diff --git a/app/server/server.go b/app/server/server.go
index 89a8df58f..ef5c0576d 100644
--- a/app/server/server.go
+++ b/app/server/server.go
@@ -83,6 +83,29 @@ func resolvePath(name string) string {
 	return name
 }
 
+func ollamaServeArgs(args []string) bool {
+	if len(args) < 2 {
+		return false
+	}
+
+	switch strings.Trim(filepath.Base(args[0]), `"`) {
+	case "ollama", "ollama.exe":
+	default:
+		return false
+	}
+
+	for _, rawArg := range args[1:] {
+		arg := strings.Trim(rawArg, `"`)
+		if strings.HasPrefix(arg, "-") {
+			continue
+		}
+
+		return arg == "serve" || arg == "start"
+	}
+
+	return false
+}
+
 // cleanup checks the pid file for a running ollama process
 // and shuts it down gracefully if it is running
 func cleanup() error {
diff --git a/app/server/server_test.go b/app/server/server_test.go
index 34d12dfd6..cb9674229 100644
--- a/app/server/server_test.go
+++ b/app/server/server_test.go
@@ -205,6 +205,63 @@ func TestServerCmdCloudSettingEnv(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestOllamaServeArgs(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name string
+		args []string
+		want bool
+	}{
+		{
+			name: "system ollama serve",
+			args: []string{"ollama", "serve"},
+			want: true,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "relative path ollama serve",
+			args: []string{"./ollama", "serve"},
+			want: true,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "serve after other flags",
+			args: []string{"./ollama", "--verbose", "serve"},
+			want: true,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "start alias",
+			args: []string{"ollama", "start"},
+			want: true,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "launch command",
+			args: []string{"ollama", "launch", "opencode"},
+			want: false,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "run command with model named serve",
+			args: []string{"ollama", "run", "serve"},
+			want: false,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "launch command with serve in passthrough args",
+			args: []string{"ollama", "launch", "codex", "--", "-p", "serve"},
+			want: false,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "different executable",
+			args: []string{"go", "run", "serve"},
+			want: false,
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			if got := ollamaServeArgs(tt.args); got != tt.want {
+				t.Fatalf("ollamaServeArgs(%v) = %v, want %v", tt.args, got, tt.want)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
 func TestGetInferenceInfo(t *testing.T) {
 	tests := []struct {
 		name             string
diff --git a/app/server/server_unix.go b/app/server/server_unix.go
index 2c50716b2..1f40f5b2a 100644
--- a/app/server/server_unix.go
+++ b/app/server/server_unix.go
@@ -46,7 +46,17 @@ func terminated(pid int) (bool, error) {
 	return false, nil
 }
 
-// reapServers kills all ollama processes except our own
+func ollamaServeProcess(pid int) bool {
+	output, err := exec.Command("ps", "-p", strconv.Itoa(pid), "-o", "args=").Output()
+	if err != nil {
+		slog.Debug("failed to inspect ollama process", "pid", pid, "err", err)
+		return false
+	}
+
+	return ollamaServeArgs(strings.Fields(strings.TrimSpace(string(output))))
+}
+
+// reapServers kills external ollama serve processes except our own.
 func reapServers() error {
 	// Get our own PID to avoid killing ourselves
 	currentPID := os.Getpid()
@@ -82,6 +92,9 @@ func reapServers() error {
 		if pid == currentPID {
 			continue
 		}
+		if !ollamaServeProcess(pid) {
+			continue
+		}
 
 		proc, err := os.FindProcess(pid)
 		if err != nil {
diff --git a/app/server/server_windows.go b/app/server/server_windows.go
index c2e7f4b9e..06d7ba629 100644
--- a/app/server/server_windows.go
+++ b/app/server/server_windows.go
@@ -101,7 +101,29 @@ func terminated(pid int) (bool, error) {
 	return true, nil
 }
 
-// reapServers kills all ollama processes except our own
+func ollamaServeProcess(pid int) bool {
+	cmd := exec.Command("wmic", "process", "where", fmt.Sprintf("ProcessId=%d", pid), "get", "CommandLine", "/value")
+	cmd.SysProcAttr = &syscall.SysProcAttr{HideWindow: true}
+	output, err := cmd.Output()
+	if err != nil {
+		slog.Debug("failed to inspect ollama process", "pid", pid, "err", err)
+		return false
+	}
+
+	for _, line := range strings.Split(string(output), "\n") {
+		line = strings.TrimSpace(line)
+		commandLine, ok := strings.CutPrefix(line, "CommandLine=")
+		if !ok {
+			continue
+		}
+
+		return ollamaServeArgs(strings.Fields(strings.ToLower(commandLine)))
+	}
+
+	return false
+}
+
+// reapServers kills external ollama serve processes except our own.
 func reapServers() error {
 	// Get current process ID to avoid killing ourselves
 	currentPID := os.Getpid()
@@ -138,6 +160,9 @@ func reapServers() error {
 		if pid == currentPID {
 			continue
 		}
+		if !ollamaServeProcess(pid) {
+			continue
+		}
 
 		cmd := exec.Command("taskkill", "/F", "/PID", pidStr)
 		if err := cmd.Run(); err != nil {