diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 69fb5ee7..047644e1 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -4,3 +4,4 @@ load-generator
 integration-tester
 dist
 /vendor
+/.vscode
diff --git a/cmd/process-exporter/main.go b/cmd/process-exporter/main.go
index 7ca5a41e..6dfc0a08 100644
--- a/cmd/process-exporter/main.go
+++ b/cmd/process-exporter/main.go
@@ -179,6 +179,7 @@ func main() {
 			"log debugging information to stdout")
 		showVersion = flag.Bool("version", false,
 			"print version information and exit")
+		removeEmptyGroups = flag.Bool("remove-empty-groups", false, "forget process groups with no processes")
 	)
 	flag.Parse()
 
@@ -240,14 +241,15 @@ func main() {
 
 	pc, err := collector.NewProcessCollector(
 		collector.ProcessCollectorOption{
-			ProcFSPath:       *procfsPath,
-			Children:         *children,
-			Threads:          *threads,
-			GatherSMaps:      *smaps,
-			Namer:            matchnamer,
-			Recheck:          *recheck,
-			RecheckTimeLimit: *recheckTimeLimit,
-			Debug:            *debug,
+			ProcFSPath:        *procfsPath,
+			Children:          *children,
+			Threads:           *threads,
+			GatherSMaps:       *smaps,
+			Namer:             matchnamer,
+			Recheck:           *recheck,
+			RecheckTimeLimit:  *recheckTimeLimit,
+			Debug:             *debug,
+			RemoveEmptyGroups: *removeEmptyGroups,
 		},
 	)
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/collector/process_collector.go b/collector/process_collector.go
index 6ef04405..8f41ba47 100644
--- a/collector/process_collector.go
+++ b/collector/process_collector.go
@@ -156,14 +156,15 @@ type (
 	}
 
 	ProcessCollectorOption struct {
-		ProcFSPath       string
-		Children         bool
-		Threads          bool
-		GatherSMaps      bool
-		Namer            common.MatchNamer
-		Recheck          bool
-		RecheckTimeLimit time.Duration
-		Debug            bool
+		ProcFSPath        string
+		Children          bool
+		Threads           bool
+		GatherSMaps       bool
+		Namer             common.MatchNamer
+		Recheck           bool
+		RecheckTimeLimit  time.Duration
+		Debug             bool
+		RemoveEmptyGroups bool
 	}
 
 	NamedProcessCollector struct {
@@ -188,7 +189,7 @@ func NewProcessCollector(options ProcessCollectorOption) (*NamedProcessCollector
 	fs.GatherSMaps = options.GatherSMaps
 	p := &NamedProcessCollector{
 		scrapeChan: make(chan scrapeRequest),
-		Grouper:    proc.NewGrouper(options.Namer, options.Children, options.Threads, options.Recheck, options.RecheckTimeLimit, options.Debug),
+		Grouper:    proc.NewGrouper(options.Namer, options.Children, options.Threads, options.Recheck, options.RecheckTimeLimit, options.Debug, options.RemoveEmptyGroups),
 		source:     fs,
 		threads:    options.Threads,
 		smaps:      options.GatherSMaps,
diff --git a/proc/grouper.go b/proc/grouper.go
index 1b507209..bbf240ca 100644
--- a/proc/grouper.go
+++ b/proc/grouper.go
@@ -13,10 +13,11 @@ type (
 	Grouper struct {
 		// groupAccum records the historical accumulation of a group so that
 		// we can avoid ever decreasing the counts we return.
-		groupAccum  map[string]Counts
-		tracker     *Tracker
-		threadAccum map[string]map[string]Threads
-		debug       bool
+		groupAccum        map[string]Counts
+		tracker           *Tracker
+		threadAccum       map[string]map[string]Threads
+		debug             bool
+		removeEmptyGroups bool
 	}
 
 	// GroupByName maps group name to group metrics.
@@ -49,12 +50,13 @@ type (
 func lessThreads(x, y Threads) bool { return seq.Compare(x, y) < 0 }
 
 // NewGrouper creates a grouper.
-func NewGrouper(namer common.MatchNamer, trackChildren, trackThreads, recheck bool, recheckTimeLimit time.Duration, debug bool) *Grouper {
+func NewGrouper(namer common.MatchNamer, trackChildren, trackThreads, recheck bool, recheckTimeLimit time.Duration, debug bool, removeEmptyGroups bool) *Grouper {
 	g := Grouper{
-		groupAccum:  make(map[string]Counts),
-		threadAccum: make(map[string]map[string]Threads),
-		tracker:     NewTracker(namer, trackChildren, recheck, recheckTimeLimit, debug),
-		debug:       debug,
+		groupAccum:        make(map[string]Counts),
+		threadAccum:       make(map[string]map[string]Threads),
+		tracker:           NewTracker(namer, trackChildren, recheck, recheckTimeLimit, debug),
+		debug:             debug,
+		removeEmptyGroups: removeEmptyGroups,
 	}
 	return &g
 }
@@ -96,10 +98,10 @@ func groupadd(grp Group, ts Update) Group {
 // These are aggregated by groupname, augmented by accumulated counts
 // from the past, and returned.  Note that while the Tracker reports
 // only what counts have changed since last cycle, Grouper.Update
-// returns counts that never decrease.  Even once the last process
-// with name X disappears, name X will still appear in the results
-// with the same counts as before; of course, all non-count metrics
-// will be zero.
+// returns counts that never decrease.  If removeEmptyGroups is false,
+// then even once the last process with name X disappears, name X will
+// still appear in the results with the same counts as before; of course,
+// all non-count metrics will be zero.
 func (g *Grouper) Update(iter Iter) (CollectErrors, GroupByName, error) {
 	cerrs, tracked, err := g.tracker.Update(iter)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -132,10 +134,15 @@ func (g *Grouper) groups(tracked []Update) GroupByName {
 		groups[gname] = group
 	}
 
