diff --git a/packages/adapter-cli/src/generated/adapter.ts b/packages/adapter-cli/src/generated/adapter.ts
index 3d3807c44..0771a1751 100644
--- a/packages/adapter-cli/src/generated/adapter.ts
+++ b/packages/adapter-cli/src/generated/adapter.ts
@@ -24,7 +24,17 @@ export class CliAdapter implements EngineAdapter {
     this.getVersion = this.getVersion.bind(this);
   }
 
+  private withEngineTimeout(options: DispatchOptions): DispatchOptions {
+    // Honor the engine's declared timeout (slow coding-plan engines like zai set timeout=300) over a lower generic command default (orchestration uses 120s), so a slow engine isn't cut off mid-answer and lose its slot. Returns a NEW options object — never mutates the caller's, since callers may reuse/retry the same DispatchOptions.
+    const declared = Number((options.engine as any)?.timeout ?? 0);
+    if (declared > Number(options.timeout ?? 0)) {
+      return { ...options, timeout: declared };
+    }
+    return options;
+  }
+
   async dispatch(options: DispatchOptions): Promise<DispatchResult> {
+    options = this.withEngineTimeout(options);
     // Prefer CLI binary when available — API is fallback for binary-less engines
     const binaryPath = options.engine.binary ? this.registry.findBinary(options.engine) : null;
     if (!binaryPath) {
@@ -119,6 +129,7 @@ export class CliAdapter implements EngineAdapter {
   }
 
   async *dispatchStream(options: DispatchOptions): AsyncGenerator<string, DispatchResult, void> {
+    options = this.withEngineTimeout(options);
     // workspace-pure isolation, resolved once for every dispatch path below.
     const iso = computeEngineIsolation(options.engine, { isolation: options.isolation, cwd: options.cwd });
     // Subscription pty path for claude — yields response deltas, returns final result.
@@ -215,6 +226,7 @@ export class CliAdapter implements EngineAdapter {
   }
 
   async dispatchAgent(options: DispatchOptions): Promise<AgentDispatchResult> {
+    options = this.withEngineTimeout(options);
     // workspace-pure isolation, resolved once for every agent dispatch path below.
     const iso = computeEngineIsolation(options.engine, { isolation: options.isolation, cwd: options.cwd });
     // Subscription pty path for claude (agent mode: tools + bypassed perms).
@@ -371,6 +383,7 @@ export class CliAdapter implements EngineAdapter {
   }
 
   async *dispatchAgentStream(options: DispatchOptions): AsyncGenerator<string, AgentDispatchResult, void> {
+    options = this.withEngineTimeout(options);
     // workspace-pure isolation, resolved once for every agent-stream path below.
     const iso = computeEngineIsolation(options.engine, { isolation: options.isolation, cwd: options.cwd });
     // Subscription pty path for claude (agent mode). Same diff capture as dispatchAgent.
diff --git a/packages/adapter-cli/src/kern/adapter.kern b/packages/adapter-cli/src/kern/adapter.kern
index 29eff2d11..3176da2d9 100644
--- a/packages/adapter-cli/src/kern/adapter.kern
+++ b/packages/adapter-cli/src/kern/adapter.kern
@@ -17,8 +17,17 @@ service name=CliAdapter implements=EngineAdapter
       assign target="this.isAvailable" value="this.isAvailable.bind(this)"
       assign target="this.getVersion" value="this.getVersion.bind(this)"
 
+  method name=withEngineTimeout params="options:DispatchOptions" returns="DispatchOptions" private=true
+    handler lang="kern"
+      comment raw="// Honor the engine's declared timeout (slow coding-plan engines like zai set timeout=300) over a lower generic command default (orchestration uses 120s), so a slow engine isn't cut off mid-answer and lose its slot. Returns a NEW options object — never mutates the caller's, since callers may reuse/retry the same DispatchOptions."
+      let name=declared value="Number((options.engine as any)?.timeout ?? 0)"
+      if cond="declared > Number(options.timeout ?? 0)"
+        return value="{ ...options, timeout: declared }"
+      return value="options"
+
   method name=dispatch params="options:DispatchOptions" returns="Promise<DispatchResult>" async=true
     handler lang="kern"
+      assign target="options" value="this.withEngineTimeout(options)"
       comment raw="// Prefer CLI binary when available — API is fallback for binary-less engines"
       let name=binaryPath value="options.engine.binary ? this.registry.findBinary(options.engine) : null"
       if cond="!binaryPath"
@@ -101,6 +110,7 @@ service name=CliAdapter implements=EngineAdapter
 
   method name=dispatchStream params="options:DispatchOptions" returns="string, DispatchResult, void" async=true stream=true
     handler <<<
+      options = this.withEngineTimeout(options);
       // workspace-pure isolation, resolved once for every dispatch path below.
       const iso = computeEngineIsolation(options.engine, { isolation: options.isolation, cwd: options.cwd });
       // Subscription pty path for claude — yields response deltas, returns final result.
@@ -198,6 +208,7 @@ service name=CliAdapter implements=EngineAdapter
 
   method name=dispatchAgent params="options:DispatchOptions" returns="Promise<AgentDispatchResult>" async=true
     handler lang="kern"
+      assign target="options" value="this.withEngineTimeout(options)"
       comment raw="// workspace-pure isolation, resolved once for every agent dispatch path below."
       let name=iso value="computeEngineIsolation(options.engine, { isolation: options.isolation, cwd: options.cwd })"
       comment raw="// Subscription pty path for claude (agent mode: tools + bypassed perms)."
@@ -333,6 +344,7 @@ service name=CliAdapter implements=EngineAdapter
 
   method name=dispatchAgentStream params="options:DispatchOptions" returns="string, AgentDispatchResult, void" async=true stream=true
     handler <<<
+      options = this.withEngineTimeout(options);
       // workspace-pure isolation, resolved once for every agent-stream path below.
       const iso = computeEngineIsolation(options.engine, { isolation: options.isolation, cwd: options.cwd });
       // Subscription pty path for claude (agent mode). Same diff capture as dispatchAgent.