diff --git a/scripts/src/hwlab-node-web-observe-runner-source.ts b/scripts/src/hwlab-node-web-observe-runner-source.ts
index 6be7ef87..43d9eeb4 100644
--- a/scripts/src/hwlab-node-web-observe-runner-source.ts
+++ b/scripts/src/hwlab-node-web-observe-runner-source.ts
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ const jobId = safeId(process.env.UNIDESK_WEB_OBSERVE_JOB_ID || "webobs-" + Date.
 const targetPath = process.env.UNIDESK_WEB_OBSERVE_TARGET_PATH || "/workbench";
 const sampleIntervalMs = positiveInteger(process.env.UNIDESK_WEB_OBSERVE_SAMPLE_INTERVAL_MS, 5000);
 const screenshotIntervalMs = positiveInteger(process.env.UNIDESK_WEB_OBSERVE_SCREENSHOT_INTERVAL_MS, 300000);
+const screenshotCaptureTimeoutMs = boundedInteger(process.env.UNIDESK_WEB_OBSERVE_SCREENSHOT_CAPTURE_TIMEOUT_MS, 15000, 1000, 120000);
 const maxSamples = positiveInteger(process.env.UNIDESK_WEB_OBSERVE_MAX_SAMPLES, 0);
 const observerRefreshIntervalMs = positiveInteger(process.env.UNIDESK_WEB_OBSERVE_OBSERVER_REFRESH_INTERVAL_MS, 180000);
 const viewport = parseViewport(process.env.UNIDESK_WEB_OBSERVE_VIEWPORT || "1440x900");
@@ -68,6 +69,7 @@ let activeCommandId = null;
 let stopping = false;
 let terminalStatus = "starting";
 let lastScreenshotAtMs = 0;
+let screenshotCaptureState = null;
 let auth = null;
 let pageLoadSeq = 0;
 let controlPageEpoch = 0;
@@ -3539,7 +3541,7 @@ async function samplePage(reason, options = {}) {
     await sampleOnePage(observerPage, { reason, groupSeq, pageRole: "observer", targetPageId: observerPageId, pageEpoch: observerPageEpoch }).catch((error) => appendJsonl(files.errors, eventRecord("observer-sample-error", { pageRole: "observer", pageId: observerPageId, pageEpoch: observerPageEpoch, error: errorSummary(error) })));
   }
   if (options?.screenshot !== false && screenshotIntervalMs > 0 && Date.now() - lastScreenshotAtMs >= screenshotIntervalMs) {
-    await withHardTimeout(captureScreenshot("checkpoint", "jpeg"), 15000, "captureScreenshot checkpoint exceeded 15s")
+    await captureScreenshot("checkpoint", "jpeg")
       .catch((error) => appendJsonl(files.errors, eventRecord("screenshot-error", { pageRole: "control", pageId, error: errorSummary(error) })));
   }
   await writeHeartbeat({ status: terminalStatus });
@@ -4267,18 +4269,68 @@ function digestSessionRail(value) {
 
 async function captureScreenshot(reason, imageType = "png") {
   if (!page || page.isClosed()) throw new Error("page is not available for screenshot");
+  if (screenshotCaptureState && screenshotCaptureState.settled !== true) {
+    const ageMs = Date.now() - Number(screenshotCaptureState.startedAtMs || Date.now());
+    const error = new Error("screenshot capture already in progress");
+    error.details = {
+      reason,
+      currentUrl: currentPageUrl(),
+      pageId,
+      activeReason: screenshotCaptureState.reason,
+      activeStartedAt: screenshotCaptureState.startedAt,
+      activeAgeMs: ageMs,
+      activeTimedOut: screenshotCaptureState.timedOut === true,
+      timeoutMs: screenshotCaptureTimeoutMs,
+      valuesRedacted: true,
+    };
+    lastScreenshotAtMs = Date.now();
+    throw error;
+  }
   artifactSeq += 1;
   const safeReason = safeId(String(reason || "manual")).slice(0, 40) || "manual";
   const type = imageType === "jpeg" || imageType === "jpg" ? "jpeg" : "png";
   const ext = type === "jpeg" ? "jpg" : "png";
   const file = path.join(dirs.screenshots, String(sampleSeq).padStart(6, "0") + "_" + String(artifactSeq).padStart(4, "0") + "_" + safeReason + "." + ext);
-  const options = type === "jpeg" ? { path: file, type: "jpeg", quality: 70, fullPage: false } : { path: file, type: "png", fullPage: false };
-  await page.screenshot(options);
-  const meta = await fileMeta(file);
-  const artifact = { seq: artifactSeq, sampleSeq, ts: new Date().toISOString(), kind: "screenshot", reason, path: file, type, byteCount: meta.byteCount, sha256: meta.sha256, pageId, currentUrl: currentPageUrl() };
-  await appendJsonl(files.artifacts, artifact);
-  lastScreenshotAtMs = Date.now();
-  return artifact;
+  const timeoutMs = screenshotCaptureTimeoutMs;
+  const options = type === "jpeg"
+    ? { path: file, type: "jpeg", quality: 70, fullPage: false, animations: "disabled", timeout: timeoutMs }
+    : { path: file, type: "png", fullPage: false, animations: "disabled", timeout: timeoutMs };
+  const state = { reason, startedAtMs: Date.now(), startedAt: new Date().toISOString(), timeoutMs, settled: false, timedOut: false };
+  screenshotCaptureState = state;
+  const screenshotPromise = page.screenshot(options)
+    .then((value) => {
+      state.settled = true;
+      return value;
+    })
+    .catch((error) => {
+      state.settled = true;
+      throw error;
+    })
+    .finally(() => {
+      if (screenshotCaptureState === state) screenshotCaptureState = null;
+    });
+  try {
+    await withHardTimeout(screenshotPromise, timeoutMs + 1000, "captureScreenshot " + safeReason + " exceeded " + timeoutMs + "ms");
+    const meta = await fileMeta(file);
+    const artifact = { seq: artifactSeq, sampleSeq, ts: new Date().toISOString(), kind: "screenshot", reason, path: file, type, byteCount: meta.byteCount, sha256: meta.sha256, pageId, currentUrl: currentPageUrl(), timeoutMs };
+    await appendJsonl(files.artifacts, artifact);
+    lastScreenshotAtMs = Date.now();
+    return artifact;
+  } catch (error) {
+    if (String(error?.message || "").includes("exceeded " + timeoutMs + "ms")) state.timedOut = true;
+    lastScreenshotAtMs = Date.now();
+    const wrapped = error instanceof Error ? error : new Error(String(error));
+    wrapped.details = {
+      ...(wrapped.details || {}),
+      reason,
+      currentUrl: currentPageUrl(),
+      pageId,
+      timeoutMs,
+      file,
+      valuesRedacted: true,
+    };
+    throw wrapped;
+  }
 }
 
 async function captureCommandScreenshot(command) {