diff --git a/samples/CameraAccess/CameraAccess/OpenClaw/ToolCallRouter.swift b/samples/CameraAccess/CameraAccess/OpenClaw/ToolCallRouter.swift
index a20babf4..9e8e2b4f 100644
--- a/samples/CameraAccess/CameraAccess/OpenClaw/ToolCallRouter.swift
+++ b/samples/CameraAccess/CameraAccess/OpenClaw/ToolCallRouter.swift
@@ -7,6 +7,12 @@ class ToolCallRouter {
   private var consecutiveFailures = 0
   private let maxConsecutiveFailures = 3
 
+  /// Maximum time to wait for a single tool call before returning a timeout
+  /// failure to Gemini. Kept well below the URLSession 120s hard limit so the
+  /// conversation unblocks in a reasonable time even when OpenClaw is slow
+  /// (e.g. a web search that never finishes).
+  private let toolCallTimeoutSeconds: UInt64 = 60
+
   init(bridge: OpenClawBridge) {
     self.bridge = bridge
   }
@@ -38,7 +44,26 @@ class ToolCallRouter {
 
     let task = Task { @MainActor in
       let taskDesc = call.args["task"] as? String ?? String(describing: call.args)
-      let result = await bridge.delegateTask(task: taskDesc, toolName: callName)
+      let timeoutSeconds = self.toolCallTimeoutSeconds
+
+      // Race the actual delegate call against a watchdog timer. Whichever
+      // finishes first wins; the other child task is cancelled immediately.
+      let result = await withTaskGroup(of: ToolResult.self) { group in
+        group.addTask {
+          await self.bridge.delegateTask(task: taskDesc, toolName: callName)
+        }
+        group.addTask {
+          try? await Task.sleep(nanoseconds: timeoutSeconds * 1_000_000_000)
+          NSLog("[ToolCall] Watchdog fired for %@ after %llu seconds", callId, timeoutSeconds)
+          return .failure(
+            "The gateway did not respond within \(timeoutSeconds) seconds. " +
+            "Tell the user the action timed out and suggest they try again."
+          )
+        }
+        let first = await group.next()!
+        group.cancelAll()
+        return first
+      }
 
       guard !Task.isCancelled else {
         NSLog("[ToolCall] Task %@ was cancelled, skipping response", callId)