diff --git a/image_pusher/TCPStreamPusher.cpp b/image_pusher/TCPStreamPusher.cpp
index 88678d3b..7c2656ba 100644
--- a/image_pusher/TCPStreamPusher.cpp
+++ b/image_pusher/TCPStreamPusher.cpp
@@ -1094,23 +1094,28 @@ bool TCPStreamPusher::SendImage(ZeroCopyReturnValue &z) {
         return false;
     }
 
-    const auto deadline = std::chrono::steady_clock::now() + std::chrono::seconds(2);
-    while (std::chrono::steady_clock::now() < deadline) {
-        if (target->broken || !target->active) {
-            z.release();
-            return false;
-        }
-
+    // A full queue means the writer is applying backpressure (e.g. briefly stalled on a
+    // freshly-created file at startup). Keep waiting as long as it proves it is alive —
+    // BUSY heartbeats / ACKs refresh last_peer_activity_ns from a thread independent of
+    // its stalled write path — so a slow-but-healthy writer is held back, not dropped.
+    // Only a peer that has gone completely silent for the liveness window is declared dead.
+    while (!target->broken && target->active) {
         if (target->queue.PutTimeout(ImagePusherQueueElement{
                 .image_data = static_cast<uint8_t *>(z.GetImage()),
                 .z = &z,
                 .end = false
-            }, std::chrono::milliseconds(50))) {
+            }, std::chrono::milliseconds(50)))
             return true;
-            }
+
+        const int64_t silent_ns = SteadyNowNs() - target->last_peer_activity_ns.load(std::memory_order_relaxed);
+        if (silent_ns > std::chrono::duration_cast<std::chrono::nanoseconds>(peer_liveness_timeout).count()) {
+            logger.Warning("No liveness from writer on socket " + std::to_string(target->socket_number) +
+                           " for " + std::to_string(silent_ns / 1000000) + " ms while enqueuing; marking broken");
+            target->broken = true;
+            break;
+        }
     }
 
-    target->broken = true;
     z.release();
     return false;
 }