diff --git a/packages/engine/src/services/chunkEncoder.test.ts b/packages/engine/src/services/chunkEncoder.test.ts
index 4300e87a5..5b0091639 100644
--- a/packages/engine/src/services/chunkEncoder.test.ts
+++ b/packages/engine/src/services/chunkEncoder.test.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,93 @@
-import { describe, it, expect, vi } from "vitest";
+import { EventEmitter } from "node:events";
+import { mkdirSync, mkdtempSync, rmSync, writeFileSync } from "node:fs";
+import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
+import { join } from "node:path";
+import { afterEach, describe, it, expect, vi } from "vitest";
 import { ENCODER_PRESETS, getEncoderPreset, buildEncoderArgs } from "./chunkEncoder.js";
 
+const TINY_PNG = Buffer.from(
+  "iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAIAAAACCAIAAAD91JpzAAAACXBIWXMAAAABAAAAAQBPJcTWAAAAEElEQVR4nGP8wwACLGCSAQANBAECv1AVswAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==",
+  "base64",
+);
+
+const tempDirs: string[] = [];
+
+afterEach(() => {
+  for (const dir of tempDirs.splice(0)) {
+    rmSync(dir, { recursive: true, force: true });
+  }
+  vi.resetModules();
+  vi.doUnmock("child_process");
+  vi.useRealTimers();
+});
+
+function createFrameFixture(): { root: string; framesDir: string } {
+  const root = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), "hf-chunk-encoder-"));
+  tempDirs.push(root);
+  const framesDir = join(root, "frames");
+  mkdirSync(framesDir);
+  for (let i = 1; i <= 2; i++) {
+    writeFileSync(join(framesDir, `frame_${String(i).padStart(6, "0")}.png`), TINY_PNG);
+  }
+  return { root, framesDir };
+}
+
+const tinyEncodeOptions = {
+  fps: { num: 30, den: 1 },
+  width: 2,
+  height: 2,
+  codec: "h264" as const,
+  preset: "ultrafast",
+  quality: 28,
+  pixelFormat: "yuv420p",
+  useGpu: false,
+};
+
+function encodeTimeoutMessage(timeoutMs: number): string {
+  return `FFmpeg killed after exceeding ffmpegEncodeTimeout (${timeoutMs} ms)`;
+}
+
+type FakeProc = EventEmitter & {
+  stderr: EventEmitter;
+  kill: ReturnType<typeof vi.fn>;
+  killed: boolean;
+};
+
+type SpawnCall = {
+  command: string;
+  args: readonly string[];
+  proc: FakeProc;
+};
+
+function createFakeProc(): FakeProc {
+  const proc = new EventEmitter() as FakeProc;
+  proc.stderr = new EventEmitter();
+  proc.kill = vi.fn(() => {
+    proc.killed = true;
+    return true;
+  });
+  proc.killed = false;
+  return proc;
+}
+
+function createSpawnSpy(): {
+  spawn: (command: string, args: readonly string[]) => FakeProc;
+  calls: SpawnCall[];
+} {
+  const calls: SpawnCall[] = [];
+  const spawn = (command: string, args: readonly string[]): FakeProc => {
+    const proc = createFakeProc();
+    calls.push({ command, args, proc });
+    return proc;
+  };
+  return { spawn, calls };
+}
+
+function emitClose(proc: FakeProc, code: number): void {
+  proc.emit("exit", code);
+  proc.emit("close", code);
+}
+
 describe("ENCODER_PRESETS", () => {
   it("has draft, standard, and high presets", () => {
     expect(ENCODER_PRESETS).toHaveProperty("draft");
@@ -26,6 +113,248 @@ describe("ENCODER_PRESETS", () => {
   });
 });
 
+describe("encodeFramesFromDir ffmpegEncodeTimeout", () => {
+  it("kills ffmpeg when config timeout elapses", async () => {
+    vi.useFakeTimers();
+    const { spawn, calls } = createSpawnSpy();
+    vi.resetModules();
+    vi.doMock("child_process", () => ({ spawn }));
+
+    const { encodeFramesFromDir } = await import("./chunkEncoder.js");
+    const { root, framesDir } = createFrameFixture();
+
+    const encodePromise = encodeFramesFromDir(
+      framesDir,
+      "frame_%06d.png",
+      join(root, "timeout.mp4"),
+      tinyEncodeOptions,
+      undefined,
+      { ffmpegEncodeTimeout: 1000 },
+    );
+
+    expect(calls).toHaveLength(1);
+    const proc = calls[0]!.proc;
+    vi.advanceTimersByTime(999);
+    expect(proc.kill).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+
