diff --git a/internal/progress/tracker.go b/internal/progress/tracker.go
index 71c3d2f..d8878b4 100644
--- a/internal/progress/tracker.go
+++ b/internal/progress/tracker.go
@@ -41,8 +41,9 @@ type Sink interface {
 }
 
 const (
-	defaultMinSave = 2 * time.Second
-	logAdvanceEach = time.Minute
+	defaultMinSave     = 2 * time.Second
+	defaultSaveTimeout = 5 * time.Second
+	logAdvanceEach     = time.Minute
 )
 
 // Option tunes a Tracker.
@@ -55,6 +56,11 @@ func WithClock(now func() time.Time) Option { return func(t *Tracker) { t.now =
 // Done, Fail and Finish always save.
 func WithMinSave(d time.Duration) Option { return func(t *Tracker) { t.minSave = d } }
 
+// WithSaveTimeout bounds one save or heartbeat write. Progress is cosmetic, so a database
+// that stops answering costs a dropped write, never a stalled job: saves run under the
+// tracker's lock, which Begin and Advance (called by the engines) need (#51).
+func WithSaveTimeout(d time.Duration) Option { return func(t *Tracker) { t.saveTimeout = d } }
+
 // Tracker implements Reporter for one job.
 type Tracker struct {
 	ctx     context.Context
@@ -63,6 +69,8 @@ type Tracker struct {
 	now     func() time.Time
 	minSave time.Duration
 
+	saveTimeout time.Duration
+
 	mu              sync.Mutex
 	steps           []domain.ProgressStep
 	lastAdvanceSave time.Time
@@ -72,7 +80,7 @@ type Tracker struct {
 // NewTracker plans a job's phases. ctx is used for the saves, so it should outlive the
 // job's own timeout: a job that timed out still gets its failure recorded.
 func NewTracker(ctx context.Context, sink Sink, log *slog.Logger, plan []Planned, opts ...Option) *Tracker {
-	t := &Tracker{ctx: ctx, sink: sink, log: log, now: time.Now, minSave: defaultMinSave}
+	t := &Tracker{ctx: ctx, sink: sink, log: log, now: time.Now, minSave: defaultMinSave, saveTimeout: defaultSaveTimeout}
 	for _, o := range opts {
 		o(t)
 	}
@@ -212,7 +220,10 @@ func (t *Tracker) Heartbeat(ctx context.Context, beatEvery, stillEvery time.Dura
 		case <-ctx.Done():
 			return
 		case <-beat.C:
-			if err := t.sink.Beat(ctx); err != nil && ctx.Err() == nil {
+			beatCtx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(ctx, t.saveTimeout)
+			err := t.sink.Beat(beatCtx)
+			cancel()
+			if err != nil && ctx.Err() == nil {
 				t.log.Warn("progress: heartbeat not saved", "err", err)
 			}
 		case <-still.C:
@@ -254,7 +265,9 @@ func (t *Tracker) find(key string) *domain.ProgressStep {
 // dropped: progress is cosmetic and must never fail the job it describes.
 func (t *Tracker) save() {
 	snapshot := append([]domain.ProgressStep(nil), t.steps...)
-	if err := t.sink.SaveProgress(t.ctx, snapshot, t.now()); err != nil && t.ctx.Err() == nil {
+	ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(t.ctx, t.saveTimeout)
+	defer cancel()
+	if err := t.sink.SaveProgress(ctx, snapshot, t.now()); err != nil && t.ctx.Err() == nil {
 		t.log.Warn("progress: not saved", "err", err)
 	}
 }