The following AI-generated aka vibe-coded software. The software is specific to my needs and my system and may not work for you or your system. Support is limited, but if you report a bug I'll certainly look into it. All code is provided in a zip file for you to review should you choose.

ProcessSniper

A lightweight, zero-dependency Windows system tray utility that silently monitors running applications and automatically terminates any processes that match a user-defined blacklist.

Built to run entirely in the background, it uses Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) to react instantly to new processes, with a low-resource fallback polling loop to catch anything else.

Features

• Instant Termination & Child Process Sniping: Event-driven architecture catches and terminates processes the millisecond they start, and recursively hunts down and kills all associated child processes.
• Interactive Log Viewer GUI: View aggregate termination statistics and a chronological log of recent activity in a native, tabbed Windows interface.
• Extended Pause Controls: Temporarily suspend monitoring for 5 minutes, 15 minutes, 1 hour, or indefinitely directly from the system tray.
• Advanced Blacklist: Supports exact process names, wildcards, full file paths, and inline comments.
• Live Reloading: Instantly apply changes to your configuration or blacklist files without restarting the application.
• Data Management: Automatically prunes old log data based on your retention settings, with a one-click option to clear all stats and logs.
• Zero Dependencies: Compiles using the native C# compiler built into Windows. No IDE, SDK, or third-party packages required.
• PortableApps Support: Automatically generates a multi-resolution .ico file on startup for seamless integration into portable environments.
• Single Instance Protection: Built-in safeguards prevent duplicate instances of the application from running simultaneously.

Installation & Compilation

You do not need Visual Studio or the .NET SDK to build this application.

1. Place ProcessSniper.cs and build.bat in a dedicated folder.
2. Double-click build.bat. The script will use the native Windows C# compiler (csc.exe) to generate a standalone ProcessSniper.exe. It will close automatically if compilation is successful.
3. Double-click ProcessSniper.exe to run the application.
   On its first run, it will automatically generate your configuration files and a PortableApps-compatible appicon.ico file.

System Tray Controls

Once running, ProcessSniper lives in your system tray (near the clock). The icon reflects the current state of the application: * 🔴 Red Circle with a Slash: Actively monitoring and terminating blacklisted processes. * ⚪ Gray Circle with a Slash: Monitoring is paused. Blacklisted processes are allowed to run.

Right-Click Menu Options: * View Stats & Logs (GUI): Opens an interactive window to review termination counts and recent activity. * Clear Stats & Logs: Prompts for confirmation and permanently deletes historical tracking data. * Edit / Reload Configuration: Open the config.txt settings in Notepad or apply saved changes instantly. * Edit / Reload Blacklist: Open the blacklist.txt rules in Notepad or apply saved changes instantly. * Pause Monitoring: Suspend the application for a specific time interval (5m, 15m, 1hr) or indefinitely. The application will automatically resume when a timed pause expires. * Run on Startup: Toggles whether the application launches automatically with Windows via the registry.

Blacklist Configuration (blacklist.txt)

The blacklist file supports several different matching rules. The application processes this file line by line.

Examples of Blacklist Entries

“`text # ========================================== # PROCESSSNIPER BLACKLIST # ========================================== # Lines starting with a hash or double-slash are ignored.

1. Exact Name Matching

Kills the process regardless of where it runs from (extension optional).

calc notepad.exe

2. Path-Specific Matching

Kills the process ONLY if launched from this exact directory.

C:.exe

3. Wildcard Matching

Use an asterisk (*) to match dynamic names or version strings.

background_task_v*.exe bloatware_202?.exe

4. Inline Comments

Add comments to the end of a rule to document why it’s blocked.

telemetry.exe // Stops daily telemetry uploads C:_*.exe # Block untrusted installers