diff --git a/skore/src/skore/cli/cli.py b/skore/src/skore/cli/cli.py
index 3d59bc05a..d5bdf531e 100644
--- a/skore/src/skore/cli/cli.py
+++ b/skore/src/skore/cli/cli.py
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
 from skore.cli.color_format import ColorArgumentParser
 from skore.project import open
 from skore.project._create import _create
-from skore.project._launch import _launch
+from skore.project._launch import _cleanup_potential_zombie_process, _launch
 from skore.project._load import _load
 
 
@@ -45,6 +45,15 @@ def cli(args: list[str]):
         "project_name",
         help="the name or path of the project to open",
     )
+    parser_launch.add_argument(
+        "--keep-alive",
+        action=argparse.BooleanOptionalAction,
+        help=(
+            "whether to keep the server alive once the main process finishes "
+            "(default: %(default)s)"
+        ),
+        default="auto",
+    )
     parser_launch.add_argument(
         "--port",
         type=int,
@@ -66,6 +75,16 @@ def cli(args: list[str]):
         help="increase logging verbosity",
     )
 
+    # cleanup potential zombie processes
+    parser_cleanup = subparsers.add_parser(
+        "cleanup", help="Clean up all UI running processes"
+    )
+    parser_cleanup.add_argument(
+        "--verbose",
+        action="store_true",
+        help="increase logging verbosity",
+    )
+
     # open a skore project
     parser_open = subparsers.add_parser(
         "open", help='Create a "project.skore" file and start the UI'
@@ -93,6 +112,15 @@ def cli(args: list[str]):
         help=("whether to serve the project (default: %(default)s)"),
         default=True,
     )
+    parser_open.add_argument(
+        "--keep-alive",
+        action=argparse.BooleanOptionalAction,
+        help=(
+            "whether to keep the server alive once the main process finishes "
+            "(default: %(default)s)"
+        ),
+        default="auto",
+    )
     parser_open.add_argument(
         "--port",
         type=int,
@@ -116,6 +144,7 @@ def cli(args: list[str]):
     elif parsed_args.subcommand == "launch":
         _launch(
             project=_load(project_name=parsed_args.project_name),
+            keep_alive=parsed_args.keep_alive,
             port=parsed_args.port,
             open_browser=parsed_args.open_browser,
             verbose=parsed_args.verbose,
@@ -126,8 +155,11 @@ def cli(args: list[str]):
             create=parsed_args.create,
             overwrite=parsed_args.overwrite,
             serve=parsed_args.serve,
+            keep_alive=parsed_args.keep_alive,
             port=parsed_args.port,
             verbose=parsed_args.verbose,
         )
+    elif parsed_args.subcommand == "cleanup":
+        _cleanup_potential_zombie_process()
     else:
         parser.print_help()
diff --git a/skore/src/skore/cli/color_format.py b/skore/src/skore/cli/color_format.py
index 6a3e3a960..eeba9994c 100644
--- a/skore/src/skore/cli/color_format.py
+++ b/skore/src/skore/cli/color_format.py
@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ def format_help(self):
 
         # Color the subcommands in cyan
         help_text = re.sub(
-            r"(?<=\s)(launch|create|open)(?=\s+)",
+            r"(?<=\s)(launch|create|open|cleanup)(?=\s+)",
             r"[cyan bold]\1[/cyan bold]",
             help_text,
         )
diff --git a/skore/src/skore/project/_launch.py b/skore/src/skore/project/_launch.py
index 2f586eb4f..40c60f4e3 100644
--- a/skore/src/skore/project/_launch.py
+++ b/skore/src/skore/project/_launch.py
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
 from fastapi import FastAPI
 
 from skore.project.project import Project, logger
+from skore.utils._environment import is_environment_notebook_like
 from skore.utils._logger import logger_context
 
 
@@ -214,8 +215,27 @@ def cleanup_server(project: Project, timeout: float = 5.0) -> bool:
     return True
 
