fixtures-directory.js';
+
+setFixtureDirectory();
+
+const pollForSubprocessExit = async pid => {
+	while (isRunning(pid)) {
+		// eslint-disable-next-line no-await-in-loop
+		await setTimeout(100);
+	}
+};
+
+test('signal 0 does not schedule forceful descendant termination', async t => {
+	const subprocess = execa('ipc-send-pid.js', ['false', 'false'], {
+		stdio: 'ignore',
+		ipc: true,
+		killDescendants: true,
+		forceKillAfterDelay: 100,
+	});
+	const descendantPid = await subprocess.getOneMessage();
+
+	t.teardown(() => {
+		if (isRunning(subprocess.pid)) {
+			subprocess.kill('SIGKILL');
+		}
+
+		if (isRunning(descendantPid)) {
+			process.kill(descendantPid, 'SIGKILL');
+		}
+	});
+
+	t.true(subprocess.kill(0));
+	const settlement = await Promise.race([
+		subprocess.then(() => 'resolved', () => 'rejected'),
+		setTimeout(500, 'running'),
+	]);
+
+	t.is(settlement, 'running');
+	t.true(isRunning(subprocess.pid));
+	t.true(isRunning(descendantPid));
+
+	subprocess.kill();
+	await t.throwsAsync(subprocess);
+
+	await Promise.race([
+		setTimeout(1e4, undefined, {ref: false}),
+		pollForSubprocessExit(descendantPid),
+	]);
+	t.false(isRunning(descendantPid));
+});
diff --git a/test/terminate/kill-descendants.js b/test/terminate/kill-descendants.js
index fef94c8219..5d23c8391c 100644
--- a/test/terminate/kill-descendants.js
+++ b/test/terminate/kill-descendants.js
@@ -61,6 +61,24 @@ test('killDescendants also terminates descendant processes when the subprocess t
 	t.false(isRunning(descendantPid));
 });
 
+test('killDescendants preserves signal 0 as a non-destructive liveness check', async t => {
+	const {subprocess, descendantPid} = await spawnDescendant(true);
+
+	t.true(subprocess.kill(0));
+	await setTimeout(500);
+	t.true(isRunning(subprocess.pid));
+	t.true(isRunning(descendantPid));
+
+	subprocess.kill();
+	await t.throwsAsync(subprocess);
+
+	await Promise.race([
+		setTimeout(1e4, undefined, {ref: false}),
+		pollForSubprocessExit(descendantPid),
+	]);
+	t.false(isRunning(descendantPid));
+});
+
 // On Windows, terminating the direct subprocess already terminates its descendants, so this
 // only asserts the default Unix behavior of leaving descendants running.
 if (!isWindows) {
@@ -132,6 +150,44 @@ test.serial('taskkill is resolved from the Windows directory when available', t
 	t.is(getTaskkillFile(), undefined);
 });
 
+test.serial('signal 0 bypasses taskkill when killing descendants on Windows', async t => {
+	const platformDescriptor = Object.getOwnPropertyDescriptor(process, 'platform');
+	const originalExecFile = childProcess.execFile;
+	const {SystemRoot, windir} = process.env;
+	t.teardown(() => {
+		Object.defineProperty(process, 'platform', platformDescriptor);
+		childProcess.execFile = originalExecFile;
+		syncBuiltinESMExports();
+		restoreEnvironment('SystemRoot', SystemRoot);
+		restoreEnvironment('windir', windir);
+	});
+
+	Object.defineProperty(process, 'platform', {value: 'win32'});
+	process.env.SystemRoot = 'C:\\Windows';
+	delete process.env.windir;
+
+	let taskkillCalled = false;
+	childProcess.execFile = () => {
+		taskkillCalled = true;
+	};
+	syncBuiltinESMExports();
+
+	const {getKillFunction} = await import(`../../lib/terminate/kill-descendants.js?signal-zero=${Date.now()}`);
+	let killedWith;
+	const subprocess = {
+		pid: 123,
+		kill(signal) {
+			killedWith = signal;
+			return true;
+		},
+	};
+
+	const kill = getKillFunction(subprocess, {killDescendants: true});
+	t.true(kill(0));
+	t.is(killedWith, 0);
+	t.false(taskkillCalled);
+});
+
 test.serial('taskkill fallback uses direct subprocess kill when Windows directory is unavailable', async t => {
 	const platformDescriptor = Object.getOwnPropertyDescriptor(process, 'platform');
 	const {SystemRoot, windir} = process.env;