## Timeouts

URL: https://docs.atlan.com/product/capabilities/build-apps/sdks/application-sdk/references/timeouts

> Timeout configuration parameters for Temporal workflows and activities.

Timeout parameters define the maximum duration for workflow execution, activity execution, and task processing in Temporal. Configure these parameters when starting workflows or invoking activities to detect failures and bound execution windows.

## Workflow timeouts

Workflow timeouts control the duration of workflow execution and task processing. Configure these parameters when starting a workflow with `client.execute_workflow()`.

### Usage example

This example starts a workflow with all three timeout parameters configured. The workflow fails if it runs longer than 2 seconds total (`execution_timeout`), if a single run exceeds 2 seconds (`run_timeout`), or if the worker takes more than 2 seconds to process a workflow task (`task_timeout`).

```python
from datetime import timedelta

result = await client.execute_workflow(
 YourWorkflow.run,
 "your timeout argument",
 id="your-workflow-id",
 task_queue="your-task-queue",
 execution_timeout=timedelta(seconds=2),
 run_timeout=timedelta(seconds=2),
 task_timeout=timedelta(seconds=2),
)
```

## Activity timeouts

Activity timeouts control the duration of activity execution, queuing, and overall completion. Configure these parameters when invoking activities from workflows with `workflow.execute_activity()`.

### Usage example

This example invokes an activity with all three timeout parameters configured. The activity fails if no worker picks it up within 10 seconds (`schedule_to_start_timeout`), if execution takes longer than 30 seconds after starting (`start_to_close_timeout`), or if the total time from scheduling to completion exceeds 2 minutes (`schedule_to_close_timeout`).

```python
from datetime import timedelta
from temporalio import workflow

@workflow.defn
class MyWorkflow:
 @workflow.run
 async def run(self):
 result = await workflow.execute_activity(
 my_activity,
 start_to_close_timeout=timedelta(seconds=30),
 schedule_to_start_timeout=timedelta(seconds=10),
 schedule_to_close_timeout=timedelta(minutes=2),
 )
 return result
```

## Heartbeat timeout

Heartbeat timeout controls the maximum time between heartbeat signals for long-running activities. Configure this parameter when invoking activities that implement heartbeat signals.

### Usage example

This example invokes a long-running activity with heartbeat timeout configured. The activity must send heartbeat signals at least every 15 seconds. If the Temporal server doesn't receive a heartbeat within this timeout, the activity fails and becomes eligible for retry according to the retry policy.

```python
from datetime import timedelta
from temporalio import workflow

result = await workflow.execute_activity(
 my_activity,
 heartbeat_timeout=timedelta(seconds=15),
 start_to_close_timeout=timedelta(minutes=5),
)
```

## See also

- [Retry strategies](https://docs.atlan.com/llms/platform/build-apps/retry-strategies/llms.txt): Understand the concepts behind retry strategies and timeouts

_Last updated: 15 May 2026._

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