diff --git a/.env.example b/.env.example
index 7a97539..4ee8386 100644
--- a/.env.example
+++ b/.env.example
@@ -87,3 +87,7 @@ PAGERDUTY_ROUTING_KEY=
 
 # Admin dashboard URL for DLQ inspection links in alerts
 ADMIN_DASHBOARD_URL=https://admin.neurowealth.io
+
+# Graceful shutdown
+# Grace period (ms) for in-flight requests to complete before force-exit
+SHUTDOWN_DRAIN_TIMEOUT_MS=30000
diff --git a/src/config/env.ts b/src/config/env.ts
index a493863..de71282 100644
--- a/src/config/env.ts
+++ b/src/config/env.ts
@@ -274,4 +274,8 @@ export const config = {
     circuitBreakerThreshold: parseInt(process.env.HTTP_CLIENT_CIRCUIT_BREAKER_THRESHOLD || '5'),
     circuitBreakerResetMs: parseInt(process.env.HTTP_CLIENT_CIRCUIT_BREAKER_RESET_MS || '30000'),
   },
+  shutdown: {
+    /** Grace period (ms) for in-force requests to complete before force-exit */
+    drainTimeoutMs: parseInt(process.env.SHUTDOWN_DRAIN_TIMEOUT_MS || '30000'),
+  },
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/index.ts b/src/index.ts
index 26c87c8..a9add22 100644
--- a/src/index.ts
+++ b/src/index.ts
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ const serviceStatus: Record<string, ServiceStatus> = {
 
 let isShuttingDown = false
 let httpServer: Server | null = null
-const REQUEST_DRAIN_TIMEOUT_MS = 30000
+let sessionCleanupHandle: NodeJS.Timeout | null = null
 
 function allServicesReady(): boolean {
   return Object.values(serviceStatus).every(s => s.ready)
@@ -149,6 +149,13 @@ async function gracefulShutdown(signal: string): Promise<void> {
   logger.info(`[Shutdown] Received ${signal}, initiating graceful shutdown...`)
   isShuttingDown = true
 
+  // Stop the session cleanup interval so it doesn't fire during shutdown
+  if (sessionCleanupHandle) {
+    clearInterval(sessionCleanupHandle)
+    sessionCleanupHandle = null
+    logger.info('[Shutdown] Session cleanup timer cleared')
+  }
+
   if (!httpServer) {
     logger.warn('[Shutdown] No HTTP server to close')
     process.exit(0)
@@ -180,11 +187,11 @@ async function gracefulShutdown(signal: string): Promise<void> {
     }
   })
 
-  // Force shutdown after timeout
+  // Force shutdown after configurable timeout
   setTimeout(() => {
-    logger.error('[Shutdown] Timeout reached, forcing shutdown...')
+    logger.error('[Shutdown] Grace period exhausted, forcing shutdown...')
     process.exit(1)
-  }, REQUEST_DRAIN_TIMEOUT_MS)
+  }, config.shutdown.drainTimeoutMs)
 }
 
 // ── Startup sequence ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
@@ -279,7 +286,7 @@ async function main(): Promise<void> {
   process.on('SIGINT', () => gracefulShutdown('SIGINT'))
 
   // Non-critical jobs start after the server is up
-  scheduleSessionCleanup()
+  sessionCleanupHandle = scheduleSessionCleanup()
 }
 
 // ── Process-level error guards ────────────────────────────────────────────────