 
+def _cleanup_potential_zombie_process():
+    state_path = platformdirs.user_state_path(appname="skore")
+    for pid_file in state_path.glob("skore-server-*.json"):
+        try:
+            pid_info = json.load(pid_file.open())
+            try:
+                process = psutil.Process(pid_info["pid"])
+                process.terminate()
+                try:
+                    process.wait(timeout=5.0)
+                except psutil.TimeoutExpired:
+                    process.kill()
+            except psutil.NoSuchProcess:
+                pass
+        finally:
+            pid_file.unlink()
+
+
 def _launch(
     project: Project,
+    keep_alive: Union[str, bool] = "auto",
     port: Union[int, None] = None,
     open_browser: bool = True,
     verbose: bool = False,
@@ -224,14 +244,20 @@ def _launch(
 
     Parameters
     ----------
-        project : Project
-            The project to launch.
-        port : int, optional
-            The port to use for the server, by default None.
-        open_browser : bool, optional
-            Whether to open the browser, by default True.
-        verbose : bool, optional
-            Whether to print verbose output, by default False.
+    project : Project
+        The project to launch.
+    keep_alive : Union[str, bool], default="auto"
+        Whether to keep the server alive once the main process finishes. When False,
+        the server will be terminated when the main process finishes. When True,
+        the server will be kept alive and thus block the main process from exiting.
+        When `"auto"`, the server will be kept alive if the current execution context
+        is not a notebook-like environment.
+    port : int, optional
+        The port to use for the server, by default None.
+    open_browser : bool, optional
+        Whether to open the browser, by default True.
+    verbose : bool, optional
+        Whether to print verbose output, by default False.
     """
     from skore import console  # avoid circular import
 
@@ -253,11 +279,13 @@ def _launch(
 
     ready_event = multiprocessing.Event()
 
+    daemon = is_environment_notebook_like() if keep_alive == "auto" else not keep_alive
+
     with logger_context(logger, verbose):
         process = multiprocessing.Process(
             target=run_server,
             args=(project, port, open_browser, ready_event),
-            daemon=True,
+            daemon=daemon,
         )
         process.start()
         project._server_info = ServerInfo(project, port, process.pid)
@@ -265,8 +293,16 @@ def _launch(
         ready_event.wait()  # wait for server to been started
 
         console.rule("[bold cyan]skore-UI[/bold cyan]")
-        console.print(
-            f"Running skore UI from '{project.name}' at URL http://localhost:{port}"
-        )
 
-        atexit.register(cleanup_server, project)
+        msg = f"Running skore UI from '{project.name}' at URL http://localhost:{port}"
+        if not daemon:
+            msg += " (Press CTRL+C to quit)"
+        console.print(msg)
+
+        if not daemon:
+            try:
+                process.join()
+            except KeyboardInterrupt:
+                cleanup_server(project)
+        else:
+            atexit.register(cleanup_server, project)
diff --git a/skore/src/skore/project/_open.py b/skore/src/skore/project/_open.py
index 931fff794..3bd14ba19 100644
--- a/skore/src/skore/project/_open.py
+++ b/skore/src/skore/project/_open.py
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ def open(
     create: bool = True,
     overwrite: bool = False,
     serve: bool = True,
+    keep_alive: Union[str, bool] = "auto",
     port: Union[int, None] = None,
     verbose: bool = False,
 ) -> Project:
@@ -34,6 +35,12 @@ def open(
         Has no effect otherwise.
     serve: bool, default=True
         Whether to launch the skore UI.
+    keep_alive : Union[str, bool], default="auto"
+        Whether to keep the server alive once the main process finishes. When False,
+        the server will be terminated when the main process finishes. When True,
+        the server will be kept alive and thus block the main process from exiting.
+        When `"auto"`, the server will be kept alive if the current execution context
+        is not a notebook-like environment.
     port: int, default=None
         Port at which to bind the UI server. If ``None``, the server will be bound to
         an available port.
@@ -68,6 +75,6 @@ def open(
             raise
 
