diff --git a/gateway/status.py b/gateway/status.py
index 9290e0917cd..c0798065afe 100644
--- a/gateway/status.py
+++ b/gateway/status.py
@@ -546,10 +546,26 @@ def _pid_exists(pid: int) -> bool:
     """
     try:
         import psutil  # type: ignore
+
+        # A zombie (defunct) process is still in the process table, so
+        # ``psutil.pid_exists()`` returns True for it — but it is already
+        # dead: SIGKILL has no effect and it cannot be a running gateway.
+        # Treating a zombie as alive makes ``--replace`` wait for the old
+        # PID to die (it never does, until its parent reaps it), then abort
+        # with exit 1 — a silent crash loop under systemd ``Restart=always``,
+        # which respawns the gateway before reaping the previous process
+        # (issue #42126). Report zombies as dead so the takeover proceeds.
+        try:
+            if psutil.Process(int(pid)).status() == psutil.STATUS_ZOMBIE:
+                return False
+        except psutil.NoSuchProcess:
+            return False
+        except psutil.Error:
+            pass  # Access denied / transient — defer to pid_exists below.
         return bool(psutil.pid_exists(int(pid)))
+
     except ImportError:
         pass  # Fall through to stdlib fallback.
-
     if _IS_WINDOWS:
         try:
             import ctypes
@@ -584,6 +600,31 @@ def _pid_exists(pid: int) -> bool:
         except (OSError, AttributeError):
             return False
     else:
+        # psutil missing (stripped install / scaffold phase). Catch the same
+        # zombie case as the psutil path above (issue #42126): a zombie
+        # answers os.kill(pid, 0) successfully, so without this check
+        # ``--replace`` would wait on a dead PID and abort with exit 1.
+        try:
+            stat_fields = (
+                Path(f"/proc/{int(pid)}/stat").read_text(encoding="utf-8").split()
+            )
+            if len(stat_fields) > 2 and stat_fields[2] == "Z":
+                return False
+        except FileNotFoundError:
+            # No /proc (macOS/BSD) — fall back to ps state.
+            try:
+                r = subprocess.run(
+                    ["ps", "-o", "state=", "-p", str(int(pid))],
+                    capture_output=True,
+                    text=True,
+                    timeout=5,
+                )
+                if r.returncode == 0 and r.stdout.strip().startswith("Z"):
+                    return False
+            except Exception:
+                pass
+        except (IndexError, PermissionError, OSError):
+            pass
         try:
             os.kill(int(pid), 0)  # windows-footgun: ok — POSIX-only branch (the whole point of _pid_exists)
             return True
diff --git a/tests/gateway/test_gateway_shutdown.py b/tests/gateway/test_gateway_shutdown.py
index 0df0cb90411..9910f3923aa 100644
--- a/tests/gateway/test_gateway_shutdown.py
+++ b/tests/gateway/test_gateway_shutdown.py
@@ -449,3 +449,105 @@ async def test_signal_initiated_restart_still_persists_stopped(tmp_path, monkeyp
     assert _stopped_state_persisted(runner), (
         "a restart must persist gateway_state=stopped via the normal path"
     )
+
+
+# ── #42126: zombie PID must be treated as dead in _pid_exists ────────────────
+# Under systemd Restart=always, the old gateway becomes a zombie (still in the
+# process table, not yet reaped) when the replacement starts. _pid_exists must
+# report it dead so --replace proceeds instead of waiting on it and aborting
+# with exit 1 (a silent crash loop).
+
+
+def test_pid_exists_zombie_via_psutil_returns_false(monkeypatch):
+    """The live path is psutil. psutil.pid_exists() returns True for a zombie,
+    so _pid_exists must additionally check Process.status() == STATUS_ZOMBIE."""
+    import sys
+    import types
+
+    from gateway import status
+
+    fake_psutil = types.SimpleNamespace()
+    fake_psutil.STATUS_ZOMBIE = "zombie"
+
+    class NoSuchProcess(Exception):
+        pass
+
+    class PsutilError(Exception):
+        pass
+
+    fake_psutil.NoSuchProcess = NoSuchProcess
+    fake_psutil.Error = PsutilError
+
+    class _Proc:
+        def __init__(self, pid):
+            self.pid = pid
+
+        def status(self):
+            return "zombie"
+
+    fake_psutil.Process = _Proc
+    # Without the zombie guard, this True would make the caller treat the
+    # zombie as a live gateway.
+    fake_psutil.pid_exists = lambda pid: True
+
+    monkeypatch.setitem(sys.modules, "psutil", fake_psutil)
+
+    assert status._pid_exists(4242) is False
+
+
+def test_pid_exists_live_via_psutil_returns_true(monkeypatch):
+    """A genuinely running (non-zombie) process is still reported alive."""
+    import sys
+    import types
+
+    from gateway import status
+
+    fake_psutil = types.SimpleNamespace()
+    fake_psutil.STATUS_ZOMBIE = "zombie"
+    fake_psutil.NoSuchProcess = type("NoSuchProcess", (Exception,), {})
+    fake_psutil.Error = type("Error", (Exception,), {})
+
+    class _Proc:
+        def __init__(self, pid):
+            self.pid = pid
+
+        def status(self):
+            return "running"
+
+    fake_psutil.Process = _Proc
+    fake_psutil.pid_exists = lambda pid: True
+
+    monkeypatch.setitem(sys.modules, "psutil", fake_psutil)
+
+    assert status._pid_exists(4242) is True
+
+
+def test_pid_exists_zombie_via_proc_fallback_returns_false(monkeypatch):
+    """When psutil is unavailable, the POSIX fallback reads /proc/<pid>/stat
+    and must treat state 'Z' as dead before reaching os.kill."""
+    import builtins
+    import sys
+
+    from gateway import status
+
+    monkeypatch.setitem(sys.modules, "psutil", None)  # force ImportError
+    real_import = builtins.__import__
+
+    def _no_psutil(name, *a, **k):
+        if name == "psutil":
+            raise ImportError("psutil disabled for test")
+        return real_import(name, *a, **k)
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(builtins, "__import__", _no_psutil)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(status, "_IS_WINDOWS", False)
+
+    fake_stat = "4242 (defunct) Z 1 0 0 0 -1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0"
+    fake_path = MagicMock()
+    fake_path.read_text.return_value = fake_stat
+    monkeypatch.setattr(status, "Path", lambda *_a, **_k: fake_path)
+
+    kill = MagicMock()
+    monkeypatch.setattr(status.os, "kill", kill)
+
+    assert status._pid_exists(4242) is False
+    kill.assert_not_called()