+    vi.advanceTimersByTime(1);
+    expect(proc.kill).toHaveBeenCalledWith("SIGTERM");
+
+    proc.stderr.emit("data", Buffer.from("terminated by timeout\n"));
+    emitClose(proc, 143);
+
+    const result = await encodePromise;
+    expect(result.success).toBe(false);
+    expect(result.error).toContain("FFmpeg exited with code 143");
+    expect(result.error).toContain("terminated by timeout");
+    expect(result.error).toContain(encodeTimeoutMessage(1000));
+  });
+
+  it("keeps non-timeout ffmpeg failures unchanged", async () => {
+    vi.useFakeTimers();
+    const { spawn, calls } = createSpawnSpy();
+    vi.resetModules();
+    vi.doMock("child_process", () => ({ spawn }));
+
+    const { encodeFramesFromDir } = await import("./chunkEncoder.js");
+    const { root, framesDir } = createFrameFixture();
+
+    const encodePromise = encodeFramesFromDir(
+      framesDir,
+      "frame_%06d.png",
+      join(root, "failure.mp4"),
+      tinyEncodeOptions,
+      undefined,
+      { ffmpegEncodeTimeout: 1000 },
+    );
+
+    expect(calls).toHaveLength(1);
+    const proc = calls[0]!.proc;
+    proc.stderr.emit("data", Buffer.from("encoder failed\n"));
+    emitClose(proc, 1);
+
+    const result = await encodePromise;
+    expect(result.success).toBe(false);
+    expect(result.error).toContain("FFmpeg exited with code 1");
+    expect(result.error).toContain("encoder failed");
+    expect(result.error).not.toContain("ffmpegEncodeTimeout");
+  });
+
+  it("uses the default timeout when config is omitted", async () => {
+    vi.useFakeTimers();
+    const { spawn, calls } = createSpawnSpy();
+    vi.resetModules();
+    vi.doMock("child_process", () => ({ spawn }));
+
+    const { encodeFramesFromDir } = await import("./chunkEncoder.js");
+    const { root, framesDir } = createFrameFixture();
+
+    const encodePromise = encodeFramesFromDir(
+      framesDir,
+      "frame_%06d.png",
+      join(root, "default.mp4"),
+      tinyEncodeOptions,
+    );
+
+    expect(calls).toHaveLength(1);
+    const proc = calls[0]!.proc;
+    vi.advanceTimersByTime(599_999);
+    expect(proc.kill).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+
+    emitClose(proc, 0);
+
+    const result = await encodePromise;
+    expect(result.success).toBe(true);
+    expect(result.framesEncoded).toBe(2);
+    expect(result.fileSize).toBe(0);
+  });
+});
+
+describe("encodeFramesChunkedConcat ffmpegEncodeTimeout", () => {
+  it("passes config timeout to per-chunk encodes", async () => {
+    vi.useFakeTimers();
+    const { spawn, calls } = createSpawnSpy();
+    vi.resetModules();
+    vi.doMock("child_process", () => ({ spawn }));
+
+    const { encodeFramesChunkedConcat } = await import("./chunkEncoder.js");
+    const { root, framesDir } = createFrameFixture();
+
+    const encodePromise = encodeFramesChunkedConcat(
+      framesDir,
+      "frame_%06d.png",
+      join(root, "chunked.mp4"),
+      tinyEncodeOptions,
+      30,
+      undefined,
+      { ffmpegEncodeTimeout: 1000 },
+    );
+
+    expect(calls).toHaveLength(1);
+    const proc = calls[0]!.proc;
+    vi.advanceTimersByTime(999);
+    expect(proc.kill).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+
+    vi.advanceTimersByTime(1);
+    expect(proc.kill).toHaveBeenCalledWith("SIGTERM");
+
+    proc.stderr.emit("data", Buffer.from("chunk timeout\n"));
+    emitClose(proc, 143);
+
+    const result = await encodePromise;
+    expect(result.success).toBe(false);
+    expect(result.error).toContain("Chunk 0 encode failed");
+    expect(result.error).toContain("chunk timeout");
+    expect(result.error).toContain(encodeTimeoutMessage(1000));
+  });
+
+  it("keeps non-timeout chunk failures unchanged", async () => {
+    vi.useFakeTimers();
+    const { spawn, calls } = createSpawnSpy();
+    vi.resetModules();
+    vi.doMock("child_process", () => ({ spawn }));
+
+    const { encodeFramesChunkedConcat } = await import("./chunkEncoder.js");
