diff --git a/AGENTS.md b/AGENTS.md
index 060cd6d..9ca6408 100644
--- a/AGENTS.md
+++ b/AGENTS.md
@@ -221,6 +221,12 @@ unit tests (24) + box integration tests (2).
   backends) — do not drop one for the other. Echoing is console-only; the
   returned content is identical either way. Integration tests already force
   streaming; see it with `-s` on the box.
+- `codegen.idle_warn` (default 60s) / `codegen.idle_timeout` (default 180s)
+  surface a silent stream: a wedged generation prints a warning at `idle_warn`
+  seconds with no tokens, then raises `CodegenError` (→ graceful stub) at
+  `idle_timeout` — instead of blocking on the 1200s total budget. A streaming
+  stall with zero output usually means the ollama ROCm runner wedged;
+  `sudo systemctl restart ollama` is the recovery.
 
 ### Code principles
 - **No mocking.** The decision engine is always real SemIf; the LLM is always a
diff --git a/config.example.json b/config.example.json
index 3e0d2c1..687c2b1 100644
--- a/config.example.json
+++ b/config.example.json
@@ -13,10 +13,13 @@
   },
   "llm": {"base_url": "http://localhost:11434/v1", "model": "qwen3.5:4b"},
   "codegen": {
-    "_comment": "OpenAI-compatible model that writes runnable skill bodies. Larger/slower than the decision or self-assessment model. No max_tokens cap: qwen38-iq3s reasons extensively (~7 min) before emitting the body; reasoning is filtered automatically. timeout is seconds.",
+    "_comment": "OpenAI-compatible model that writes runnable skill bodies. Larger/slower than the decision or self-assessment model. No max_tokens cap: qwen38-iq3s reasons extensively (~7 min) before emitting the body; reasoning is filtered automatically. timeout is total seconds; idle_warn/idle_timeout surface a silent (wedged) stream in minutes instead of blocking on the total timeout.",
     "base_url": "http://localhost:11434/v1",
     "model": "qwen38-iq3s",
-    "timeout": 1200
+    "timeout": 1200,
+    "stream": false,
+    "idle_warn": 60,
+    "idle_timeout": 180
   },
   "skill_bodies": "data/skills",
   "skills": {
diff --git a/semif_agent/cli.py b/semif_agent/cli.py
index 48c7e38..6e30f1a 100644
--- a/semif_agent/cli.py
+++ b/semif_agent/cli.py
@@ -54,6 +54,8 @@ def build_scheduler(config: dict) -> tuple[Scheduler, dict]:
         model=codegen_cfg.get("model", "qwen38-iq3s"),
         timeout=float(codegen_cfg.get("timeout", 1200.0)),
         stream=bool(codegen_cfg.get("stream", False)),
+        idle_warn=float(codegen_cfg.get("idle_warn", 60.0)),
+        idle_timeout=float(codegen_cfg.get("idle_timeout", 180.0)),
     )
     log = DecisionLog(config.get("log", "data/decisions.jsonl"))
     trace = TraceLog(config.get("trace", "data/runs.jsonl"))
diff --git a/semif_agent/codegen.py b/semif_agent/codegen.py
index 3a53e39..85786b7 100644
--- a/semif_agent/codegen.py
+++ b/semif_agent/codegen.py
@@ -12,6 +12,9 @@ from __future__ import annotations
 
 import ast
 import json
+import select
+import sys
+import time
 import urllib.error
 import urllib.request
 from pathlib import Path
@@ -44,7 +47,10 @@ class CodegenClient:
     With `stream=True` the response is read as an SSE token stream and echoed
     to stdout as it arrives — including the chain-of-thought — so a long
     body write shows live progress. Echoing is console-only; the returned
-    content is identical either way.
+    content is identical either way. A silent stream (no bytes for
+    `idle_warn` seconds) prints a warning, and one that stays silent for
+    `idle_timeout` seconds raises CodegenError instead of blocking on the
+    total timeout — a wedged generation is surfaced in minutes, not ~20.
     """
 
