diff --git a/ethexe/node-loader/src/batch.rs b/ethexe/node-loader/src/batch.rs
index 1992564b572..3ab6ecb9e5a 100644
--- a/ethexe/node-loader/src/batch.rs
+++ b/ethexe/node-loader/src/batch.rs
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ use std::{
     collections::{BTreeMap, BTreeSet},
     marker::PhantomData,
     sync::Arc,
+    time::Duration,
 };
 use tokio::sync::{
     RwLock,
@@ -117,6 +118,13 @@ type WorkerBatchFuture =
 
 const MAX_MULTICALL_CALLDATA_BYTES: usize = 120 * 1024;
 
+/// Per-batch watchdog: drop and reschedule a batch if a hung RPC call parks
+/// the worker. Generous: code validation alone takes ~14 s for 5 codes.
+const BATCH_TIMEOUT: Duration = Duration::from_secs(180);
+
+/// Cadence of pool-progress heartbeats so a stalled pool is visible in `docker logs`.
+const HEARTBEAT_INTERVAL: Duration = Duration::from_secs(10);
+
 /// Converts an arbitrary salt buffer into the fixed 32-byte form expected by
 /// Ethereum ABI bindings.
 pub(crate) fn salt_to_h256(salt: &[u8]) -> H256 {
@@ -350,6 +358,11 @@ impl<Rng: CallGenRng> BatchPool<Rng> {
             });
         }
 
+        let mut heartbeat = tokio::time::interval(HEARTBEAT_INTERVAL);
+        heartbeat.set_missed_tick_behavior(tokio::time::MissedTickBehavior::Skip);
+        // Skip the immediate first tick: don't log a heartbeat before any batch starts.
+        heartbeat.tick().await;
+
         while !batches.is_empty() {
             let (worker_idx, rpc_pool, report) = tokio::select! {
                 Some(result) = batches.next() => result,
@@ -366,6 +379,16 @@ impl<Rng: CallGenRng> BatchPool<Rng> {
                     }
                     continue;
                 }
+                _ = heartbeat.tick() => {
+                    tracing::info!(
+                        completed = self.batch_stats.completed_batches,
+                        failed = self.batch_stats.failed_batches,
+                        in_flight = batches.len(),
+                        shutting_down,
+                        "Pool heartbeat"
+                    );
+                    continue;
+                }
             };
 
             self.rpc_pools[worker_idx] = Some(rpc_pool);
@@ -501,23 +524,37 @@ async fn run_batch(
 ) -> (EthexeRpcPool, Result<BatchRunReport>) {
     let PreparedBatchWithSeed { seed, batch, .. } = batch;
 
-    let result = match run_batch_impl(
-        api,
-        &mut rpc_pool,
-        endpoint_idx,
-        batch,
-        send_message_multicall,
-        use_send_message_multicall,
-        rx,
-        mid_map,
+    let result = match tokio::time::timeout(
+        BATCH_TIMEOUT,
+        run_batch_impl(
+            api,
+            &mut rpc_pool,
+            endpoint_idx,
+            batch,
+            send_message_multicall,
+            use_send_message_multicall,
+            rx,
+            mid_map,
+        ),
     )
     .await
     {
-        Ok(report) => Ok(BatchRunReport::new(seed, report)),
-        Err(err) => {
+        Ok(Ok(report)) => Ok(BatchRunReport::new(seed, report)),
+        Ok(Err(err)) => {
             tracing::warn!("Batch failed: {err:?}");
             Err(err)
         }
+        Err(_) => {
+            tracing::warn!(
+                seed,
+                timeout_secs = BATCH_TIMEOUT.as_secs(),
+                "Batch timed out, dropping it and rescheduling worker"
+            );
+            Err(anyhow::anyhow!(
+                "batch {seed} exceeded {:?} watchdog timeout",
+                BATCH_TIMEOUT
+            ))
+        }
     };
     (rpc_pool, result)
 }
diff --git a/ethexe/node-loader/src/main.rs b/ethexe/node-loader/src/main.rs
index 2889aae66ed..4010ba59a60 100644
--- a/ethexe/node-loader/src/main.rs
+++ b/ethexe/node-loader/src/main.rs
@@ -434,6 +434,24 @@ fn worker_mint_amount(override_amount: Option<u128>, policy: Option<&ValuePolicy
         .max(MIN_POLICY_WORKER_MINT_AMOUNT)
 }
 
+/// Resolves on the first SIGINT or SIGTERM. Without SIGTERM `docker stop`
+/// hard-kills the run before drain.
+async fn wait_for_shutdown_signal() -> std::io::Result<&'static str> {
+    #[cfg(unix)]
+    {
+        use tokio::signal::unix::{SignalKind, signal};
+        let mut sigterm = signal(SignalKind::terminate())?;
+        tokio::select! {
+            result = tokio::signal::ctrl_c() => result.map(|()| "Ctrl+C / SIGINT"),
+            _ = sigterm.recv() => Ok("SIGTERM"),
+        }
+    }
+    #[cfg(not(unix))]
+    {
+        tokio::signal::ctrl_c().await.map(|()| "Ctrl+C / SIGINT")
+    }
+}
+
 async fn run_load_runtime(
     batch_pool: BatchPool<SmallRng>,
     config: LoadRunConfig,
@@ -444,11 +462,11 @@ async fn run_load_runtime(
     let (listener_shutdown_tx, listener_shutdown_rx) = tokio::sync::watch::channel(false);
     let pool_task = batch_pool.run(config, pool_shutdown_rx);
     let block_listener = utils::listen_blocks(tx, provider, listener_shutdown_rx);
-    let ctrl_c = tokio::signal::ctrl_c();
+    let shutdown_signal = wait_for_shutdown_signal();
 
     tokio::pin!(pool_task);
     tokio::pin!(block_listener);
-    tokio::pin!(ctrl_c);
+    tokio::pin!(shutdown_signal);
 
     let mut interrupted = false;
     let mut pool_result = None;
@@ -464,10 +482,10 @@ async fn run_load_runtime(
                 listener_result = Some(result);
                 let _ = pool_shutdown_tx.send(true);
             }
-            signal = &mut ctrl_c, if !interrupted => {
-                signal?;
+            signal = &mut shutdown_signal, if !interrupted => {
+                let kind = signal?;
                 interrupted = true;
-                info!("Ctrl+C received; stopping new batches and draining in-flight work");
+                info!("{kind} received; stopping new batches and draining in-flight work");
                 let _ = pool_shutdown_tx.send(true);
             }
         }