diff --git a/apps/server/src/preview/ServerBrowserPage.test.ts b/apps/server/src/preview/ServerBrowserPage.test.ts
index dd1895c9b7361..cabc2b99e67ba 100644
--- a/apps/server/src/preview/ServerBrowserPage.test.ts
+++ b/apps/server/src/preview/ServerBrowserPage.test.ts
@@ -19,9 +19,54 @@ import {
 } from "vite-plus/test";
 
 import * as ServerBrowserPage from "./ServerBrowserPage.ts";
+import { SessionControl } from "./SessionControl.ts";
 
 const decodeEvaluateInput = Schema.decodeUnknownSync(PreviewAutomationEvaluateInput);
 
+describe("server browser capture deadlines", () => {
+  it("releases control after an unanswered capture and ignores its late reply", async () => {
+    vi.useFakeTimers({ toFake: ["setTimeout", "clearTimeout"] });
+    try {
+      const captured = Promise.withResolvers<{ data: string }>();
+      const send = vi.fn(async (method: string) =>
+        method === "Page.captureScreenshot"
+          ? captured.promise
+          : { result: { value: "still responsive" } },
+      );
+      const cdp = { send } as unknown as CDPSession;
+      const control = new SessionControl("agent");
+      let outcome: unknown;
+      const capture = control
+        .agent("agent", () => ServerBrowserPage.captureViewport(cdp, { format: "png" }))
+        .catch((cause: unknown) => {
+          outcome = cause;
+        });
+      const evaluation = control.agent("agent", () =>
+        ServerBrowserPage.evaluate(cdp, { expression: "document.title" }, 1_000),
+      );
+
+      await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(3_000);
+      expect(outcome).toMatchObject({
+        tag: "PreviewAutomationExecutionError",
+        message: expect.stringContaining("not producing screenshot frames"),
+      });
+      await capture;
+      expect(await evaluation).toBe("still responsive");
+      expect(vi.getTimerCount()).toBe(0);
+
+      captured.resolve({ data: "late-frame" });
+      await captured.promise;
+      expect(outcome).toBeInstanceOf(ServerBrowserPage.ServerBrowserOperationError);
+      expect(send.mock.calls.map(([method]) => method)).toEqual([
+        "Page.captureScreenshot",
+        "Runtime.evaluate",
+      ]);
+    } finally {
+      vi.useRealTimers();
+    }
+  });
+});
+
 describe("server browser element refs", () => {
   let browser: Browser;
   let context: BrowserContext;
diff --git a/apps/server/src/preview/ServerBrowserPage.ts b/apps/server/src/preview/ServerBrowserPage.ts
index 9df6c539014c5..0d5ed3d1ff893 100644
--- a/apps/server/src/preview/ServerBrowserPage.ts
+++ b/apps/server/src/preview/ServerBrowserPage.ts
@@ -29,6 +29,8 @@ const isBrowserControlInterrupted = Schema.is(BrowserControlInterrupted);
 const MAX_EVALUATION_BYTES = 64_000;
 const MAX_VISIBLE_TEXT_LENGTH = 20_000;
 const MAX_SCREENSHOT_WIDTH = 1280;
+// Two attempts must fit in a snapshot's 10-second deadline.
+const SCREENSHOT_TIMEOUT_MS = 3_000;
 const WAIT_POLL_MS = 100;
 export const DIAGNOSTIC_BUFFER_LIMIT = 200;
 
@@ -468,10 +470,27 @@ export const captureViewport = async (
   cdp: CDPSession,
   options: { readonly format: "png" | "jpeg"; readonly quality?: number },
 ) => {
-  const { data } = await cdp.send("Page.captureScreenshot", {
+  const capture = cdp.send("Page.captureScreenshot", {
     format: options.format,
     ...(options.quality === undefined ? {} : { quality: options.quality }),
   });
+  let timer: ReturnType<typeof setTimeout> | undefined;
+  const expired = new Promise<never>((_, reject) => {
+    timer = setTimeout(
+      () =>
+        reject(
+          new ServerBrowserOperationError({
+            tag: "PreviewAutomationExecutionError",
+            message:
+              "The browser is not producing screenshot frames. For a desktop tab, show or restore the T3 Code window and try again.",
+          }),
+        ),
+      SCREENSHOT_TIMEOUT_MS,
+    );
+  });
+  // Hidden native guests can leave CDP captures pending forever. This deadline also
+  // releases a viewer's still-capture lock, which an agent snapshot may be waiting for.
+  const { data } = await Promise.race([capture, expired]).finally(() => clearTimeout(timer));
   return data;
 };