-	// Now add any groups that were observed in the past but aren't running now.
+	// Now add any groups that were observed in the past but aren't running now (or delete them, if removeEmptyGroups is true).
 	for gname, gcounts := range g.groupAccum {
 		if _, ok := groups[gname]; !ok {
-			groups[gname] = Group{Counts: gcounts}
+			if g.removeEmptyGroups {
+				delete(g.groupAccum, gname)
+				delete(g.threadAccum, gname)
+			} else {
+				groups[gname] = Group{Counts: gcounts}
+			}
 		}
 	}
 
diff --git a/proc/grouper_test.go b/proc/grouper_test.go
index ff291aef..826d1e97 100644
--- a/proc/grouper_test.go
+++ b/proc/grouper_test.go
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ func TestGrouperBasic(t *testing.T) {
 		},
 	}
 
-	gr := NewGrouper(newNamer(n1, n2), false, false, false, 0, false)
+	gr := NewGrouper(newNamer(n1, n2), false, false, false, 0, false, false)
 	for i, tc := range tests {
 		got := rungroup(t, gr, procInfoIter(tc.procs...))
 		if diff := cmp.Diff(got, tc.want); diff != "" {
@@ -128,7 +128,7 @@ func TestGrouperProcJoin(t *testing.T) {
 		},
 	}
 
-	gr := NewGrouper(newNamer(n1), false, false, false, 0, false)
+	gr := NewGrouper(newNamer(n1), false, false, false, 0, false, false)
 	for i, tc := range tests {
 		got := rungroup(t, gr, procInfoIter(tc.procs...))
 		if diff := cmp.Diff(got, tc.want); diff != "" {
@@ -138,7 +138,7 @@ func TestGrouperProcJoin(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 // TestGrouperNonDecreasing tests the disappearance of a process.  Its previous
-// contribution to the counts should not go away when that happens.
+// contribution to the counts should not go away when that happens if removeEmptyGroups is false.
 func TestGrouperNonDecreasing(t *testing.T) {
 	p1, p2 := 1, 2
 	n1, n2 := "g1", "g1"
@@ -171,7 +171,49 @@ func TestGrouperNonDecreasing(t *testing.T) {
 		},
 	}
 
-	gr := NewGrouper(newNamer(n1), false, false, false, 0, false)
+	gr := NewGrouper(newNamer(n1), false, false, false, 0, false, false)
+	for i, tc := range tests {
+		got := rungroup(t, gr, procInfoIter(tc.procs...))
+		if diff := cmp.Diff(got, tc.want); diff != "" {
+			t.Errorf("%d: curgroups differs: (-got +want)\n%s", i, diff)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// TestGrouperNonDecreasing tests the disappearance of a process.
+// We want the group to disappear if removeEmptyGroups is true.
+func TestGrouperRemoveEmptyGroups(t *testing.T) {
+	p1, p2 := 1, 2
+	n1, n2 := "g1", "g2"
+	starttime := time.Unix(0, 0).UTC()
+
+	tests := []struct {
+		procs []IDInfo
+		want  GroupByName
+	}{
+		{
+			[]IDInfo{
+				piinfo(p1, n1, Counts{3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 0, 0}, Memory{3, 4, 0, 0, 0}, Filedesc{4, 400}, 2),
+				piinfo(p2, n2, Counts{1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 0, 0}, Memory{1, 2, 0, 0, 0}, Filedesc{40, 400}, 3),
+			},
+			GroupByName{
+				n1: Group{Counts{}, States{}, msi{}, 1, Memory{3, 4, 0, 0, 0}, starttime, 4, 0.01, 2, nil},
+				n2: Group{Counts{}, States{}, msi{}, 1, Memory{1, 2, 0, 0, 0}, starttime, 40, 0.1, 3, nil},
+			},
+		}, {
+			[]IDInfo{
+				piinfo(p1, n1, Counts{4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 0, 0}, Memory{1, 5, 0, 0, 0}, Filedesc{4, 400}, 2),
+			},
+			GroupByName{
+				n1: Group{Counts{1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 0, 0}, States{}, msi{}, 1, Memory{1, 5, 0, 0, 0}, starttime, 4, 0.01, 2, nil},
+			},
+		}, {
+			[]IDInfo{},
+			GroupByName{},
+		},
+	}
+
+	gr := NewGrouper(newNamer(n1, n2), false, false, false, 0, false, true)
 	for i, tc := range tests {
 		got := rungroup(t, gr, procInfoIter(tc.procs...))
 		if diff := cmp.Diff(got, tc.want); diff != "" {
@@ -224,7 +266,7 @@ func TestGrouperThreads(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 	opts := cmpopts.SortSlices(lessThreads)
-	gr := NewGrouper(newNamer(n), false, true, false, 0, false)
+	gr := NewGrouper(newNamer(n), false, true, false, 0, false, false)
 	for i, tc := range tests {
 		got := rungroup(t, gr, procInfoIter(tc.proc))
 		if diff := cmp.Diff(got, tc.want, opts); diff != "" {