+    const { root, framesDir } = createFrameFixture();
+
+    const encodePromise = encodeFramesChunkedConcat(
+      framesDir,
+      "frame_%06d.png",
+      join(root, "chunked-failure.mp4"),
+      tinyEncodeOptions,
+      30,
+      undefined,
+      { ffmpegEncodeTimeout: 1000 },
+    );
+
+    expect(calls).toHaveLength(1);
+    const proc = calls[0]!.proc;
+    proc.stderr.emit("data", Buffer.from("chunk failed\n"));
+    emitClose(proc, 1);
+
+    const result = await encodePromise;
+    expect(result.success).toBe(false);
+    expect(result.error).toBe("Chunk 0 encode failed: chunk failed\n");
+    expect(result.error).not.toContain("ffmpegEncodeTimeout");
+  });
+
+  it("kills concat ffmpeg when config timeout elapses", async () => {
+    vi.useFakeTimers();
+    const { spawn, calls } = createSpawnSpy();
+    vi.resetModules();
+    vi.doMock("child_process", () => ({ spawn }));
+
+    const { encodeFramesChunkedConcat } = await import("./chunkEncoder.js");
+    const { root, framesDir } = createFrameFixture();
+
+    const encodePromise = encodeFramesChunkedConcat(
+      framesDir,
+      "frame_%06d.png",
+      join(root, "concat-timeout.mp4"),
+      tinyEncodeOptions,
+      30,
+      undefined,
+      { ffmpegEncodeTimeout: 1000 },
+    );
+
+    expect(calls).toHaveLength(1);
+    emitClose(calls[0]!.proc, 0);
+    await Promise.resolve();
+
+    expect(calls).toHaveLength(2);
+    const concatProc = calls[1]!.proc;
+    vi.advanceTimersByTime(999);
+    expect(concatProc.kill).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+
+    vi.advanceTimersByTime(1);
+    expect(concatProc.kill).toHaveBeenCalledWith("SIGTERM");
+
+    concatProc.stderr.emit("data", Buffer.from("concat timeout\n"));
+    emitClose(concatProc, 143);
+
+    const result = await encodePromise;
+    expect(result.success).toBe(false);
+    expect(result.error).toContain("Chunk concat failed");
+    expect(result.error).toContain("concat timeout");
+    expect(result.error).toContain(encodeTimeoutMessage(1000));
+  });
+
+  it("uses the default timeout for per-chunk encodes when config is omitted", async () => {
+    vi.useFakeTimers();
+    const { spawn, calls } = createSpawnSpy();
+    vi.resetModules();
+    vi.doMock("child_process", () => ({ spawn }));
+
+    const { encodeFramesChunkedConcat } = await import("./chunkEncoder.js");
+    const { root, framesDir } = createFrameFixture();
+
+    const encodePromise = encodeFramesChunkedConcat(
+      framesDir,
+      "frame_%06d.png",
+      join(root, "chunked-default.mp4"),
+      tinyEncodeOptions,
+      30,
+    );
+
+    expect(calls).toHaveLength(1);
+    const chunkProc = calls[0]!.proc;
+    vi.advanceTimersByTime(599_999);
+    expect(chunkProc.kill).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+
+    emitClose(chunkProc, 0);
+    await Promise.resolve();
+
+    expect(calls).toHaveLength(2);
+    const concatProc = calls[1]!.proc;
+    emitClose(concatProc, 0);
+
+    const result = await encodePromise;
+    expect(result.success).toBe(true);
+    expect(result.framesEncoded).toBe(2);
+    expect(result.fileSize).toBe(0);
+  });
+});
+
 describe("getEncoderPreset", () => {
   it("returns h264 with yuv420p for mp4 format", () => {
     const preset = getEncoderPreset("standard", "mp4");
diff --git a/packages/engine/src/services/chunkEncoder.ts b/packages/engine/src/services/chunkEncoder.ts
index e5f1f3a4d..fb11da468 100644
--- a/packages/engine/src/services/chunkEncoder.ts
+++ b/packages/engine/src/services/chunkEncoder.ts
@@ -39,6 +39,11 @@ export interface EncoderPreset {
   hdr?: { transfer: HdrTransfer };
 }
 
+function appendEncodeTimeoutMessage(error: string, timedOut: boolean, timeoutMs: number): string {
+  if (!timedOut) return error;
+  return `${error}\nFFmpeg killed after exceeding ffmpegEncodeTimeout (${timeoutMs} ms)`;
+}
+
 /**
  * Get encoder preset for a given quality and output format.
