diff --git a/src/Microsoft.DotNet.Helix/Sdk/tools/xharness-runner/xharness-helix-job.android.sh b/src/Microsoft.DotNet.Helix/Sdk/tools/xharness-runner/xharness-helix-job.android.sh
index c6a5c4023ea..68f943d56d3 100644
--- a/src/Microsoft.DotNet.Helix/Sdk/tools/xharness-runner/xharness-helix-job.android.sh
+++ b/src/Microsoft.DotNet.Helix/Sdk/tools/xharness-runner/xharness-helix-job.android.sh
@@ -78,6 +78,15 @@ function report_infrastructure_failure() {
 }
 
 # Act out the actual commands (and time constrain them to create buffer for the end of this script)
-source command.sh & PID=$! ; (sleep "$command_timeout" && kill -s 0 $PID > /dev/null 2>&1 && echo "ERROR: WORKLOAD TIMED OUT - Killing user command.." && kill $PID 2> /dev/null & ) ; wait $PID
+# shellcheck disable=SC1091
+source command.sh &
+COMMAND_PID=$!
+sleep "$command_timeout" && kill -s 0 $COMMAND_PID > /dev/null 2>&1 && echo "ERROR: WORKLOAD TIMED OUT - Killing user command.." && kill $COMMAND_PID 2> /dev/null &
+WATCHDOG_PID=$!
+wait $COMMAND_PID
+exit_code=$?
+# Kill the watchdog process (and its sleeping child) now that the command has finished
+kill $WATCHDOG_PID 2> /dev/null
+wait $WATCHDOG_PID 2> /dev/null
 
-exit $?
+exit $exit_code
diff --git a/src/Microsoft.DotNet.Helix/Sdk/tools/xharness-runner/xharness-runner.apple.sh b/src/Microsoft.DotNet.Helix/Sdk/tools/xharness-runner/xharness-runner.apple.sh
index d9a19177447..df05d3dab70 100644
--- a/src/Microsoft.DotNet.Helix/Sdk/tools/xharness-runner/xharness-runner.apple.sh
+++ b/src/Microsoft.DotNet.Helix/Sdk/tools/xharness-runner/xharness-runner.apple.sh
@@ -184,8 +184,15 @@ start_time="$(date '+%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S')"
 
 # Act out the actual commands (and time constrain them to create buffer for the end of this script)
 # shellcheck disable=SC1091
-source command.sh & PID=$! ; (sleep "$command_timeout" && kill -s 0 $PID > /dev/null 2>&1 && echo "ERROR: WORKLOAD TIMED OUT - Killing user command.." && kill $PID 2> /dev/null & ) ; wait $PID
+source command.sh &
+COMMAND_PID=$!
+sleep "$command_timeout" && kill -s 0 $COMMAND_PID > /dev/null 2>&1 && echo "ERROR: WORKLOAD TIMED OUT - Killing user command.." && kill $COMMAND_PID 2> /dev/null &
+WATCHDOG_PID=$!
+wait $COMMAND_PID
 exit_code=$?
+# Kill the watchdog process (and its sleeping child) now that the command has finished
+kill $WATCHDOG_PID 2> /dev/null
+wait $WATCHDOG_PID 2> /dev/null
 
 # In case of issues, include the syslog (last 2 MB from the time this work item has been running)
 if [ $exit_code -ne 0 ]; then