diff --git a/docs/ARCHITECTURE.md b/docs/ARCHITECTURE.md
index 2e54f05..00e82e4 100644
--- a/docs/ARCHITECTURE.md
+++ b/docs/ARCHITECTURE.md
@@ -285,7 +285,9 @@ automatic** (D-021).
   D-017), `search_not_configured` or `search_failed`, and the batch is set
   `failed`; Side quests stored before the failure stay in the deck. If
   recording the batch's end fails, its job fails; the job runner retries
-  a job's final status write with backoff until it lands. Each time a
+  a job's final status write with backoff until it lands, each attempt
+  bounded at 5 seconds; at shutdown an attempt that fails or times out is
+  not retried, and the next start fails the job as interrupted. Each time a
   batch is started, before the active batch is selected, every batch
   still `pending` or `running` with no job queued or running (the process
   stopped, or recording its end failed) is set `failed`, so it does not
diff --git a/internal/jobs/jobs.go b/internal/jobs/jobs.go
index b3eb2a6..db57527 100644
--- a/internal/jobs/jobs.go
+++ b/internal/jobs/jobs.go
@@ -63,6 +63,11 @@ const (
 	retryMax = 5 * time.Second
 )
 
+// recordTimeout bounds each attempt at a job's final write, so a writer
+// connection that stays busy cannot hold a stopping worker, and with it
+// shutdown, open.
+const recordTimeout = 5 * time.Second
+
 // codePattern is the form of every failure code: lower-case snake case.
 var codePattern = regexp.MustCompile(`^[a-z][a-z0-9_]{0,63}$`)
 
@@ -132,6 +137,8 @@ type Runner struct {
 	wake chan struct{}
 	// claim claims the oldest queued job, marking it running at now.
 	claim func(ctx context.Context, now sql.NullString) (db.Job, error)
+	// recordTimeout bounds each attempt at a job's final write.
+	recordTimeout time.Duration
 
 	mu       sync.Mutex
 	handlers map[string]handler
@@ -152,12 +159,13 @@ func NewRunner(st *store.Store, logger *slog.Logger, workers int) (*Runner, erro
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("jobs: %d workers, want at least 1", workers)
 	}
 	return &Runner{
-		st:       st,
-		logger:   logger,
-		workers:  workers,
-		wake:     make(chan struct{}, workers),
-		claim:    db.New(st.Writer).ClaimNextJob,
-		handlers: make(map[string]handler),
+		st:            st,
+		logger:        logger,
+		workers:       workers,
+		wake:          make(chan struct{}, workers),
+		claim:         db.New(st.Writer).ClaimNextJob,
+		recordTimeout: recordTimeout,
+		handlers:      make(map[string]handler),
 	}, nil
 }
 
@@ -485,13 +493,16 @@ func (r *Runner) fail(ctx context.Context, logger *slog.Logger, id, code string)
 // record makes a job's final write, which must change the one running job.
 // A database error is retried with backoff until the write lands, so a
 // worker never moves on from a job it has finished while leaving it
-// running. Each attempt is made even when ctx has been cancelled; once it
-// is, a failed attempt is not retried and the job stays running, so the
-// next Start fails it as interrupted.
+// running. Each attempt is made even when ctx has been cancelled, and is
+// bounded by r.recordTimeout; once ctx is cancelled, a failed or timed-out
+// attempt is not retried and the job stays running, so the next Start
+// fails it as interrupted.
 func (r *Runner) record(ctx context.Context, logger *slog.Logger, what string, write func(context.Context) (int64, error)) {
 	backoff := retryMin
 	for {
-		n, err := write(context.WithoutCancel(ctx))
+		attempt, cancel := context.WithTimeout(context.WithoutCancel(ctx), r.recordTimeout)
+		n, err := write(attempt)
+		cancel()
 		if err == nil {
 			if n != 1 {
 				logger.ErrorContext(ctx, what, "error", "job is not running")
diff --git a/internal/jobs/jobs_test.go b/internal/jobs/jobs_test.go
index 1727d18..02e05a3 100644
--- a/internal/jobs/jobs_test.go
+++ b/internal/jobs/jobs_test.go
@@ -642,6 +642,64 @@ func TestFinalWriteErrorIsRetried(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestBlockedFinalWriteDoesNotHoldShutdown(t *testing.T) {
+	st := migratedStore(t)
+	r := newRunner(t, st, 1)
+	r.recordTimeout = 100 * time.Millisecond
+	started, finish := make(chan struct{}), make(chan struct{})
+	k := register(t, r, "count", func(ctx context.Context, p countPayload, publish func(countResult) error) (countResult, error) {
+		close(started)
+		<-finish
+		return countResult{Done: p.Steps}, nil
+	})
+	stop := start(t, r)
+	id := enqueue(t, k, countPayload{Steps: 3})
+	<-started
+
+	// Hold the only writer connection, so the job's final write waits for it.
+	conn, err := st.Writer.Conn(t.Context())
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	waits := st.Writer.Stats().WaitCount
+	close(finish)
+	deadline := time.Now().Add(5 * time.Second)
+	for st.Writer.Stats().WaitCount == waits {
+		if time.Now().After(deadline) {
+			t.Fatal("final write never waited for the writer")
+		}
+		time.Sleep(5 * time.Millisecond)
+	}
+
+	stopped := make(chan struct{})
+	go func() {
+		stop()
+		close(stopped)
+	}()
+	select {
+	case <-stopped:
+	case <-time.After(5 * time.Second):
+		conn.Close()
+		<-stopped
+		t.Fatal("worker waited for a held writer through shutdown")
+	}
+	if err := conn.Close(); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	if job := waitFor(t, r, id, func(Job) bool { return true }); job.Status != StatusRunning {
+		t.Fatalf("after shutdown job = %+v, want left running", job)
+	}
+	second := newRunner(t, st, 1)
+	register(t, second, "count", func(context.Context, countPayload, func(countResult) error) (countResult, error) {
+		return countResult{}, nil
+	})
+	start(t, second)
+	if job := waitFor(t, second, id, finished); job.Status != StatusFailed || job.Error == nil || *job.Error != CodeInterrupted {
+		t.Errorf("interrupted job = %+v, want failed with %q", job, CodeInterrupted)
+	}
+}
+
 func TestRunnerEnqueueByKindName(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Parallel()
 	st := migratedStore(t)