  * WebM uses VP9 with alpha-capable pixel format; MP4 uses h264 (or h265 for HDR);
@@ -428,7 +433,9 @@ export async function encodeFramesFromDir(
     }
 
     const encodeTimeout = config?.ffmpegEncodeTimeout ?? DEFAULT_CONFIG.ffmpegEncodeTimeout;
+    let timedOut = false;
     const timer = setTimeout(() => {
+      timedOut = true;
       ffmpeg.kill("SIGTERM");
     }, encodeTimeout);
 
@@ -440,7 +447,7 @@ export async function encodeFramesFromDir(
       clearTimeout(timer);
       if (signal) signal.removeEventListener("abort", onAbort);
       const durationMs = Date.now() - startTime;
-      if (signal?.aborted) {
+      if (signal?.aborted && !timedOut) {
         resolve({
           success: false,
           outputPath,
@@ -452,14 +459,18 @@ export async function encodeFramesFromDir(
         return;
       }
 
-      if (code !== 0) {
+      if (code !== 0 || timedOut) {
         resolve({
           success: false,
           outputPath,
           durationMs,
           framesEncoded: 0,
           fileSize: 0,
-          error: formatFfmpegError(code, stderr),
+          error: appendEncodeTimeoutMessage(
+            formatFfmpegError(code, stderr),
+            timedOut,
+            encodeTimeout,
+          ),
         });
         return;
       }
@@ -477,7 +488,7 @@ export async function encodeFramesFromDir(
         durationMs: Date.now() - startTime,
         framesEncoded: 0,
         fileSize: 0,
-        error: `[FFmpeg] ${err.message}`,
+        error: appendEncodeTimeoutMessage(`[FFmpeg] ${err.message}`, timedOut, encodeTimeout),
       });
     });
   });
@@ -490,6 +501,7 @@ export async function encodeFramesChunkedConcat(
   options: EncoderOptions,
   chunkSizeFrames: number,
   signal?: AbortSignal,
+  config?: Partial<Pick<EngineConfig, "ffmpegEncodeTimeout">>,
 ): Promise<EncodeResult> {
   const start = Date.now();
   const files = readdirSync(framesDir)
@@ -548,15 +560,39 @@ export async function encodeFramesChunkedConcat(
       const ffmpeg = spawn(getFfmpegBinary(), args);
       trackChildProcess(ffmpeg);
       let stderr = "";
+      const encodeTimeout = config?.ffmpegEncodeTimeout ?? DEFAULT_CONFIG.ffmpegEncodeTimeout;
+      let timedOut = false;
+      const timer = setTimeout(() => {
+        timedOut = true;
+        ffmpeg.kill("SIGTERM");
+      }, encodeTimeout);
       ffmpeg.stderr.on("data", (d) => {
         stderr += d.toString();
       });
       ffmpeg.on("close", (code) => {
-        if (code === 0) resolve({ success: true });
-        else resolve({ success: false, error: `Chunk ${i} encode failed: ${stderr.slice(-400)}` });
+        clearTimeout(timer);
+        if (code === 0 && !timedOut) resolve({ success: true });
+        else {
+          resolve({
+            success: false,
+            error: appendEncodeTimeoutMessage(
+              `Chunk ${i} encode failed: ${stderr.slice(-400)}`,
+              timedOut,
+              encodeTimeout,
+            ),
+          });
+        }
       });
       ffmpeg.on("error", (err) => {
-        resolve({ success: false, error: `Chunk ${i} encode error: ${err.message}` });
+        clearTimeout(timer);
+        resolve({
+          success: false,
+          error: appendEncodeTimeoutMessage(
+            `Chunk ${i} encode error: ${err.message}`,
+            timedOut,
+            encodeTimeout,
+          ),
+        });
       });
     });
     if (!chunkResult.success) {
