diff --git a/reporting/timer b/reporting/timer
index 479dcb6..3c1731c 100755
--- a/reporting/timer
+++ b/reporting/timer
@@ -28,4 +28,6 @@ function displaytime {
 while true; do
   displaytime "$SECONDS" >&2
   sleep 1
+  # die if parent dies
+  kill -0 $PPID 2>/dev/null || exit
 done