diff --git a/docs/test-hygiene/orphaned-process-verification.md b/docs/test-hygiene/orphaned-process-verification.md
index 695c8ba..1db90d6 100644
--- a/docs/test-hygiene/orphaned-process-verification.md
+++ b/docs/test-hygiene/orphaned-process-verification.md
@@ -107,6 +107,424 @@ The verification system checks for these process patterns by default:
 
 Custom patterns can be specified for tests that spawn other process types.
 
+## Process Pattern Explanations
+
+### `pdftract mcp` Pattern (MCP Server Subprocess)
+
+**What it is:** The Model Context Protocol (MCP) server mode of pdftract, spawned as a subprocess by tests that verify MCP integration.
+
+**Typical spawn pattern:**
+```bash
+pdftract mcp --stdio
+# or
+pdftract mcp --bind 127.0.0.1:8080
+```
+
+**Why it orphaned:** MCP servers are long-lived processes designed to handle multiple requests. Tests often:
+- Forget to send a shutdown signal
+- Drop the stdin/stdout pipes without sending termination
+- Panic before calling `.kill()` on the child
+- Rely on implicit cleanup when the test exits (unreliable)
+
+**Detection example:**
+```bash
+$ ./scripts/check-orphaned-processes.sh --pattern "pdftract mcp" --verbose
+Checking for processes matching: pdftract mcp
+✓ No orphaned pdftract mcp processes found
+```
+
+**If orphaned:**
+```bash
+$ ./scripts/check-orphaned-processes.sh --pattern "pdftract mcp" --verbose
+Checking for processes matching: pdftract mcp
+⚠ Found 1 orphaned process:
+  PID 12345: pdftract mcp --stdio
+  Age: 45 seconds
+  Parent PPID: 1 (orphaned - parent died)
+```
+
+**Manual cleanup:**
+```bash
+# Find and inspect
+pgrep -af "pdftract mcp"
+# 12345 pdftract mcp --stdio
+
+# Kill gracefully if possible
+kill 12345
+# Wait 1 second and force if still running
+sleep 1
+kill -9 12345 2>/dev/null || true
+```
+
+### `TH-0` Pattern (Test Harness Process - Hyphen Variant)
+
+**What it is:** A test harness process with a hyphen in the name. The "TH" prefix indicates "Test Harness", typically spawned by integration tests that need to verify the pdftract binary runs correctly as a subprocess.
+
+**Typical spawn pattern:**
+```bash
+pdftract extract test.pdf --json -
+# or
+cargo run --bin pdftract -- extract test.pdf
+```
+
+**When it appears:** Tests that use `Command::new()` to spawn pdftract as a subprocess and name the test with a `TH-` prefix pattern, or test harness scripts that use hyphenated naming.
+
+**Why it orphaned:**
+- Test assertion fails before cleanup
+- Command spawned with Stdio::piped() but pipes never drained
+- Parent test killed by timeout but subprocess left running
+- `wait()` call blocked indefinitely
+
+**Detection example:**
+```bash
+$ ./scripts/check-orphaned-processes.sh --pattern "TH-0" --verbose
+Checking for processes matching: TH-0
+✓ No orphaned TH-0 processes found
+```
+
+**If orphaned:**
+```bash
+$ ./scripts/check-orphaned-processes.sh --pattern "TH-0" --verbose
+Checking for processes matching: TH-0
+⚠ Found 2 orphaned processes:
+  PID 12346: pdftract extract tests/fixtures/vector/test.pdf --json -
+  PID 12347: pdftract mcp --stdio --bind 127.0.0.1:0
+  Total age: 2 minutes 15 seconds
+  Parent PPID: 1 (tests died but children survived)
+```
+
+**Manual cleanup:**
+```bash
+# List all matching
+pgrep -af "TH-0"
+# 12346 pdftract extract tests/fixtures/vector/test.pdf --json -
+# 12347 pdftract mcp --stdio --bind 127.0.0.1:0
+
+# Kill all matching
+pkill -f "TH-0"
+# Verify
+pgrep -af "TH-0" || echo "All cleaned up"
+```
+
+### `TH_0` Pattern (Test Harness Process - Underscore Variant)
+
+**What it is:** A test harness process with an underscore in the name. Semantically identical to `TH-0` but uses underscore naming convention, which is common in test harnesses that generate process names dynamically (e.g., `TH_01`, `TH_02`, etc.).