@@ -592,15 +628,39 @@ export async function encodeFramesChunkedConcat(
     const ffmpeg = spawn(getFfmpegBinary(), concatArgs);
     trackChildProcess(ffmpeg);
     let stderr = "";
+    const encodeTimeout = config?.ffmpegEncodeTimeout ?? DEFAULT_CONFIG.ffmpegEncodeTimeout;
+    let timedOut = false;
+    const timer = setTimeout(() => {
+      timedOut = true;
+      ffmpeg.kill("SIGTERM");
+    }, encodeTimeout);
     ffmpeg.stderr.on("data", (d) => {
       stderr += d.toString();
     });
     ffmpeg.on("close", (code) => {
-      if (code === 0) resolve({ success: true });
-      else resolve({ success: false, error: `Chunk concat failed: ${stderr.slice(-400)}` });
+      clearTimeout(timer);
+      if (code === 0 && !timedOut) resolve({ success: true });
+      else {
+        resolve({
+          success: false,
+          error: appendEncodeTimeoutMessage(
+            `Chunk concat failed: ${stderr.slice(-400)}`,
+            timedOut,
+            encodeTimeout,
+          ),
+        });
+      }
     });
     ffmpeg.on("error", (err) => {
-      resolve({ success: false, error: `Chunk concat error: ${err.message}` });
+      clearTimeout(timer);
+      resolve({
+        success: false,
+        error: appendEncodeTimeoutMessage(
+          `Chunk concat error: ${err.message}`,
+          timedOut,
+          encodeTimeout,
+        ),
+      });
     });
   });
 
diff --git a/packages/producer/src/services/render/stages/encodeStage.test.ts b/packages/producer/src/services/render/stages/encodeStage.test.ts
index f2ef4ac1a..728116f79 100644
--- a/packages/producer/src/services/render/stages/encodeStage.test.ts
+++ b/packages/producer/src/services/render/stages/encodeStage.test.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,116 @@
-import { describe, expect, it } from "bun:test";
+import { mkdirSync, mkdtempSync, rmSync, writeFileSync } from "node:fs";
+import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
+import { join } from "node:path";
+import { afterEach, describe, expect, it, mock } from "bun:test";
 import { buildGifPalettegenArgs, buildGifPaletteuseArgs } from "./gifEncodeArgs.js";
+import type { EncodeStageInput } from "./encodeStage.js";
+
+const resolvedEngineConfig = { ffmpegEncodeTimeout: 12_345 };
+const encodeFramesFromDirMock = mock(
+  async (_framesDir: string, _framePattern: string, outputPath: string) => ({
+    success: true,
+    outputPath,
+    durationMs: 1,
+    framesEncoded: 1,
+    fileSize: 1,
+  }),
+);
+const encodeFramesChunkedConcatMock = mock(
+  async (_framesDir: string, _framePattern: string, outputPath: string) => ({
+    success: true,
+    outputPath,
+    durationMs: 1,
+    framesEncoded: 1,
+    fileSize: 1,
+  }),
+);
+const runFfmpegMock = mock(async () => ({
+  success: true,
+  exitCode: 0,
+  stderr: "",
+  durationMs: 1,
+}));
+
+mock.module("@hyperframes/engine", () => ({
+  DEFAULT_CONFIG: { ffmpegEncodeTimeout: 600_000 },
+  encodeFramesChunkedConcat: encodeFramesChunkedConcatMock,
+  encodeFramesFromDir: encodeFramesFromDirMock,
+  formatFfmpegError: (code: number | null, stderr: string) => `${String(code)} ${stderr}`,
+  getEncoderPreset: () => ({
+    codec: "h264",
+    preset: "ultrafast",
+    quality: 28,
+    pixelFormat: "yuv420p",
+  }),
+  resolveConfig: () => resolvedEngineConfig,
+  runFfmpeg: runFfmpegMock,
+}));
+
+const tempDirs: string[] = [];
+
+afterEach(() => {
+  encodeFramesFromDirMock.mockClear();
+  encodeFramesChunkedConcatMock.mockClear();
