diff --git a/src/core/minions/queue.ts b/src/core/minions/queue.ts
index 70234d276..e21eb8a41 100644
--- a/src/core/minions/queue.ts
+++ b/src/core/minions/queue.ts
@@ -647,9 +647,18 @@ export class MinionQueue {
   async handleTimeouts(): Promise<MinionJob[]> {
     return this.engine.transaction(async (tx) => {
       const rows = await tx.executeRaw<Record<string, unknown>>(
+        // #1737: count the timed-out run as a spent attempt (terminal, no retry),
+        // mirroring handleWallClockTimeouts + handleStalled. handleTimeouts is the
+        // FIRST killer to fire for the long-lane handlers (timeout_ms stamped at
+        // submit), so without this the job reads `attempts: 0/N (started: N)`.
+        // Safe against double-count: the worker sweep runs handleStalled ->
+        // handleTimeouts -> handleWallClockTimeouts sequentially and awaited, and
+        // each guards on `status = 'active'`, so the first to set status='dead'
+        // excludes the row from the later sweeps.
         `UPDATE minion_jobs SET
           status = 'dead',
           error_text = 'timeout exceeded',
+          attempts_made = attempts_made + 1,
           lock_token = NULL,
           lock_until = NULL,
           finished_at = now(),
diff --git a/test/e2e/minions-resilience.test.ts b/test/e2e/minions-resilience.test.ts
index c10dcfbc9..21614fdd5 100644
--- a/test/e2e/minions-resilience.test.ts
+++ b/test/e2e/minions-resilience.test.ts
@@ -138,6 +138,10 @@ describeE2E('E2E: Minions resilience (OpenClaw real-world patterns)', () => {
 
       const final = await queue.getJob(job.id);
       expect(final?.error_text).toMatch(/timeout exceeded/i);
+      // #1737 regression: the runaway run is counted as a spent attempt by
+      // handleTimeouts (it's the first killer to fire), so accounting reads
+      // honestly instead of `attempts: 0/1 (started: 1)`.
+      expect(final?.attempts_made).toBe(1);
     } finally {
       await a.disconnect();
       await b.disconnect();
diff --git a/test/minions.test.ts b/test/minions.test.ts
index ec990406a..012e91bdd 100644
--- a/test/minions.test.ts
+++ b/test/minions.test.ts
@@ -1300,6 +1300,12 @@ describe('MinionQueue: handleTimeouts', () => {
     const dead = await queue.getJob(job.id);
     expect(dead!.status).toBe('dead');
     expect(dead!.error_text).toBe('timeout exceeded');
+    // #1737 regression: the timed-out run counts as a spent attempt, mirroring
+    // the wall-clock + stall dead-letter paths. Without this the job reads
+    // `attempts: 0/N (started: N)`. Asserted on both the RETURNING row and the
+    // persisted row so a future refactor can't silently drop the increment.
+    expect(timedOut[0].attempts_made).toBe(1);
+    expect(dead!.attempts_made).toBe(1);
   });
 
   test('handleTimeouts ignores stalled jobs (lock_until > now guard)', async () => {