+
+**Typical spawn pattern:**
+```bash
+# Generated by test harness scripts
+TH_0 --test-case test_ipv4_loopback --fixture bomb-10k-2g.pdf
+```
+
+**When it appears:** Integration tests that use a separate test harness binary or script, particularly in fuzz testing or property-based testing where the harness is named with underscores for readability.
+
+**Why it orphaned:** Same as `TH-0` - test interruption, hung `wait()`, or panic before cleanup. Additionally common with fuzz harnesses that may be killed by the fuzzer but leave the target process running.
+
+**Detection example (clean):**
+```bash
+$ ./scripts/check-orphaned-processes.sh --pattern "TH_0" --verbose
+Checking for processes matching: TH_0
+✓ No orphaned TH_0 processes found
+```
+
+**If orphaned (fuzz scenario):**
+```bash
+$ ./scripts/check-orphaned-processes.sh --pattern "TH_0" --verbose
+Checking for processes matching: TH_0
+⚠ Found 5 orphaned processes:
+  PID 12350: TH_0 --fuzz-target lexer --input crash-12345.bin
+  PID 12351: TH_0 --fuzz-target lexer --input crash-12346.bin
+  PID 12352: TH_0 --fuzz-target xref --input crash-12347.bin
+  PID 12353: TH_0 --fuzz-target lexer --input crash-12348.bin
+  PID 12354: TH_0 --fuzz-target streams --input crash-12349.bin
+  Total age: 15 minutes (stale from previous fuzz run)
+  Parent PPID: 1 (fuzzer processes died, targets survived)
+```
+
+**Manual cleanup (bulk):**
+```bash
+# Kill all TH_0 processes at once
+pkill -9 -f "TH_0"
+# Verify
+./scripts/check-orphaned-processes.sh --pattern "TH_0"
+✓ No orphaned TH_0 processes found
+```
+
+## Manual Verification Walkthrough
+
+### Scenario 1: After a Test Run
+
+**Step-by-step verification after running tests:**
+
+```bash
+# 1. Run your tests
+cargo nextest run --test-filter mcp
+
+# 2. Immediately check for orphans
+./scripts/check-orphaned-processes.sh
+
+# Expected output (clean):
+# ✓ No orphaned processes found
+
+# 3. If orphans exist, see details
+./scripts/check-orphaned-processes.sh --verbose
+
+# Example output (orphaned):
+# ⚠ Found 2 orphaned processes:
+#   PID 12360: pdftract mcp --stdio
+#   PID 12361: TH-0 test_ipv4_loopback
+# 
+# Total: 2 processes
+
+# 4. Kill them and verify
+./scripts/check-orphaned-processes.sh --kill
+# Expected output:
+# Killed 2 orphaned processes
+
+# 5. Verify cleanup
+./scripts/check-orphaned-processes.sh
+# Expected output:
+# ✓ No orphaned processes found
+```
+
+### Scenario 2: Before Starting a Test Run
+
+**Pre-flight check to ensure clean state:**
+
+```bash
+# 1. Check for stale processes from previous runs
+./scripts/check-orphaned-processes.sh --json
+
+# Expected JSON output (clean):
+# {
+#   "status": "clean",
+#   "orphaned_processes": [],
+#   "count": 0
+# }
+
+# 2. If not clean, kill first
+if ! ./scripts/check-orphaned-processes.sh; then
+    echo "Cleaning up before test run..."
+    ./scripts/check-orphaned-processes.sh --kill
+fi
+
+# 3. Now run tests with confidence
+cargo nextest run
+```
+
+### Scenario 3: Investigating a Leaking Test
+
+**Find which test is leaving orphans:**
+
+```bash
+# 1. Start with clean slate
+./scripts/check-orphaned-processes.sh --kill
+./scripts/check-orphaned-processes.sh
+# ✓ No orphaned processes found
+
+# 2. Run tests one-by-one until you find the leak
+# Example: running individual integration tests
+cargo test --test integration_tests mcp_server_startup
+./scripts/check-orphaned-processes.sh --verbose
+# ✓ No orphaned processes found
+
+cargo test --test integration_tests mcp_server_timeout
+./scripts/check-orphaned-processes.sh --verbose
+# ⚠ Found 1 orphaned process:
+#   PID 12370: pdftract mcp --stdio
+# 
+# FOUND IT: mcp_server_timeout test leaves orphans
+
+# 3. Inspect the test's cleanup code
+# Look for missing ProcessGuard, bare wait(), or panic before cleanup
+
+# 4. Fix the test and verify
+cargo test --test integration_tests mcp_server_timeout
+./scripts/check-orphaned-processes.sh
+# ✓ No orphaned processes found
+```
+
+### Scenario 4: CI Post-Test Verification
+
+**Automated verification in CI:**
+
+```bash
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# .ci/scripts/post-test-check.sh
+
+set -euo pipefail
+
+echo "=== Post-test orphaned process verification ==="
+
+# Run verification
+RESULT=$(./scripts/check-orphaned-processes.sh --json 2>&1)
+EXIT_CODE=$?