     if serve:
-        _launch(project, port=port, verbose=verbose)
+        _launch(project, keep_alive=keep_alive, port=port, verbose=verbose)
 
     return project
diff --git a/skore/src/skore/utils/_environment.py b/skore/src/skore/utils/_environment.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..cd91d72fd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/skore/src/skore/utils/_environment.py
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+import os
+import sys
+
+
+def get_environment_info():
+    """Detect the current Python execution environment.
+
+    Returns a dictionary with information about the environment.
+    """
+    env_info = {
+        "is_jupyter": False,
+        "is_vscode": False,
+        "is_interactive": False,
+        "environment_name": "standard_python",
+        "details": {},
+    }
+
+    # Check for interactive mode
+    env_info["is_interactive"] = hasattr(sys, "ps1")
+
+    # Check for Jupyter
+    try:
+        shell = get_ipython().__class__.__name__  # type: ignore
+        env_info["details"]["ipython_shell"] = shell
+
+        if shell == "ZMQInteractiveShell":  # Jupyter notebook/lab
+            env_info["is_jupyter"] = True
+            env_info["environment_name"] = "jupyter"
+        elif shell == "TerminalInteractiveShell":  # IPython terminal
+            env_info["environment_name"] = "ipython_terminal"
+    except NameError:
+        pass
+
+    # Check for VSCode
+    if "VSCODE_PID" in os.environ:
+        env_info["is_vscode"] = True
+        if env_info["is_interactive"]:
+            env_info["environment_name"] = "vscode_interactive"
+        else:
+            env_info["environment_name"] = "vscode_script"
+
+    # Add additional environment details
+    env_info["details"]["python_executable"] = sys.executable
+    env_info["details"]["python_version"] = sys.version
+
+    return env_info
+
+
+def is_environment_notebook_like() -> bool:
+    """Return `True` if the execution context dcan render HTML. `False` otherwise."""
+    info = get_environment_info()
+    return info["is_vscode"] or info["is_jupyter"]
diff --git a/skore/tests/unit/cli/test_cli.py b/skore/tests/unit/cli/test_cli.py
index 5af315ac6..94d6f9465 100644
--- a/skore/tests/unit/cli/test_cli.py
+++ b/skore/tests/unit/cli/test_cli.py
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ def test_cli_launch(tmp_project_path):
         [
             "launch",
             str(tmp_project_path),
+            "--no-keep-alive",
             "--no-open-browser",
             "--verbose",
         ]
@@ -44,7 +45,9 @@ def test_cli_launch(tmp_project_path):
 
 def test_cli_launch_no_project_name():
     with pytest.raises(SystemExit):
-        cli(["launch", "--port", 0, "--no-open-browser", "--verbose"])
+        cli(
+            ["launch", "--port", 0, "--no-keep-alive", "--no-open-browser", "--verbose"]
+        )
 
 
 def test_cli_create(tmp_path):
@@ -82,9 +85,9 @@ def test_cli_open(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
     assert (project_path / "items").exists()
     assert (project_path / "views").exists()
 
-    cli(["open", str(project_path), "--verbose"])
+    cli(["open", str(project_path), "--no-keep-alive", "--verbose"])
     close_project(project_path)
-    cli(["open", str(project_path), "--no-create"])
+    cli(["open", str(project_path), "--no-keep-alive", "--no-create"])
     close_project(project_path)
 
     with pytest.raises(FileNotFoundError):
diff --git a/skore/tests/unit/cli/test_open.py b/skore/tests/unit/cli/test_open.py
index b67a4ad19..ed74b99c1 100644
--- a/skore/tests/unit/cli/test_open.py
+++ b/skore/tests/unit/cli/test_open.py
@@ -20,8 +20,10 @@ def mock_launch(monkeypatch):
     """Fixture that mocks the _launch function and tracks calls to it."""
     calls = []
 