+  runFfmpegMock.mockClear();
+  for (const dir of tempDirs.splice(0)) {
+    rmSync(dir, { recursive: true, force: true });
+  }
+});
+
+function createFramesDir(ext: "jpg" | "png"): { root: string; framesDir: string } {
+  const root = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), "hf-encode-stage-"));
+  tempDirs.push(root);
+  const framesDir = join(root, "frames");
+  mkdirSync(framesDir);
+  writeFileSync(join(framesDir, `frame_000001.${ext}`), "stub");
+  return { root, framesDir };
+}
+
+function makeInput(overrides: Partial<EncodeStageInput> = {}): EncodeStageInput {
+  const paths = createFramesDir("jpg");
+  return {
+    job: {
+      id: "encode-stage-config-test",
+      config: {
+        fps: { num: 30, den: 1 },
+        quality: "draft",
+      },
+      status: "queued",
+      progress: 0,
+      currentStage: "queued",
+      createdAt: new Date(0),
+      duration: 1,
+    },
+    log: {
+      error: () => {},
+      warn: () => {},
+      info: () => {},
+      debug: () => {},
+    },
+    outputPath: join(paths.root, "out.mp4"),
+    framesDir: paths.framesDir,
+    videoOnlyPath: join(paths.root, "video-only.mp4"),
+    width: 2,
+    height: 2,
+    needsAlpha: false,
+    hasAudio: false,
+    isPngSequence: false,
+    isGif: false,
+    preset: {
+      codec: "h264",
+      preset: "ultrafast",
+      quality: 28,
+      pixelFormat: "yuv420p",
+    },
+    effectiveQuality: 28,
+    effectiveBitrate: undefined,
+    enableChunkedEncode: false,
+    chunkedEncodeSize: 30,
+    abortSignal: undefined,
+    assertNotAborted: () => {},
+    ...overrides,
+  };
+}
 
 describe("gif encode args", () => {
   const input = {
@@ -41,3 +152,55 @@ describe("gif encode args", () => {
     ]);
   });
 });
+
+describe("runEncodeStage config plumbing", () => {
+  it("prefers engine config supplied by the orchestrator", async () => {
+    const { runEncodeStage } = await import("./encodeStage.js");
+    const orchestratorEngineConfig = { ffmpegEncodeTimeout: 54_321 };
+
+    await runEncodeStage(makeInput({ engineConfig: orchestratorEngineConfig }));
+
+    expect(encodeFramesFromDirMock).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    expect(encodeFramesFromDirMock.mock.calls[0]?.[5]).toBe(orchestratorEngineConfig);
+  });
+
+  it("passes resolved engine config to encodeFramesFromDir", async () => {
+    const { runEncodeStage } = await import("./encodeStage.js");
+
+    await runEncodeStage(makeInput());
+
+    expect(encodeFramesFromDirMock).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    expect(encodeFramesFromDirMock.mock.calls[0]?.[5]).toBe(resolvedEngineConfig);
+  });
+
+  it("passes resolved engine config to encodeFramesChunkedConcat", async () => {
+    const { runEncodeStage } = await import("./encodeStage.js");
+
+    await runEncodeStage(makeInput({ enableChunkedEncode: true }));
+
+    expect(encodeFramesChunkedConcatMock).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    expect(encodeFramesChunkedConcatMock.mock.calls[0]?.[6]).toBe(resolvedEngineConfig);
+  });
+
+  it("uses resolved engine config for GIF ffmpeg timeouts", async () => {
+    const { runEncodeStage } = await import("./encodeStage.js");
+    const paths = createFramesDir("jpg");
+
+    await runEncodeStage(
+      makeInput({
+        framesDir: paths.framesDir,
+        outputPath: join(paths.root, "out.gif"),
+        videoOnlyPath: join(paths.root, "video-only.mp4"),
+        isGif: true,