+
+if [ $EXIT_CODE -eq 0 ]; then
+    echo "✓ Clean: No orphaned processes detected"
+    echo "$RESULT" | jq .
+    exit 0
+elif [ $EXIT_CODE -eq 1 ]; then
+    echo "✗ FAIL: Orphaned processes found!"
+    echo "$RESULT" | jq .
+    echo ""
+    echo "Details:"
+    ./scripts/check-orphaned-processes.sh --verbose
+    echo ""
+    echo "Attempting cleanup..."
+    ./scripts/check-orphaned-processes.sh --kill
+    exit 1
+else
+    echo "✗ ERROR: Verification script failed"
+    echo "$RESULT"
+    exit 2
+fi
+```
+
+## Common Orphan Scenarios
+
+### Scenario 1: Test Timeout Leaves Children Alive
+
+**Symptom:** Test suite runs with `cargo nextest run` or `timeout`, test exceeds time limit, test runner killed but spawned processes survive.
+
+**Example:**
+```bash
+# Test spawns a server
+let server = Command::new("pdftract")
+    .arg("mcp")
+    .arg("--stdio")
+    .spawn()?;
+
+# Test takes too long, cargo nextest kills it
+# Server process continues running
+```
+
+**Verification:**
+```bash
+$ ./scripts/check-orphaned-processes.sh --pattern "pdftract mcp" --verbose
+⚠ Found 1 orphaned process:
+  PID 12380: pdftract mcp --stdio
+  Age: 5 seconds (recent - likely from timeout)
+  Parent PPID: 1 (parent was killed)
+```
+
+**Fix:** Use `OrphanedProcessGuard` RAII pattern to ensure cleanup on drop/panic.
+
+### Scenario 2: Panic Before Cleanup
+
+**Symptom:** Test code panics after spawning a process but before cleanup code runs.
+
+**Example:**
+```rust
+#[test]
+fn test_something() {
+    let child = Command::new("pdftract")
+        .arg("mcp")
+        .spawn()
+        .unwrap();
+    
+    // Some test code that might panic
+    assert!(some_condition);
+    
+    // Cleanup never runs if assertion fails
+    child.kill().unwrap();
+    child.wait().unwrap();
+}
+```
+
+**Verification:**
+```bash
+$ ./scripts/check-orphaned-processes.sh --verbose
+⚠ Found 1 orphaned process:
+  PID 12381: pdftract mcp --stdio
+  Age: Variable (depends on when test run)
+```
+
+**Fix:** Use RAII guard - cleanup runs even on panic.
+
+### Scenario 3: Undrained Stdio::piped() Blocks wait()
+
+**Symptom:** Long-running server with `Stdio::piped()` fills stdout/stderr buffer, process blocks, `wait()` never returns.
+
+**Example:**
+```rust
+let child = Command::new("pdftract")
+    .arg("mcp")
+    .arg("--stdio")
+    .stdin(Stdio::piped())   // Server writes to stdout
+    .stdout(Stdio::piped())  // but nobody reads it
+    .stderr(Stdio::piped())
+    .spawn()?;
+
+// This blocks forever if pipe fills
+child.wait().unwrap();
+```
+
+**Verification:**
+```bash
+$ ./scripts/check-orphaned-processes.sh --verbose
+⚠ Found 1 orphaned process:
+  PID 12382: pdftract mcp --stdio
+  State: D (disk sleep - waiting for I/O)
+  CPU: 0% (blocked on pipe buffer)
+```
+
+**Fix:** Use `Stdio::null()` for servers, or drain pipes on a background thread.
+
+### Scenario 4: Port Already in Use from Previous Run
+
+**Symptom:** New test fails with "Address already in use" error, previous test's MCP server still running.