     def __init__(
@@ -53,11 +59,15 @@ class CodegenClient:
         model: str,
         timeout: float = 1200.0,
         stream: bool = False,
+        idle_warn: float = 60.0,
+        idle_timeout: float = 180.0,
     ):
         self.base_url = base_url.rstrip("/")
         self.model = model
         self.timeout = timeout
         self.stream = stream
+        self.idle_warn = idle_warn
+        self.idle_timeout = idle_timeout
 
     def chat(
         self,
@@ -100,34 +110,103 @@ class CodegenClient:
         reasoning (chain-of-thought) is echoed to the console but never part
         of the result. Backends disagree on the field name: ollama streams it
         as `reasoning`, DeepSeek/vllm-style as `reasoning_content`, so read both.
-        """
-        import sys
 
+        Reads are gated by `select` so the socket never blocks-and-times-out:
+        a socket that delivers no bytes for `idle_warn` seconds prints a
+        warning, and `idle_timeout` seconds of silence raises CodegenError.
+        The total wall-clock budget is `self.timeout`, so a slow-but-streaming
+        generation is never cut short. Thresholds <= 0 disable that check. If
+        the underlying socket can't be reached, falls back to a plain blocking
+        read (relying on the outer TimeoutError handling).
+        """
         parts: list[str] = []
-        for raw in response:
-            line = raw.decode("utf-8").strip()
-            if not line.startswith("data:"):
+        sock = self._stream_socket(response)
+        if sock is None:
+            return self._read_stream_blocking(response)
+        start = time.monotonic()
+        last_activity = start
+        warned = False
+        while True:
+            ready, _, _ = select.select([sock], [], [], 1.0)
+            now = time.monotonic()
+            if not ready:
+                idle = now - last_activity
+                if self.idle_warn > 0 and not warned and idle >= self.idle_warn:
+                    sys.stdout.write(
+                        f"\n[codegen] no tokens for {idle:.0f}s — still waiting, "
+                        f"will fail after {self.idle_timeout:.0f}s of silence\n"
+                    )
+                    sys.stdout.flush()
+                    warned = True
+                if self.idle_timeout > 0 and idle >= self.idle_timeout:
+                    raise CodegenError(
+                        f"codegen stream stalled: no tokens for {idle:.0f}s "
+                        f"(idle_timeout={self.idle_timeout:.0f}s)"
+                    )
+                if now - start >= self.timeout:
+                    raise CodegenError(
+                        f"codegen request exceeded {self.timeout:.0f}s total budget"
+                    )
                 continue
-            data = line[len("data:") :].strip()
-            if data == "[DONE]":
-                break
             try:
-                chunk = json.loads(data)
-            except ValueError:
-                continue
-            choice = chunk.get("choices", [{}])[0]
-            delta = choice.get("delta", {}) or {}
-            text = delta.get("content") or ""
-            reasoning = delta.get("reasoning_content") or delta.get("reasoning") or ""
-            if text or reasoning:
-                sys.stdout.write(text + reasoning)
-                sys.stdout.flush()
-            parts.append(text)
+                raw = response.readline()
+            except OSError as exc:
+                raise CodegenError(f"codegen stream read failed: {exc}") from exc
+            if not raw:
+                break
+            last_activity = time.monotonic()
+            if not self._consume_frame(raw.decode("utf-8").strip(), parts):
+                break
         if parts:
             sys.stdout.write("\n")
             sys.stdout.flush()
         return "".join(parts)
 
