diff --git a/src/modules/aix/client/ContentReassembler.ts b/src/modules/aix/client/ContentReassembler.ts
index f7bc5eb9e..b5cefe59e 100644
--- a/src/modules/aix/client/ContentReassembler.ts
+++ b/src/modules/aix/client/ContentReassembler.ts
@@ -197,6 +197,9 @@ export class ContentReassembler {
       // PartParticleOp
       case 'p' in op:
         switch (op.p) {
+          case '❤':
+            // ignore the heartbeats
+            break;
           case 'tr_':
             this.onAppendReasoningText(op);
             break;
diff --git a/src/modules/aix/server/api/aix.router.ts b/src/modules/aix/server/api/aix.router.ts
index 7762aec1a..7be3f2fc7 100644
--- a/src/modules/aix/server/api/aix.router.ts
+++ b/src/modules/aix/server/api/aix.router.ts
@@ -6,10 +6,15 @@ import { fetchResponseOrTRPCThrow } from '~/server/trpc/trpc.router.fetchers';
 
 import { AixWire_API, AixWire_API_ChatContentGenerate, AixWire_Particles } from './aix.wiretypes';
 import { ChatGenerateTransmitter } from '../dispatch/chatGenerate/ChatGenerateTransmitter';
+import { awaitWithHeartbeats } from '../dispatch/awaitWithHeartbeats';
 import { createChatGenerateDispatch } from '../dispatch/chatGenerate/chatGenerate.dispatch';
 import { createStreamDemuxer } from '../dispatch/stream.demuxers';
 
 
+// configuration
+const HEARTBEAT_TIMEOUT_MS = 10_000;
+
+
 export const aixRouter = createTRPCRouter({
 
   /**
@@ -59,8 +64,8 @@ export const aixRouter = createTRPCRouter({
           yield* chatGenerateTx.emitParticles();
         }
 
-        // Blocking fetch - may timeout, for instance with long Anthriopic requests (>25s on Vercel)
-        dispatchResponse = await fetchResponseOrTRPCThrow({
+        // Blocking fetch with heartbeats - combats timeouts, for instance with long Anthriopic requests (>25s on Vercel)
+        dispatchResponse = yield* awaitWithHeartbeats(fetchResponseOrTRPCThrow({
           url: dispatch.request.url,
           method: 'POST',
           headers: dispatch.request.headers,
@@ -68,7 +73,7 @@ export const aixRouter = createTRPCRouter({
           signal: intakeAbortSignal,
           name: `Aix.${prettyDialect}`,
           throwWithoutName: true,
-        });
+        }), HEARTBEAT_TIMEOUT_MS);
 
       } catch (error: any) {
         // Handle expected dispatch abortion while the first fetch hasn't even completed
@@ -94,8 +99,8 @@ export const aixRouter = createTRPCRouter({
       if (!streaming) {
         let dispatchBody: string | undefined = undefined;
         try {
-          // Read the full response body
-          dispatchBody = await dispatchResponse.text();
+          // Read the full response body with heartbeats
+          dispatchBody = yield* awaitWithHeartbeats(dispatchResponse.text(), HEARTBEAT_TIMEOUT_MS);
           serverDebugIncomingPackets?.onMessage(dispatchBody);
 
           // Parse the response in full
@@ -125,7 +130,7 @@ export const aixRouter = createTRPCRouter({
         // Read AI Service chunk
         let dispatchChunk: string;
         try {
-          const { done, value } = await dispatchReader.read();
+          const { done, value } = yield* awaitWithHeartbeats(dispatchReader.read(), HEARTBEAT_TIMEOUT_MS);
 
           // Handle normal dispatch stream closure (no more data, AI Service closed the stream)
           if (done) {
diff --git a/src/modules/aix/server/api/aix.wiretypes.ts b/src/modules/aix/server/api/aix.wiretypes.ts
index 2d1b1de2d..e3d616fa7 100644
--- a/src/modules/aix/server/api/aix.wiretypes.ts
+++ b/src/modules/aix/server/api/aix.wiretypes.ts
@@ -572,6 +572,7 @@ export namespace AixWire_Particles {
     | { t: string }; // special: incremental text, but with a more optimized/succinct representation compared to { p: 't_', i_t: string }
 
   export type PartParticleOp =
+    | { p: '❤' } // heart beat
     | { p: 'tr_', _t: string, weak?: 'tag' } // reasoning text, incremental; could be a 'weak' detection, e.g. heuristic from '<think>' rather than API-provided
     | { p: 'trs', signature: string } // reasoning signature
     | { p: 'trr_', _data: string } // reasoning raw (or redacted) data
diff --git a/src/modules/aix/server/dispatch/awaitWithHeartbeats.ts b/src/modules/aix/server/dispatch/awaitWithHeartbeats.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..1d4158ca5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/modules/aix/server/dispatch/awaitWithHeartbeats.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+/**
+ * Awaits a promise while sending ❤
+ *
+ * Maintains connection liveliness during long-running operations such as
+ * long fetches (e.g. Anthropic on large context) or long reads (e.g.
+ * image generation by Gemini Image).
+ *
+ * @param operationPromise Promise to await with heartbeat protection
+ * @param timeoutMs Time in ms between heartbeats (if 0, no heartbeats)
+ * @returns The same result as awaiting the promise
+ */
+export async function* awaitWithHeartbeats<TOut>(operationPromise: Promise<TOut>, timeoutMs: number) {
+  if (!timeoutMs) return await operationPromise;
+
+  // holds the outcome in either state
+  const operationWrapper = operationPromise
+    .then(result => ({ type: 'resolved' as const, result }))
+    .catch(error => ({ type: 'rejected' as const, error }));
+
+  while (true) {
+
+    // setup next ❤ timeout
+    const heartbeatPromise = new Promise<'❤'>(resolve => {
+      setTimeout(() => resolve('❤'), timeoutMs);
+    });
+
+    // race ❤|operation
+    const winner = await Promise.race([
+      operationWrapper,
+      heartbeatPromise,
+    ]);
+
+    // if the operation won, great, we're done
+    if (winner !== '❤')
+      break;
+
+    // otherwise send the ❤
+    yield { p: '❤' as const };
+  }
+
+  // return the actual result (or throw if rejected)
+  const wrappedResult = await operationWrapper;
+  if (wrappedResult.type === 'rejected')
+    throw wrappedResult.error;
+
+  return wrappedResult.result;
+}