diff --git a/tests/test_config.py b/tests/test_config.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..302c50c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_config.py
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+from worker.config import DEFAULT_TIMEOUT, worker_timeout
+
+
+def test_reads_timeout_from_toml(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+    monkeypatch.delenv("WORKER_TIMEOUT", raising=False)
+    cfg = tmp_path / "config.toml"
+    cfg.write_text('[worker]\ntimeout_seconds = 90  # slow upstream\n')
+    assert worker_timeout(cfg) == 90
+
+
+def test_env_overrides_file(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+    monkeypatch.setenv("WORKER_TIMEOUT", "5")
+    cfg = tmp_path / "config.toml"
+    cfg.write_text("[worker]\ntimeout_seconds = 90\n")
+    assert worker_timeout(cfg) == 5
+
+
+def test_missing_file_uses_default(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+    monkeypatch.delenv("WORKER_TIMEOUT", raising=False)
+    assert worker_timeout(tmp_path / "absent.toml") == DEFAULT_TIMEOUT
diff --git a/worker/config.py b/worker/config.py
index 08f1b04..fdeb4c2 100644
--- a/worker/config.py
+++ b/worker/config.py
@@ -1,7 +1,50 @@
 import os
+from pathlib import Path
 
 DEFAULT_TIMEOUT = 30
+CONFIG_PATH = Path(__file__).resolve().parent.parent / "config.toml"
 
 
-def worker_timeout() -> int:
-    return int(os.environ.get("WORKER_TIMEOUT", DEFAULT_TIMEOUT))
+def _parse_value(raw: str):
+    raw = raw.strip()
+    if raw.startswith(('"', "'")) and raw.endswith(raw[0]):
+        return raw[1:-1]
+    if raw in ("true", "false"):
+        return raw == "true"
+    try:
+        return int(raw.replace("_", ""))
+    except ValueError:
+        pass
+    try:
+        return float(raw)
+    except ValueError:
+        raise ValueError(f"unsupported TOML value: {raw!r}")
+
+
+def _parse_toml(text: str) -> dict:
+    """Minimal TOML reader: [tables], key = value, comments."""
+    data: dict = {}
+    table = data
+    for lineno, line in enumerate(text.splitlines(), 1):
+        line = line.split("#", 1)[0].strip()
+        if not line:
+            continue
+        if line.startswith("[") and line.endswith("]"):
+            table = data
+            for part in line[1:-1].strip().split("."):
+                table = table.setdefault(part.strip(), {})
+            continue
+        if "=" not in line:
+            raise ValueError(f"config.toml:{lineno}: expected key = value")
+        key, value = line.split("=", 1)
+        table[key.strip()] = _parse_value(value)
+    return data
+
+
+def worker_timeout(config_path: Path = CONFIG_PATH) -> int:
+    if "WORKER_TIMEOUT" in os.environ:
+        return int(os.environ["WORKER_TIMEOUT"])
+    if config_path.exists():
+        config = _parse_toml(config_path.read_text())
+        return int(config.get("worker", {}).get("timeout_seconds", DEFAULT_TIMEOUT))
+    return DEFAULT_TIMEOUT