# cancel

The `cancel` step type stops and removes a [background container service](/workflows/steps/type/container#background-services) that an earlier step started with `background: true`. It gives you explicit, in-workflow teardown for long-running dependencies — emulators, databases, registries — without dropping into shell scripts to track and kill container IDs.

Name the background service to stop with the `for` field. Atmos gracefully stops the container and removes it:

```yaml
steps:
  - name: emulator
    type: container
    action: run
    background: true
    with:
      image: localstack/localstack
      ports:
        - host: 4566
          container: 4566
      healthcheck:
        test: ["CMD", "curl", "-f", "http://localhost:4566/_localstack/health"]
        interval: 5s
        retries: 10
        start_period: 30s

  - name: apply
    type: atmos
    command: terraform apply vpc -s dev

  - type: cancel
    for: emulator
```

## Fields

- **`for`**
  Name of the background service step to stop and remove. Must reference an earlier 
  `action: run`
   step with 
  `background: true`
  . The container is gracefully stopped, then removed.

## Automatic teardown

A `cancel` step is optional. If you never cancel a background service explicitly, Atmos automatically tears down all background services when the workflow ends — including on failure — so a crashed or short-circuited workflow does not leave orphaned containers running. Use `cancel` when you want to free a service early, before the workflow finishes, or to make teardown explicit in the workflow file.

See [background services](/workflows/steps/type/container#background-services) on the `container` step page for the full lifecycle, and [`wait`](/workflows/steps/type/wait) for gating steps on service readiness.