Tissue-resident memory T cells (TRMcells) are critical for cellular immunity to respiratory pathogens and reside in both the airways and the interstitium. In the present study, we found that the airway environment drove transcriptional and epigenetic changes that specifically regulated the cytolytic functions of airway TRMcells and promoted apoptosis due to amino acid starvation and activation of the integrated stress response. Comparison of airway TRMcells and splenic effector-memory T cells transferred into the airways indicated that the environment was necessary to activate these pathways, but did not induce TRMcell lineage reprogramming. Importantly, activation of the integrated stress response was reversed in airway TRMcells placed in a nutrient-rich environment. Our data defined the genetic programs of distinct lung TRMcell populations and show that local environmental cues altered airway TRMcells to limit cytolytic function and promote cell death, which ultimately leads to fewer TRMcells in the lung.