+    def _read_stream_blocking(self, response) -> str:
+        """Fallback reader when the response socket can't be located."""
+        parts: list[str] = []
+        for raw in response:
+            if not self._consume_frame(raw.decode("utf-8").strip(), parts):
+                break
+        if parts:
+            sys.stdout.write("\n")
+            sys.stdout.flush()
+        return "".join(parts)
+
+    @staticmethod
+    def _consume_frame(line: str, parts: list[str]) -> bool:
+        """Process one SSE line. Returns False on [DONE] (stop reading)."""
+        if not line.startswith("data:"):
+            return True
+        data = line[len("data:") :].strip()
+        if data == "[DONE]":
+            return False
+        try:
+            chunk = json.loads(data)
+        except ValueError:
+            return True
+        choice = chunk.get("choices", [{}])[0]
+        delta = choice.get("delta", {}) or {}
+        text = delta.get("content") or ""
+        reasoning = delta.get("reasoning_content") or delta.get("reasoning") or ""
+        if text or reasoning:
+            sys.stdout.write(text + reasoning)
+            sys.stdout.flush()
+        parts.append(text)
+        return True
+
+    @staticmethod
+    def _stream_socket(response):
+        """Reach the underlying socket across Python-version response shapes."""
+        fp = getattr(response, "fp", response)
+        raw = getattr(fp, "raw", None)
+        sock = getattr(raw, "_sock", None) if raw is not None else None
+        if sock is None:
+            sock = getattr(fp, "sock", None)
+        if sock is None:
+            sock = getattr(response, "sock", None)
+        return sock
+
 
 def build_skill_body_prompt(
     request: Request,
diff --git a/tests/test_codegen.py b/tests/test_codegen.py
index 5c3d277..eabc2c5 100644
--- a/tests/test_codegen.py
+++ b/tests/test_codegen.py
@@ -235,6 +235,23 @@ class _SilentOpenAI(BaseHTTPRequestHandler):
         pass
 
 
+class _StalledStreamOpenAI(BaseHTTPRequestHandler):
+    """Sends response headers then holds the connection with zero body bytes;
+    the streaming client must hit its idle/stall watchdog."""
+
+    def do_POST(self):
+        length = int(self.headers.get("Content-Length") or 0)
+        self.rfile.read(length)
+        self.send_response(200)
+        self.send_header("Content-Type", "text/event-stream")
+        self.end_headers()
+        self.wfile.flush()
+        time.sleep(5)
+
+    def log_message(self, format, *args):
+        pass
+
+
 def test_chat_timeout_raises_codegen_error():
     handler = type("Handler", (_SilentOpenAI,), {})
     httpd = ThreadingHTTPServer(("127.0.0.1", 0), handler)
@@ -252,6 +269,53 @@ def test_chat_timeout_raises_codegen_error():
         httpd.server_close()
 
 
+def test_chat_stream_stall_fails_fast():
+    """A silent stream must fail at idle_timeout, not the total budget."""
+    handler = type("Handler", (_StalledStreamOpenAI,), {})
+    httpd = ThreadingHTTPServer(("127.0.0.1", 0), handler)
+    threading.Thread(target=httpd.serve_forever, daemon=True).start()
+    try:
+        client = CodegenClient(
+            base_url=f"http://127.0.0.1:{httpd.server_address[1]}/v1",
+            model="test",
+            timeout=10,
+            stream=True,
+            idle_warn=1.0,
+            idle_timeout=2.0,
+        )
+        started = time.monotonic()
+        with pytest.raises(CodegenError, match="stalled"):
+            client.chat([{"role": "user", "content": "hi"}])
+        elapsed = time.monotonic() - started
+        assert elapsed < 8.0, f"stall should fail fast, took {elapsed:.1f}s"
+    finally:
+        httpd.shutdown()
+        httpd.server_close()
+
+
+def test_chat_stream_stall_warns_before_failing(capsys):
+    handler = type("Handler", (_StalledStreamOpenAI,), {})
+    httpd = ThreadingHTTPServer(("127.0.0.1", 0), handler)
+    threading.Thread(target=httpd.serve_forever, daemon=True).start()
+    try:
+        client = CodegenClient(
+            base_url=f"http://127.0.0.1:{httpd.server_address[1]}/v1",
+            model="test",
+            timeout=10,
+            stream=True,
+            idle_warn=1.0,
+            idle_timeout=3.0,
+        )
+        with pytest.raises(CodegenError, match="stalled"):
+            client.chat([{"role": "user", "content": "hi"}])
+        captured = capsys.readouterr().out
+        assert "no tokens for" in captured
+        assert "will fail after" in captured
+    finally:
+        httpd.shutdown()
+        httpd.server_close()
+
+
 def _sse_frame(payload: dict) -> str:
     return f"data: {json.dumps(payload)}\n\n"