diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index d03d8bc..0dfac0e 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -7,6 +7,15 @@ separately by `model.SchemaVersion` (currently 1.2.0).
 
 ## [Unreleased]
 
+### Fixed
+- **`pgbot tune --timeout`** (#26, #30, contributed by @YIKUAIBANZI). `tune` ran
+  under a fixed 30s budget with no flag to raise it, so a slow or remote database
+  died with `collect: context deadline exceeded`; it now takes the same
+  `--timeout` (default 30s) as the other collection commands. The shared
+  `gather` path also forwards that budget to the collector, which previously
+  kept its own 20s+interval cap regardless — so `--timeout` above ~21s on
+  `indexes`, `queries`, `tables`, and `vacuum` now actually extends the run.
+
 ## [0.7.2] - 2026-09-01
 
 ### Added
diff --git a/cmd/pgbot/gather.go b/cmd/pgbot/gather.go
index 8026a15..0ecc69e 100644
--- a/cmd/pgbot/gather.go
+++ b/cmd/pgbot/gather.go
@@ -13,8 +13,10 @@ import (
 
 // gather runs the full read-only collection and returns a computed Context plus
 // the target host (for the header). It closes the connection before returning —
-// findings and rendering need no live connection. Shared by `ask` and `indexes`;
-// `inspect`/`explain` keep their own flow because they also render/exit.
+// findings and rendering need no live connection. Shared by every command that
+// only needs a Context (`ask`, `indexes`, `queries`, `tables`, `vacuum`, `tune`,
+// `report`, `config explain`, the MCP tools); `inspect`/`explain` keep their own
+// flow because they also render/exit.
 func gather(ctx context.Context, connString string, f inspectFlags) (*model.Context, string, error) {
 	target, err := conn.Connect(ctx, connString)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -30,7 +32,7 @@ func gather(ctx context.Context, connString string, f inspectFlags) (*model.Cont
 		fmt.Fprintln(os.Stderr, target.Pooler.Note())
 	}
 
-	c, err := collect.Run(ctx, target, collect.Options{Interval: f.interval, ASHHz: f.ashHz, ASHWindow: f.window})
+	c, err := collect.Run(ctx, target, gatherOptions(f))
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, "", fmt.Errorf("collect: %s", conn.RedactConnString(err.Error()))
 	}
@@ -46,3 +48,10 @@ func gather(ctx context.Context, connString string, f inspectFlags) (*model.Cont
 	}
 	return c, host, nil
 }
+
+// gatherOptions maps the command flags onto the collector. Deadline must be
+// forwarded: when it is zero the collector applies its own 20s+interval cap, which
+// silently overrides any larger --timeout the command was given.
+func gatherOptions(f inspectFlags) collect.Options {
+	return collect.Options{Interval: f.interval, ASHHz: f.ashHz, ASHWindow: f.window, Deadline: f.timeout}
+}
diff --git a/cmd/pgbot/gather_test.go b/cmd/pgbot/gather_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8ccedc3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cmd/pgbot/gather_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+package main
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/pgrundev/pgbot/internal/collect"
+)
+
+// gatherOptions replaced an inline collect.Options literal. A forwarding helper
+// that silently drops a field (interval, ASH rate, window) would still compile
+// and still pass a deadline-only check, so pin the whole mapping.
+func TestGatherOptionsForwardsEveryCollectionFlag(t *testing.T) {
+	f := inspectFlags{
+		interval: 750 * time.Millisecond,
+		ashHz:    25,
+		window:   7 * time.Second,
+		timeout:  90 * time.Second,
+	}
+	want := collect.Options{
+		Interval:  750 * time.Millisecond,
+		ASHHz:     25,
+		ASHWindow: 7 * time.Second,
+		Deadline:  90 * time.Second,
+	}
+	if got := gatherOptions(f); got != want {
+		t.Fatalf("gatherOptions(%+v) = %+v; want %+v", f, got, want)
+	}
+}
+
+// Callers that never set a --timeout (ask, config explain, the MCP tools) pass a
+// zero inspectFlags.timeout; that must reach the collector as a zero Deadline so
+// its own fallback applies, rather than being replaced by some other default here.
+func TestGatherOptionsZeroTimeoutLeavesCollectorFallback(t *testing.T) {
+	got := gatherOptions(inspectFlags{interval: time.Second})
+	if got.Deadline != 0 {
+		t.Fatalf("gatherOptions with no timeout set Deadline = %s; want 0 (collector default)", got.Deadline)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/cmd/pgbot/tune.go b/cmd/pgbot/tune.go
index c348dc0..10f40e0 100644
--- a/cmd/pgbot/tune.go
+++ b/cmd/pgbot/tune.go
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ func newTuneCmd() *cobra.Command {
 	fl := cmd.Flags()
 	fl.BoolVar(&f.noColor, "no-color", false, "disable ANSI color")
 	fl.DurationVar(&f.interval, "interval", time.Second, "gap between the two counter samples (min 500ms)")
+	fl.DurationVar(&f.timeout, "timeout", 30*time.Second, "total wall-clock budget for the run (raise it for slow or remote databases)")
 	return cmd
 }
 