+      }),
+    );
+
+    expect(runFfmpegMock).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2);
+    expect(runFfmpegMock.mock.calls[0]?.[1]?.timeout).toBe(
+      resolvedEngineConfig.ffmpegEncodeTimeout,
+    );
+    expect(runFfmpegMock.mock.calls[1]?.[1]?.timeout).toBe(
+      resolvedEngineConfig.ffmpegEncodeTimeout,
+    );
+  });
+});
diff --git a/packages/producer/src/services/render/stages/encodeStage.ts b/packages/producer/src/services/render/stages/encodeStage.ts
index c4ef22b7f..2787cac45 100644
--- a/packages/producer/src/services/render/stages/encodeStage.ts
+++ b/packages/producer/src/services/render/stages/encodeStage.ts
@@ -31,12 +31,13 @@
 import { copyFileSync, existsSync, mkdirSync, readdirSync, statSync } from "node:fs";
 import { dirname, join } from "node:path";
 import {
-  DEFAULT_CONFIG,
   encodeFramesChunkedConcat,
   encodeFramesFromDir,
   formatFfmpegError,
   getEncoderPreset,
+  resolveConfig,
   runFfmpeg,
+  type EngineConfig,
   type EncodeResult,
 } from "@hyperframes/engine";
 import type { Fps } from "@hyperframes/core";
@@ -83,6 +84,8 @@ export interface EncodeStageInput {
   /** Producer config — enables the chunked-concat encoder when on. */
   enableChunkedEncode: boolean;
   chunkedEncodeSize: number;
+  /** Already-resolved engine config from the orchestrator; direct callers fall back below. */
+  engineConfig?: Pick<EngineConfig, "ffmpegEncodeTimeout">;
   abortSignal: AbortSignal | undefined;
   assertNotAborted: () => void;
   onProgress?: ProgressCallback;
@@ -241,6 +244,8 @@ export async function runEncodeStage(input: EncodeStageInput): Promise<EncodeSta
     return { encodeMs: Date.now() - stage5Start };
   }
 
+  const engineCfg = input.engineConfig ?? job.config.producerConfig ?? resolveConfig();
+
   if (isGif) {
     // ── Stage 5 (gif): two-pass palette encode ───────────────────────
     updateJobStatus(job, "encoding", "Encoding GIF", 75, onProgress);
@@ -254,7 +259,7 @@ export async function runEncodeStage(input: EncodeStageInput): Promise<EncodeSta
       loop,
       palettePath: join(dirname(videoOnlyPath), "gif-palette.png"),
       signal: abortSignal,
-      timeout: job.config.producerConfig?.ffmpegEncodeTimeout ?? DEFAULT_CONFIG.ffmpegEncodeTimeout,
+      timeout: engineCfg.ffmpegEncodeTimeout,
     });
     assertNotAborted();
     if (!encodeResult.success) {
@@ -293,8 +298,16 @@ export async function runEncodeStage(input: EncodeStageInput): Promise<EncodeSta
         encoderOpts,
         chunkedEncodeSize,
         abortSignal,
+        engineCfg,
       )
-    : await encodeFramesFromDir(framesDir, framePattern, videoOnlyPath, encoderOpts, abortSignal);
+    : await encodeFramesFromDir(
+        framesDir,
+        framePattern,
+        videoOnlyPath,
+        encoderOpts,
+        abortSignal,
+        engineCfg,
+      );
   assertNotAborted();
 
   if (!encodeResult.success) {
diff --git a/packages/producer/src/services/renderOrchestrator.ts b/packages/producer/src/services/renderOrchestrator.ts
index d7f703131..31ff18d4f 100644
--- a/packages/producer/src/services/renderOrchestrator.ts
+++ b/packages/producer/src/services/renderOrchestrator.ts
@@ -2254,6 +2254,7 @@ export async function executeRenderJob(
               effectiveBitrate,
               enableChunkedEncode,
               chunkedEncodeSize,
+              engineConfig: cfg,
               abortSignal,
               assertNotAborted,
               onProgress,