diff --git a/scripts/whatsapp-bridge/bridge.js b/scripts/whatsapp-bridge/bridge.js
index 9ff64471e56..5723d8b543b 100644
--- a/scripts/whatsapp-bridge/bridge.js
+++ b/scripts/whatsapp-bridge/bridge.js
@@ -57,11 +57,28 @@ const REPLY_PREFIX = process.env.WHATSAPP_REPLY_PREFIX === undefined
   : process.env.WHATSAPP_REPLY_PREFIX.replace(/\\n/g, '\n');
 const MAX_MESSAGE_LENGTH = parseInt(process.env.WHATSAPP_MAX_MESSAGE_LENGTH || '4096', 10);
 const CHUNK_DELAY_MS = parseInt(process.env.WHATSAPP_CHUNK_DELAY_MS || '300', 10);
+// Per-call timeout for sock.sendMessage(). Baileys occasionally hangs forever
+// when uploading media to WhatsApp servers (and, less often, on text sends),
+// which pins the bridge's HTTP handler until the upstream aiohttp timeout
+// fires. Fail fast instead so the gateway can surface a real error and retry.
+const SEND_TIMEOUT_MS = parseInt(process.env.WHATSAPP_SEND_TIMEOUT_MS || '60000', 10);
 
 function sleep(ms) {
   return new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, ms));
 }
 
+function sendWithTimeout(chatId, payload, timeoutMs = SEND_TIMEOUT_MS) {
+  let timer;
+  const timeoutPromise = new Promise((_, reject) => {
+    timer = setTimeout(
+      () => reject(new Error(`sendMessage timed out after ${timeoutMs / 1000}s`)),
+      timeoutMs,
+    );
+  });
+  return Promise.race([sock.sendMessage(chatId, payload), timeoutPromise])
+    .finally(() => clearTimeout(timer));
+}
+
 function formatOutgoingMessage(message) {
   // In bot mode, messages come from a different number so the prefix is
   // redundant — the sender identity is already clear.  Only prepend in
@@ -487,7 +504,7 @@ app.post('/send', async (req, res) => {
     const chunks = splitLongMessage(formatOutgoingMessage(message));
     const messageIds = [];
     for (let i = 0; i < chunks.length; i += 1) {
-      const sent = await sock.sendMessage(chatId, { text: chunks[i] });
+      const sent = await sendWithTimeout(chatId, { text: chunks[i] });
       trackSentMessageId(sent);
       if (sent?.key?.id) messageIds.push(sent.key.id);
       if (chunks.length > 1 && i < chunks.length - 1) {
@@ -521,10 +538,10 @@ app.post('/edit', async (req, res) => {
     const chunks = splitLongMessage(formatOutgoingMessage(message));
     const messageIds = [];
 
-    await sock.sendMessage(chatId, { text: chunks[0], edit: key });
+    await sendWithTimeout(chatId, { text: chunks[0], edit: key });
     if (chunks.length > 1) {
       for (let i = 1; i < chunks.length; i += 1) {
-        const sent = await sock.sendMessage(chatId, { text: chunks[i] });
+        const sent = await sendWithTimeout(chatId, { text: chunks[i] });
         trackSentMessageId(sent);
         if (sent?.key?.id) messageIds.push(sent.key.id);
         if (i < chunks.length - 1) {
@@ -625,7 +642,7 @@ app.post('/send-media', async (req, res) => {
         break;
     }
 
-    const sent = await sock.sendMessage(chatId, msgPayload);
+    const sent = await sendWithTimeout(chatId, msgPayload);
 
     trackSentMessageId(sent);