@@ -40,7 +41,7 @@ func runTune(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string, f inspectFlags) error {
 	f.ashHz = 0 // no wait sampling needed for tuning
 	f.noStore = true
 
-	ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(cmd.Context(), 30*time.Second)
+	ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(cmd.Context(), f.timeout)
 	defer cancel()
 
 	c, host, err := gather(ctx, connString, f)
diff --git a/cmd/pgbot/tune_test.go b/cmd/pgbot/tune_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..eb77ac2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cmd/pgbot/tune_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,101 @@
+package main
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"fmt"
+	"net"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
+)
+
+func TestTuneTimeoutBoundsRun(t *testing.T) {
+	listener, err := net.Listen("tcp", "127.0.0.1:0")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	done := make(chan struct{})
+	go func() {
+		conn, acceptErr := listener.Accept()
+		if acceptErr != nil {
+			return
+		}
+		defer conn.Close()
+		<-done
+	}()
+	t.Cleanup(func() {
+		close(done)
+		_ = listener.Close()
+	})
+
+	dsn := fmt.Sprintf("postgres://pgbot:secret@%s/postgres?sslmode=disable", listener.Addr())
+	cmd := newTuneCmd()
+	cmd.SilenceErrors = true
+	cmd.SilenceUsage = true
+	cmd.SetArgs([]string{dsn, "--timeout=50ms"})
+
+	ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(context.Background(), 2*time.Second)
+	defer cancel()
+	started := time.Now()
+	err = cmd.ExecuteContext(ctx)
+	elapsed := time.Since(started)
+
+	if err == nil || !strings.Contains(err.Error(), context.DeadlineExceeded.Error()) {
+		t.Fatalf("tune --timeout error = %v; want context deadline exceeded", err)
+	}
+	if elapsed > 500*time.Millisecond {
+		t.Fatalf("tune --timeout=50ms returned after %s; want it to bound the run", elapsed)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestGatherOptionsForwardsTimeout(t *testing.T) {
+	want := 2 * time.Minute
+	got := gatherOptions(inspectFlags{timeout: want})
+
+	if got.Deadline != want {
+		t.Fatalf("gather collection deadline = %s; want %s", got.Deadline, want)
+	}
+}
+
+// Every collection command built on inspectFlags exposes --timeout with the same
+// 30s default, so `--timeout 60s` from the docs works uniformly. tune was the
+// one that lacked it (#26); keep the set in step.
+func TestCollectionCommandsShareTimeoutDefault(t *testing.T) {
+	cmds := map[string]func() *cobra.Command{
+		"tune":    newTuneCmd,
+		"indexes": newIndexesCmd,
+		"queries": newQueriesCmd,
+		"tables":  newTablesCmd,
+		"vacuum":  newVacuumCmd,
+		"inspect": newInspectCmd,
+	}
+	for name, build := range cmds {
+		fl := build().Flags().Lookup("timeout")
+		if fl == nil {
+			t.Errorf("%s: no --timeout flag", name)
+			continue
+		}
+		if fl.DefValue != "30s" {
+			t.Errorf("%s: --timeout default = %q; want \"30s\"", name, fl.DefValue)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestTuneTimeoutFlagParsesDurations(t *testing.T) {
+	cmd := newTuneCmd()
+	if err := cmd.Flags().Parse([]string{"--timeout=2m30s"}); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	got, err := cmd.Flags().GetDuration("timeout")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if want := 150 * time.Second; got != want {
+		t.Fatalf("--timeout=2m30s parsed as %s; want %s", got, want)
+	}
+	if err := newTuneCmd().Flags().Parse([]string{"--timeout=soon"}); err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("--timeout=soon parsed without error; want a duration syntax error")
+	}
+}
diff --git a/internal/collect/collector.go b/internal/collect/collector.go
index 3de646a..44ea663 100644
--- a/internal/collect/collector.go
+++ b/internal/collect/collector.go
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ const (
 // Options tune a collection run.
 type Options struct {
 	Interval     time.Duration // gap between the two counter samples (default 1s, min 500ms)
-	Deadline     time.Duration // hard cap on total wall time (default 5s + interval)
+	Deadline     time.Duration // hard cap on total wall time (default 20s + interval; the --timeout flag)
 	RawQueryText bool          // keep raw pg_stat_activity query text (default: scrub — PII)
 	ASHHz        int           // wait-event poll rate in Hz (default 10; 0 disables the sampler)
 	ASHWindow    time.Duration // active-session sampling window (default 5s)