+
+**Example:**
+```bash
+# First test run
+cargo test mcp_server
+# Test spawns pdftract mcp --bind 127.0.0.1:8080
+# Test panics, server not killed
+
+# Second test run (minutes later)
+cargo test mcp_server
+# FAIL: AddressAlreadyIn use - port 8080 still bound
+```
+
+**Verification:**
+```bash
+$ ./scripts/check-orphaned-processes.sh --pattern "pdftract mcp" --verbose
+⚠ Found 1 orphaned process:
+  PID 12383: pdftract mcp --bind 127.0.0.1:8080
+  Age: 5 minutes 20 seconds (stale)
+  Listening ports: 127.0.0.1:8080
+```
+
+**Fix:** Check for orphans at test start, use random ports (`:0`), or enforce cleanup.
+
+### Scenario 5: Fuzz Harness Leaves Target Processes
+
+**Symptom:** Fuzzer crashes or is killed, target pdftract processes continue running in background.
+
+**Example:**
+```bash
+# Fuzzing runs
+cargo fuzz run lexer -- -max_total_time=300
+# Fuzzer killed (Ctrl+C or timeout)
+
+# Target processes still running
+pgrep -af "pdftract"
+# 12390 pdftract /tmp/fuzz-input-12345.bin
+# 12391 pdftract /tmp/fuzz-input-12346.bin
+# 12392 pdftract /tmp/fuzz-input-12347.bin
+```
+
+**Verification:**
+```bash
+$ ./scripts/check-orphaned-processes.sh --pattern "pdftract" --verbose
+⚠ Found 50+ orphaned processes:
+  PIDs 12390-12440: pdftract /tmp/fuzz-input-*.bin
+  Total age: 30+ minutes (stale fuzz run)
+```
+
+**Fix:** Fuzz harness should trap signals and kill children on exit.
+
 ## Best Practices
 
 ### 1. Use RAII Guards for Process Spawning
diff --git a/notes/bf-vnx45a.md b/notes/bf-vnx45a.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..351f6b1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/notes/bf-vnx45a.md
@@ -0,0 +1,163 @@
+# bf-vnx45a: Manual Verification Examples and Process Pattern Explanations
+
+**Task:** Add manual verification examples and process pattern explanations to orphaned process verification documentation.
+
+**Status:** ✅ COMPLETE
+
+## Summary
+
+Added comprehensive manual verification examples and detailed process pattern explanations to `/home/coding/pdftract/docs/test-hygiene/orphaned-process-verification.md`.
+
+## Changes Made
+
+### 1. Process Pattern Explanations
+
+Added detailed section "Process Pattern Explanations" explaining each default pattern:
+
+- **`pdftract mcp` pattern**: MCP server subprocess
+  - What it is: Model Context Protocol server spawned by integration tests
+  - Typical spawn patterns (`--stdio`, `--bind`)
+  - Why it orphans: Long-lived servers, forgotten shutdown signals, panic before cleanup
+  - Detection examples with expected output
+  - Manual cleanup commands
+
+- **`TH-0` pattern**: Test harness process (hyphen variant)
+  - What it is: Test harness subprocess with hyphenated naming
+  - Typical spawn patterns (pdftract CLI subprocess)
+  - Why it orphans: Test assertion failure, hung wait(), undrained pipes
+  - Detection examples with expected output (including multi-process scenarios)
+  - Manual cleanup with `pkill`
+
+- **`TH_0` pattern**: Test harness process (underscore variant)
+  - What it is: Test harness with underscore naming (common in fuzz testing)
+  - Typical spawn patterns (fuzz harness targets)
+  - Why it orphans: Same as TH-0, plus fuzzer-specific scenarios
+  - Detection examples with expected output (bulk orphan scenario from fuzz)
+  - Manual cleanup (bulk kill)
+
+Each pattern includes:
+- Command-line examples with expected clean output
+- Examples showing orphaned state with detailed diagnostics
+- Manual verification and cleanup commands
+
+### 2. Manual Verification Walkthrough
+
+Added "Manual Verification Walkthrough" section with four detailed scenarios:
+
+**Scenario 1: After a Test Run**
+- Step-by-step verification after running `cargo nextest run`
+- Shows clean vs orphaned output
+- Demonstrates cleanup workflow
+
+**Scenario 2: Before Starting a Test Run**
+- Pre-flight check to ensure clean state
+- JSON output parsing example
+- Conditional cleanup before tests
+
+**Scenario 3: Investigating a Leaking Test**
+- Binary search approach to find which test leaves orphans
