diff --git a/.changeset/daytona-request-timeouts.md b/.changeset/daytona-request-timeouts.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..94c1a73c7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/daytona-request-timeouts.md
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+---
+"@truefoundry/trueforge": patch
+"@truefoundry/trueforge-core": patch
+---
+
+Cap Daytona status-refresh calls at 1 minute so a stalled provider cannot hang request handlers.
diff --git a/packages/trueforge/src/sandbox/providerUtils.ts b/packages/trueforge/src/sandbox/providerUtils.ts
index 9189f7742..65974eb36 100644
--- a/packages/trueforge/src/sandbox/providerUtils.ts
+++ b/packages/trueforge/src/sandbox/providerUtils.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,11 @@
 /** Daytona provider construction + persisted build-status refresh (see checkSnapshotStatus). */
 import { Daytona, DaytonaError } from '@daytona/sdk';
-import { DaytonaSandboxProvider, SANDBOX_IMAGE_URI, type SandboxBuild } from '@truefoundry/trueforge-core/core';
+import {
+  DaytonaSandboxProvider,
+  SANDBOX_IMAGE_URI,
+  withTimeout,
+  type SandboxBuild,
+} from '@truefoundry/trueforge-core/core';
 import type { Logger } from 'winston';
 import configuration from '../config';
 import type { ISandboxProviderStore, SandboxProviderRecord } from '../db/sandboxProviderStore';
@@ -68,6 +73,9 @@ function sandboxStatusFromRecord(record: SandboxProviderRecord): SandboxStatus {
 // Daytona deactivates idle snapshots after 14 days; revalidate at 13 to stay a day ahead.
 const READY_REVALIDATE_INTERVAL_MS = 13 * 24 * 60 * 60 * 1000;
 
+/** Cap the Daytona round-trip for the refresh, which runs outside a transaction. */
+const STATUS_REFRESH_TIMEOUT_MS = 60_000;
+
 export async function checkSnapshotStatus({
   store,
   tenant_id,
@@ -99,9 +107,9 @@ export async function checkSnapshotStatus({
   let build: SandboxBuild;
   if (record.status === 'ready') {
     // this is because image may have deactivated
-    build = await provider.buildImage();
+    build = await withTimeout(provider.buildImage(), STATUS_REFRESH_TIMEOUT_MS, 'sandbox buildImage');
   } else {
-    build = await provider.getImageBuildStatus();
+    build = await withTimeout(provider.getImageBuildStatus(), STATUS_REFRESH_TIMEOUT_MS, 'sandbox getImageBuildStatus');
   }
   const next = toSandboxStatus(build);
   const updated = await store.updateSandboxStatus({ tenant_id, ...next });