diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 0b6f2e9..7933138 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -90,7 +90,7 @@ All settings live in `appsettings.json`.
 | `App:AllowedOrigins` | `[]` | Browser origins allowed to call the server. Requests carrying any other `Origin` header are rejected. |
 | `App:AllowUnauthenticated` | `false` | Allow listening beyond localhost without `AuthToken`, for when a proxy in front authenticates. |
 | `App:MaxRows` | `1000` | Maximum rows returned per query, and tables per `list_tables`. Response includes `"truncated": true` when the limit is hit. |
-| `App:QueryTimeoutSeconds` | `30` | Per-query timeout in seconds. Also how long a query waits for a free slot when `MaxConcurrentQueries` are already running. |
+| `App:QueryTimeoutSeconds` | `30` | Per-query timeout in seconds; a query that runs longer fails with "Query timed out after N s". Also how long a query waits for a free slot when `MaxConcurrentQueries` are already running. |
 | `App:MaxValueLength` | `10000` | Longest string returned for a single value, in characters. Longer text and binary values are cut off and marked `… [truncated: N characters in total]`. |
 | `App:MaxResultBytes` | `4000000` | Approximate size limit for one query's result. Rows stop being added once it's reached, and the response says `"truncated": true`. |
 | `App:MaxConcurrentQueries` | `8` | Queries that may run at once against each database. Further queries wait up to `QueryTimeoutSeconds`, then fail with "Database 'x' is busy". |
diff --git a/Services/QueryService.cs b/Services/QueryService.cs
index 575546a..ffd7d25 100644
--- a/Services/QueryService.cs
+++ b/Services/QueryService.cs
@@ -300,6 +300,10 @@ private async Task<Result<T, string>> RunWithRetryAsync<T>(DbConfig db, Func<Fun
             {
                 await Task.Delay(OracleRetryDelays[attempt], ct);
             }
+            catch (Exception ex) when (IsTimeout(ex))
+            {
+                return new(default, $"Query timed out after {_queryTimeoutSeconds} s (App:QueryTimeoutSeconds). Narrow it with a WHERE clause or an index, or ask for fewer rows.");
+            }
             catch (Exception ex)
             {
                 return new(default, $"Query error: {ex.Message}");
@@ -307,6 +311,18 @@ private async Task<Result<T, string>> RunWithRetryAsync<T>(DbConfig db, Func<Fun
         }
     }
 
+    // How each driver reports a command that ran past CommandTimeout. Cancellation the
+    // caller asked for is rethrown before this is reached, so a cancel here is a timeout.
+    private static bool IsTimeout(Exception ex) => ex switch
+    {
+        OperationCanceledException or TimeoutException => true,
+        Npgsql.NpgsqlException { InnerException: TimeoutException } => true,
+        Microsoft.Data.SqlClient.SqlException { Number: -2 } => true,
+        MySqlException { ErrorCode: MySqlErrorCode.CommandTimeoutExpired } => true,
+        OracleException { Number: 1013 } => true,
+        _ => false,
+    };
+
     private async Task<Result<T, string>> RunOnceAsync<T>(DbConfig db, Func<Func<DbCommand>, Task<T>> work, CancellationToken ct)
     {
         await using var conn = db.GetFactory().CreateConnection()!;
diff --git a/tests/SqlMcp.Tests/QueryServiceIntegrationTests.cs b/tests/SqlMcp.Tests/QueryServiceIntegrationTests.cs
index 6256963..3126136 100644
--- a/tests/SqlMcp.Tests/QueryServiceIntegrationTests.cs
+++ b/tests/SqlMcp.Tests/QueryServiceIntegrationTests.cs
@@ -765,6 +765,21 @@ public async Task Returns_awkward_values_as_json(DbProvider provider, string sql
         Assert.Contains(expected, json);
     }
 
+    [SkippableTheory]
+    [InlineData(DbProvider.Postgres, "SELECT pg_sleep(10) AS s")]
+    [InlineData(DbProvider.MySql, "SELECT COUNT(*) AS n FROM information_schema.columns a, information_schema.columns b, information_schema.columns c")]
+    [InlineData(DbProvider.SqlServer, "WITH n AS (SELECT CAST(1 AS bigint) AS i UNION ALL SELECT i + 1 FROM n WHERE i < 100000000) SELECT MAX(i) AS m FROM n OPTION (MAXRECURSION 0)")]
+    [InlineData(DbProvider.Oracle, "SELECT COUNT(*) AS n FROM all_objects a, all_objects b, all_objects c")]
+    public async Task Says_when_a_query_ran_past_the_timeout(DbProvider provider, string sql)
+    {
+        var db = RequireDb(provider);
+        var svc = Service(db, settings: new() { ["App:QueryTimeoutSeconds"] = "1" });
+
+        var result = await svc.ExecuteAsync(new("test", sql));
+
+        Assert.Equal("Query timed out after 1 s (App:QueryTimeoutSeconds). Narrow it with a WHERE clause or an index, or ask for fewer rows.", result.Error);
+    }
+
     [SkippableFact]
     public async Task Rejects_queries_beyond_the_concurrency_limit()
     {