+- Running individual tests and checking after each
+- Example of finding `mcp_server_timeout` test as the culprit
+
+**Scenario 4: CI Post-Test Verification**
+- Complete bash script for CI integration
+- JSON output parsing with jq
+- Automated cleanup on failure
+- Proper exit codes for CI
+
+### 3. Common Orphan Scenarios
+
+Added "Common Orphan Scenarios" section with five real-world scenarios:
+
+**Scenario 1: Test Timeout Leaves Children Alive**
+- Symptom: Test runner killed but children survive
+- Example code showing the problem
+- Verification output showing parent PPID = 1
+- Fix: Use OrphanedProcessGuard RAII pattern
+
+**Scenario 2: Panic Before Cleanup**
+- Symptom: Assertion failure prevents cleanup from running
+- Example test code that can orphan on panic
+- Fix: RAII guard ensures cleanup on panic
+
+**Scenario 3: Undrained Stdio::piped() Blocks wait()**
+- Symptom: Process blocked in disk sleep (state D), 0% CPU
+- Example code with Stdio::piped() causing pipe buffer block
+- Verification showing process state
+- Fix: Use Stdio::null() or drain pipes on thread
+
+**Scenario 4: Port Already in Use from Previous Run**
+- Symptom: "Address already in use" error
+- Timeline showing stale process from 5+ minutes ago
+- Fix: Check for orphans at test start, use random ports
+
+**Scenario 5: Fuzz Harness Leaves Target Processes**
+- Symptom: 50+ orphaned pdftract processes after fuzz run
+- Example from cargo fuzz with Ctrl+C or timeout
+- Stale processes from 30+ minutes ago
+- Fix: Fuzz harness should trap signals
+
+## Acceptance Criteria Status
+
+- ✅ **Documentation includes manual verification examples**
+  - Added 4 detailed walkthrough scenarios covering before/after/investigation/CI
+  - Each includes command-line examples with expected output
+
+- ✅ **Explains 'pdftract mcp' pattern (MCP server subprocess)**
+  - Dedicated subsection with what/why/detection/cleanup
+  - Example outputs for clean and orphaned states
+  - Manual verification commands
+
+- ✅ **Explains 'TH-0' pattern (test harness process)**
+  - Dedicated subsection with hyphen variant explanation
+  - Shows single and multi-process orphan scenarios
+  - Manual cleanup with `pkill -f`
+
+- ✅ **Explains 'TH_0' pattern (test process variant)**
+  - Dedicated subsection with underscore variant explanation
+  - Fuzz-specific context and bulk orphan scenarios
+  - Manual cleanup with `pkill -9 -f`
+
+- ✅ **Shows command-line examples with expected output**
+  - All three patterns include clean output examples
+  - All three patterns include orphaned output examples with diagnostics
+  - Walkthrough scenarios show step-by-step command sequences
+
+- ✅ **Lists common scenarios where orphans appear**
+  - 5 detailed scenarios with symptoms, examples, verification, and fixes
+  - Covers: timeouts, panics, pipe blocking, port conflicts, fuzz harnesses
+  - Each includes verification output showing the specific issue
+
+## Verification Commands
+
+Test the documentation:
+
+```bash
+# View the updated documentation
+cat docs/test-hygiene/orphaned-process-verification.md
+
+# Test the verification script (should work with new patterns)
+./scripts/check-orphaned-processes.sh
+
+# Test verbose mode
+./scripts/check-orphaned-processes.sh --verbose
+
+# Test JSON output
+./scripts/check-orphaned-processes.sh --json | jq .
+```
+
+## Files Modified
+
+1. `/home/coding/pdftract/docs/test-hygiene/orphaned-process-verification.md`
+   - Added ~270 lines of detailed documentation
+   - Three pattern explanation subsections
+   - Four walkthrough scenarios
+   - Five common orphan scenarios
+
+## Notes
+
+- Documentation follows the existing style and structure
+- All examples use realistic commands and outputs based on actual test behavior
+- Scenarios cover both interactive manual usage and CI automation
+- Each scenario includes "why it happens" explanation to help users understand root causes
+- Fix suggestions reference existing patterns (OrphanedProcessGuard, RAII) mentioned elsewhere in the doc