-    def _mock_launch(project, port=None, open_browser=True, verbose=False):
-        calls.append((project, port, open_browser, verbose))
+    def _mock_launch(
+        project, keep_alive="auto", port=None, open_browser=True, verbose=False
+    ):
+        calls.append((project, keep_alive, port, open_browser, verbose))
 
     monkeypatch.setattr("skore.project._launch._launch", _mock_launch)
     return calls
@@ -38,6 +40,7 @@ def test_cli_open(tmp_project_path, mock_launch):
             "--port",
             "8000",
             "--serve",
+            "--no-keep-alive",
             "--verbose",
         ]
     )
@@ -49,7 +52,7 @@ def test_cli_open_creates_project(tmp_path, mock_launch):
     project_path = tmp_path / "new_project.skore"
     assert not project_path.exists()
 
-    cli(["open", str(project_path), "--create"])
+    cli(["open", str(project_path), "--create", "--no-keep-alive"])
     assert project_path.exists()
     assert len(mock_launch) == 1
 
@@ -59,7 +62,7 @@ def test_cli_open_no_create_fails(tmp_path, mock_launch):
     project_path = tmp_path / "nonexistent.skore"
 
     with pytest.raises(FileNotFoundError):
-        cli(["open", str(project_path), "--no-create"])
+        cli(["open", str(project_path), "--no-create", "--no-keep-alive"])
     assert len(mock_launch) == 0
 
 
@@ -67,10 +70,10 @@ def test_cli_open_overwrite(tmp_path, mock_launch):
     """Test that CLI open can overwrite existing project."""
     project_path = tmp_path / "overwrite_test.skore"
 
-    cli(["open", str(project_path), "--create"])
+    cli(["open", str(project_path), "--create", "--no-keep-alive"])
     initial_time = os.path.getmtime(project_path)
 
-    cli(["open", str(project_path), "--create", "--overwrite"])
+    cli(["open", str(project_path), "--create", "--overwrite", "--no-keep-alive"])
     new_time = os.path.getmtime(project_path)
     assert new_time > initial_time
     assert len(mock_launch) == 2
diff --git a/skore/tests/unit/project/test_launch.py b/skore/tests/unit/project/test_launch.py
index 1e2174e40..18229656a 100644
--- a/skore/tests/unit/project/test_launch.py
+++ b/skore/tests/unit/project/test_launch.py
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ def test_server_info(on_disk_project):
 def test_launch(capsys, tmp_path):
     """Check the general behaviour of the launch function."""
     skore_project = _create(tmp_path / "test_project")
-    _launch(skore_project, open_browser=False, verbose=True)
+    _launch(skore_project, open_browser=False, keep_alive=False, verbose=True)
     assert "Running skore UI" in capsys.readouterr().out
     assert skore_project._server_info is not None
 
@@ -64,8 +64,12 @@ def test_launch(capsys, tmp_path):
     output = capsys.readouterr().out
     assert "Server that was running" in output
 
-    _launch(skore_project, port=8000, open_browser=False, verbose=True)
-    _launch(skore_project, port=8000, open_browser=False, verbose=True)
+    _launch(
+        skore_project, port=8000, open_browser=False, keep_alive=False, verbose=True
+    )
+    _launch(
+        skore_project, port=8000, open_browser=False, keep_alive=False, verbose=True
+    )
     assert "Server is already running" in capsys.readouterr().out
 
 
@@ -139,7 +143,9 @@ def mock_kill(pid, signal):
 
     monkeypatch.setattr(os, "kill", mock_kill)
 
-    _launch(skore_project, port=8001, open_browser=False, verbose=True)
+    _launch(
+        skore_project, port=8001, open_browser=False, keep_alive=False, verbose=True
+    )
 
     assert skore_project._server_info is not None
     assert skore_project._server_info.port == 8001