diff --git a/internal/config/uploads_local_test.go b/internal/config/uploads_local_test.go
index f7adccd..af6a0ba 100644
--- a/internal/config/uploads_local_test.go
+++ b/internal/config/uploads_local_test.go
@@ -1,6 +1,9 @@
 package config
 
-import "testing"
+import (
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+)
 
 // What counts as a LOCAL model alias, and where that is demanded (ADR-034, ADR-035 review).
 // A private transcript may be sent to a local model and to nothing else; the check is a
@@ -72,3 +75,27 @@ func TestLoad_ALocalUploadChatModelIsAccepted(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Errorf("UploadChatModel = %q", cfg.UploadChatModel)
 	}
 }
+
+func TestLoad_TheEngineTimeoutDefaultsToTwentyFiveMinutesAndMustBePositive(t *testing.T) {
+	clearUploadEnv(t)
+	cfg, err := Load()
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Load: %v", err)
+	}
+	if cfg.TranscribeEngineTimeout != 25*time.Minute {
+		t.Errorf("TranscribeEngineTimeout = %v, want 25m: a 90-minute recording takes about 8 minutes on kb-whisper", cfg.TranscribeEngineTimeout)
+	}
+
+	setEnv(t, map[string]string{"TAPIR_TRANSCRIBE_ENGINE_TIMEOUT": "7m"})
+	cfg, err = Load()
+	if err != nil || cfg.TranscribeEngineTimeout != 7*time.Minute {
+		t.Errorf("override: %v, %v", cfg.TranscribeEngineTimeout, err)
+	}
+
+	for _, bad := range []string{"0", "-1m", "soon"} {
+		setEnv(t, map[string]string{"TAPIR_TRANSCRIBE_ENGINE_TIMEOUT": bad})
+		if _, err := Load(); err == nil {
+			t.Errorf("Load accepted TAPIR_TRANSCRIBE_ENGINE_TIMEOUT=%q", bad)
+		}
+	}
+}