Since moving from a Linux VM to a Macbook Pro for testing, I have been having a recurring issue running Protractor automation.
At a certain point in my suite all, a Java application called GridLauncher pops up. Selenium was already running prior to this as tests were running and passing, but if I kill this Java app I kill the entire Selenium process. This occurs if I start Selenium manually or if I let Protractor start an instance itself.
The app popping up coincides with my tests failing, which then throws off the test workflow and causes subsequent tests to fail.
This only occurs on Mac and has been reproducible by 2 people on the team so far.