diff --git a/internal/progress/tracker_stall_test.go b/internal/progress/tracker_stall_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ce59436
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/progress/tracker_stall_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,98 @@
+package progress_test
+
+// Observes what a database that stops answering does to the job it reports on (#51):
+// progress is cosmetic, so a save that never returns must not stall the engine calls that
+// report through the tracker, nor the heartbeat that says the process is alive.
+
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"context"
+	"log/slog"
+	"strings"
+	"sync"
+	"sync/atomic"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+
+	"git.d-ma.be/mathias/tapir/internal/domain"
+	"git.d-ma.be/mathias/tapir/internal/progress"
+)
+
+// stallSink never answers until its context ends, like a database connection that hung.
+type stallSink struct{ beats atomic.Int32 }
+
+func (s *stallSink) SaveProgress(ctx context.Context, _ []domain.ProgressStep, _ time.Time) error {
+	<-ctx.Done()
+	return ctx.Err()
+}
+
+func (s *stallSink) Beat(ctx context.Context) error {
+	s.beats.Add(1)
+	<-ctx.Done()
+	return ctx.Err()
+}
+
+type lockedBuf struct {
+	mu sync.Mutex
+	b  bytes.Buffer
+}
+
+func (l *lockedBuf) Write(p []byte) (int, error) {
+	l.mu.Lock()
+	defer l.mu.Unlock()
+	return l.b.Write(p)
+}
+
+func (l *lockedBuf) String() string {
+	l.mu.Lock()
+	defer l.mu.Unlock()
+	return l.b.String()
+}
+
+func stallTracker(sink progress.Sink, buf *lockedBuf) *progress.Tracker {
+	log := slog.New(slog.NewTextHandler(buf, nil))
+	return progress.NewTracker(context.Background(), sink, log,
+		[]progress.Planned{{Key: "a", Label: "A"}}, progress.WithSaveTimeout(50*time.Millisecond))
+}
+
+func TestTracker_AHungSaveDoesNotBlockTheReporterPastItsTimeout(t *testing.T) {
+	buf := &lockedBuf{}
+	tr := stallTracker(&stallSink{}, buf)
+
+	done := make(chan struct{})
+	go func() { tr.Begin("a", 0); tr.Advance("a", 1); tr.Done("a"); close(done) }()
+
+	select {
+	case <-done:
+	case <-time.After(3 * time.Second):
+		t.Fatal("the reporter was blocked by a save that never returned")
+	}
+	require.Contains(t, buf.String(), "progress: not saved", "a dropped save is logged")
+}
+
+func TestTracker_AHungBeatDoesNotStopTheHeartbeat(t *testing.T) {
+	sink := &stallSink{}
+	tr := stallTracker(sink, &lockedBuf{})
+	ctx, cancel := context.WithCancel(context.Background())
+	defer cancel()
+
+	go tr.Heartbeat(ctx, 5*time.Millisecond, time.Hour)
+
+	require.Eventually(t, func() bool { return sink.beats.Load() >= 3 }, 3*time.Second, 5*time.Millisecond,
+		"each beat is abandoned at its timeout and the next one is tried")
+}
+
+func TestTracker_TheStillRunningLineIsNotHeldUpBehindAHungSave(t *testing.T) {
+	buf := &lockedBuf{}
+	tr := stallTracker(&stallSink{}, buf)
+	go tr.Begin("a", 0) // holds the tracker's lock inside a save that hangs until its timeout
+	time.Sleep(10 * time.Millisecond)
+	ctx, cancel := context.WithCancel(context.Background())
+	defer cancel()
+
+	go tr.Heartbeat(ctx, time.Hour, 5*time.Millisecond)
+
+	require.Eventually(t, func() bool { return strings.Contains(buf.String(), "still running") }, 3*time.Second, 5*time.Millisecond)
+}