diff --git a/crates/openfang-kernel/src/heartbeat.rs b/crates/openfang-kernel/src/heartbeat.rs
index f682157f..ee97eeae 100644
--- a/crates/openfang-kernel/src/heartbeat.rs
+++ b/crates/openfang-kernel/src/heartbeat.rs
@@ -332,6 +332,17 @@ mod tests {
         assert_eq!(summary.unresponsive_agents[0].name, "agent-2");
     }
 
+    #[test]
+    fn test_heartbeat_config_custom_timeout() {
+        let config = HeartbeatConfig {
+            default_timeout_secs: 600,
+            ..HeartbeatConfig::default()
+        };
+        assert_eq!(config.default_timeout_secs, 600);
+        assert_eq!(config.check_interval_secs, DEFAULT_CHECK_INTERVAL_SECS);
+        assert_eq!(config.max_recovery_attempts, DEFAULT_MAX_RECOVERY_ATTEMPTS);
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn test_recovery_tracker() {
         let tracker = RecoveryTracker::new();
diff --git a/crates/openfang-kernel/src/kernel.rs b/crates/openfang-kernel/src/kernel.rs
index 816132fb..3d7fff89 100644
--- a/crates/openfang-kernel/src/kernel.rs
+++ b/crates/openfang-kernel/src/kernel.rs
@@ -4310,7 +4310,10 @@ impl OpenFangKernel {
         use crate::heartbeat::{check_agents, is_quiet_hours, HeartbeatConfig, RecoveryTracker};
 
         let kernel = Arc::clone(self);
-        let config = HeartbeatConfig::default();
+        let config = HeartbeatConfig {
+            default_timeout_secs: self.config.heartbeat.default_timeout_secs,
+            ..HeartbeatConfig::default()
+        };
         let interval_secs = config.check_interval_secs;
         let recovery_tracker = RecoveryTracker::new();
 
diff --git a/crates/openfang-types/src/config.rs b/crates/openfang-types/src/config.rs
index 71748eb0..e84ced94 100644
--- a/crates/openfang-types/src/config.rs
+++ b/crates/openfang-types/src/config.rs
@@ -1099,6 +1099,30 @@ pub struct KernelConfig {
     /// Defaults to `~/.openfang/workflows`. Set to empty string to disable.
     #[serde(default)]
     pub workflows_dir: Option<PathBuf>,
+    /// Heartbeat monitor settings.
+    #[serde(default)]
+    pub heartbeat: HeartbeatSettings,
+}
+
+/// Heartbeat monitor settings exposed in `[heartbeat]` config section.
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize)]
+pub struct HeartbeatSettings {
+    /// Seconds of inactivity before a reactive agent is marked as unresponsive.
+    /// Default: 180. Set higher to prevent idle hands from being marked as crashed.
+    #[serde(default = "default_heartbeat_timeout")]
+    pub default_timeout_secs: u64,
+}
+
+fn default_heartbeat_timeout() -> u64 {
+    180
+}
+
+impl Default for HeartbeatSettings {
+    fn default() -> Self {
+        Self {
+            default_timeout_secs: default_heartbeat_timeout(),
+        }
+    }
 }
 
 /// Dashboard authentication (username/password login).
@@ -1308,6 +1332,7 @@ impl Default for KernelConfig {
             oauth: OAuthConfig::default(),
             auth: AuthConfig::default(),
             workflows_dir: None,
+            heartbeat: HeartbeatSettings::default(),
         }
     }
 }
@@ -4005,4 +4030,37 @@ mod tests {
         let config: SlackConfig = toml::from_str("unfurl_links = true").unwrap();
         assert!(config.unfurl_links);
     }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_heartbeat_settings_default() {
+        let settings = HeartbeatSettings::default();
+        assert_eq!(settings.default_timeout_secs, 180);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_heartbeat_settings_deserialization() {
+        let toml_str = r#"default_timeout_secs = 600"#;
+        let settings: HeartbeatSettings = toml::from_str(toml_str).unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(settings.default_timeout_secs, 600);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_heartbeat_settings_omitted_uses_default() {
+        // When [heartbeat] section is omitted entirely, KernelConfig should use defaults
+        let toml_str = r#"
+            log_level = "debug"
+        "#;
+        let config: KernelConfig = toml::from_str(toml_str).unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(config.heartbeat.default_timeout_secs, 180);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_heartbeat_settings_in_kernel_config() {
+        let toml_str = r#"
+            [heartbeat]
+            default_timeout_secs = 300
+        "#;
+        let config: KernelConfig = toml::from_str(toml_str).unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(config.heartbeat.default_timeout_secs, 300);
+    }
 }
diff --git a/docs/configuration.md b/docs/configuration.md
index 5e1195ad..2fb27cf8 100644
--- a/docs/configuration.md
+++ b/docs/configuration.md
@@ -1467,6 +1467,22 @@ Configured in agent manifests via `ModelRoutingConfig`:
 | `simple_threshold` | `100` | Token count below which a query is classified as simple. |
 | `complex_threshold` | `500` | Token count above which a query is classified as complex. |
 
+### Heartbeat Monitor
+
+Global heartbeat settings in `[heartbeat]`:
+
+```toml
+[heartbeat]
+# Seconds of inactivity before a reactive agent is marked as unresponsive.
+# Increase this if you have hands that sit idle between infrequent requests.
+# Default: 180
+default_timeout_secs = 300
+```
+
+| Field | Default | Description |
+|-------|---------|-------------|
+| `default_timeout_secs` | `180` | Seconds of inactivity before marking an agent as unresponsive. Per-agent `heartbeat_interval_secs` in autonomous config overrides this. |
+
 ### Autonomous Guardrails (per-agent manifest)
 
 Configured in agent manifests via `AutonomousConfig`: