diff --git a/cmd/msp-example/internal/example/example.go b/cmd/msp-example/internal/example/example.go
index e8adbfc46ab..3e364d3180a 100644
--- a/cmd/msp-example/internal/example/example.go
+++ b/cmd/msp-example/internal/example/example.go
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ func (s Service) Initialize(
 	logger log.Logger,
 	contract runtime.Contract,
 	config Config,
-) (background.CombinedRoutine, error) {
+) (background.Routine, error) {
 	logger.Info("starting service")
 
 	if !config.StatelessMode {
diff --git a/cmd/pings/service/service.go b/cmd/pings/service/service.go
index 38650d30910..667ee38931e 100644
--- a/cmd/pings/service/service.go
+++ b/cmd/pings/service/service.go
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ var _ runtime.Service[Config] = (*Service)(nil)
 func (Service) Name() string    { return "pings" }
 func (Service) Version() string { return version.Version() }
 
-func (Service) Initialize(ctx context.Context, logger log.Logger, contract runtime.Contract, config Config) (background.CombinedRoutine, error) {
+func (Service) Initialize(ctx context.Context, logger log.Logger, contract runtime.Contract, config Config) (background.Routine, error) {
 	pubsubClient, err := pubsub.NewTopicClient(config.PubSub.ProjectID, config.PubSub.TopicID)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, errors.Errorf("create Pub/Sub client: %v", err)
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ func (Service) Initialize(ctx context.Context, logger log.Logger, contract runti
 			pubsubClient: pubsubClient,
 		})
 
-	return background.CombinedRoutine{
+	return background.LIFOStopRoutine{
 		httpserver.NewFromAddr(
 			fmt.Sprintf(":%d", contract.Port),
 			&http.Server{
diff --git a/cmd/telemetry-gateway/service/service.go b/cmd/telemetry-gateway/service/service.go
index 973a2709e66..cf428477660 100644
--- a/cmd/telemetry-gateway/service/service.go
+++ b/cmd/telemetry-gateway/service/service.go
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ var _ runtime.Service[Config] = (*Service)(nil)
 func (Service) Name() string    { return "telemetry-gateway" }
 func (Service) Version() string { return version.Version() }
 
-func (Service) Initialize(ctx context.Context, logger log.Logger, contract runtime.Contract, config Config) (background.CombinedRoutine, error) {
+func (Service) Initialize(ctx context.Context, logger log.Logger, contract runtime.Contract, config Config) (background.Routine, error) {
 	// We use Sourcegraph tracing code, so explicitly configure a trace policy
 	policy.SetTracePolicy(policy.TraceAll)
 
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ func (Service) Initialize(ctx context.Context, logger log.Logger, contract runti
 		diagnosticsServer.Handle(grpcUI.Path, grpcUI.Handler)
 	}
 
-	return background.CombinedRoutine{
+	return background.LIFOStopRoutine{
 		httpserver.NewFromAddr(
 			listenAddr,
 			&http.Server{
diff --git a/lib/background/BUILD.bazel b/lib/background/BUILD.bazel
index f53dbe5af2c..819b04422f4 100644
--- a/lib/background/BUILD.bazel
+++ b/lib/background/BUILD.bazel
@@ -19,4 +19,5 @@ go_test(
         "mocks_test.go",
     ],
     embed = [":background"],
+    deps = ["@com_github_stretchr_testify//assert"],
 )
diff --git a/lib/background/background.go b/lib/background/background.go
index 00e9f5a7eaa..c32ac1a7cee 100644
--- a/lib/background/background.go
+++ b/lib/background/background.go
@@ -104,6 +104,22 @@ func (r CombinedRoutine) Stop() {
 	wg.Wait()
 }
 
+// LIFOStopRoutine is a list of routines which are started in unison, but stopped
+// sequentially last-in-first-out (the last Routine is stopped, and once it
+// successfully stops, the next routine is stopped).
+//
+// This is useful for services where subprocessors should be stopped before the
+// primary service stops for a graceful shutdown.
+type LIFOStopRoutine []Routine
+
+func (r LIFOStopRoutine) Start() { CombinedRoutine(r).Start() }
+
+func (r LIFOStopRoutine) Stop() {
+	for i := len(r) - 1; i >= 0; i -= 1 {
+		r[i].Stop()
+	}
+}
+
 // NoopRoutine does nothing for start or stop.
 func NoopRoutine() Routine {
 	return CallbackRoutine{}
diff --git a/lib/background/background_test.go b/lib/background/background_test.go
index 3f7f5bf47bd..ee6fe5899bb 100644
--- a/lib/background/background_test.go
+++ b/lib/background/background_test.go
@@ -5,6 +5,8 @@ import (
 	"os"
 	"syscall"
 	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
 )
 
 // Make the exiter a no-op in tests
@@ -65,3 +67,19 @@ func TestMonitorBackgroundRoutinesContextCancel(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 	}
 }
+
+func TestLIFOStopRoutine(t *testing.T) {
+	// use an unguarded slice because LIFOStopRoutine should only stop in sequence
+	var stopped []string
+	r1 := NewMockRoutine()
+	r1.StopFunc.PushHook(func() { stopped = append(stopped, "r1") })
+	r2 := NewMockRoutine()
+	r2.StopFunc.PushHook(func() { stopped = append(stopped, "r2") })
+	r3 := NewMockRoutine()
+	r3.StopFunc.PushHook(func() { stopped = append(stopped, "r3") })
+
+	r := LIFOStopRoutine{r1, r2, r3}
+	r.Stop()
+	// stops in reverse
+	assert.Equal(t, []string{"r3", "r2", "r1"}, stopped)
+}
diff --git a/lib/managedservicesplatform/runtime/service.go b/lib/managedservicesplatform/runtime/service.go
index eecd0cf9f42..ccb39174811 100644
--- a/lib/managedservicesplatform/runtime/service.go
+++ b/lib/managedservicesplatform/runtime/service.go
@@ -19,13 +19,14 @@ type ServiceMetadata interface {
 type Service[ConfigT any] interface {
 	ServiceMetadata
 	// Initialize should use given configuration to build a combined background
-	// routine that implements starting and stopping the service.
+	// routine (such as background.CombinedRoutine or background.LIFOStopRoutine)
+	// that implements starting and stopping the service.
 	Initialize(
 		ctx context.Context,
 		logger log.Logger,
 		contract Contract,
 		config ConfigT,
-	) (background.CombinedRoutine, error)
+	) (background.Routine, error)
 }
 
 // Start handles the entire lifecycle of the program running Service, and should