diff --git a/pkg/execution/mimicry/client.go b/pkg/execution/mimicry/client.go
index 3ecf96d..cb3c141 100644
--- a/pkg/execution/mimicry/client.go
+++ b/pkg/execution/mimicry/client.go
@@ -28,6 +28,12 @@ const (
 	logFieldETHCap       = "ethCapVersion"
 )
 
+// writeTimeout bounds every write to the rlpx connection. Without it, a
+// peer that stops draining its socket can stall Write forever while
+// writeRLPx holds writeMu, wedging the session and every other sender. A
+// var (not const) so tests can shrink it instead of waiting out 30s.
+var writeTimeout = 30 * time.Second
+
 type Client struct {
 	log logrus.FieldLogger
 
@@ -200,6 +206,10 @@ func (c *Client) writeRLPx(code uint64, data []byte) error {
 		return fmt.Errorf("rlpx connection is not initialized")
 	}
 
+	if err := c.conn.SetWriteDeadline(time.Now().Add(writeTimeout)); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("error setting rlpx write deadline: %w", err)
+	}
+
 	if _, err := c.rlpxConn.Write(code, data); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/execution/mimicry/client_write_deadline_test.go b/pkg/execution/mimicry/client_write_deadline_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d4ce6dc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/execution/mimicry/client_write_deadline_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,197 @@
+package mimicry
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"crypto/ecdsa"
+	"crypto/rand"
+	"encoding/hex"
+	"fmt"
+	"math/big"
+	"net"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	gethcommon "github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/common"
+	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/core/types"
+	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/crypto"
+	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/p2p"
+	gethrlpx "github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/p2p/rlpx"
+	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/rlp"
+	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+)
+
+// testHelloMessage mirrors the Hello struct in message_hello.go, kept
+// separate so this test doesn't depend on package-internal wiring beyond
+// the public devp2p wire format.
+type testHelloMessage struct {
+	Version    uint64
+	Name       string
+	Caps       []p2p.Cap
+	ListenPort uint64
+	ID         []byte
+	Rest       []rlp.RawValue `rlp:"tail"`
+}
+
+// testRLPxPeer is a minimal, protocol-faithful devp2p peer used to drive
+// Client against real handshake and Hello exchanges without needing a real
+// execution node. It owns the accepted connection for its whole lifetime
+// so nothing relies on a goroutine-local variable staying reachable.
+type testRLPxPeer struct {
+	listener net.Listener
+	priv     *ecdsa.PrivateKey
+	conn     net.Conn
+}
+
+func newTestRLPxPeer(t *testing.T) *testRLPxPeer {
+	t.Helper()
+
+	priv, err := crypto.GenerateKey()
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	ln, err := net.Listen("tcp", "127.0.0.1:0")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	p := &testRLPxPeer{listener: ln, priv: priv}
+
+	t.Cleanup(func() {
+		_ = ln.Close()
+		if p.conn != nil {
+			_ = p.conn.Close()
+		}
+	})
+
+	return p
+}
+
+func (p *testRLPxPeer) enode() string {
+	pub := crypto.FromECDSAPub(&p.priv.PublicKey)[1:]
+
+	return fmt.Sprintf("enode://%s@%s", hex.EncodeToString(pub), p.listener.Addr().String())
+}
+
+// acceptAndHandshake accepts one connection, completes the RLPx handshake
+// as recipient, and exchanges Hello. The connection is stored on p for the
+// lifetime of the peer (see the type doc comment).
+func (p *testRLPxPeer) acceptAndHandshake(t *testing.T) *gethrlpx.Conn {
+	t.Helper()
+
+	conn, err := p.listener.Accept()
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	p.conn = conn
+
+	rc := gethrlpx.NewConn(conn, nil)
+	_, err = rc.Handshake(p.priv)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	code, data, _, err := rc.Read()
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	require.Equal(t, uint64(HelloCode), code)
+
+	var clientHello testHelloMessage
+	require.NoError(t, rlp.DecodeBytes(data, &clientHello))
+
+	pub := crypto.FromECDSAPub(&p.priv.PublicKey)[1:]
+	ourHello := &testHelloMessage{
+		Version:    P2PProtocolVersion,
+		Name:       "test-peer",
+		Caps:       SupportedEthCaps(),
+		ListenPort: 0,
+		ID:         pub,
+	}
+
+	encoded, err := rlp.EncodeToBytes(ourHello)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	_, err = rc.Write(HelloCode, encoded)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	// The client enables snappy on its own connection as soon as it
+	// processes our Hello (see handleHello); the wire format requires both
+	// sides to agree, so we must match it here.
+	rc.SetSnappy(true)
+
+	return rc
+}
+
+// largeTransactions builds a Transactions frame just under the RLPx frame
+// size cap, filled with random (so snappy can't shrink it back down) data.
+func largeTransactions(t *testing.T, size int) *Transactions {
+	t.Helper()
+
+	data := make([]byte, size)
+	_, err := rand.Read(data)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	to := gethcommon.HexToAddress("0x000000000000000000000000000000000000ff")
+	tx := types.NewTx(&types.LegacyTx{
+		Nonce:    0,
+		GasPrice: big.NewInt(1),
+		Gas:      21000,
+		To:       &to,
+		Value:    big.NewInt(0),
+		Data:     data,
+	})
+
+	var list rlp.RawList[*types.Transaction]
+	require.NoError(t, list.Append(tx))
+
+	return &Transactions{RawList: list}
+}
+
+// TestWriteRLPx_UnresponsivePeerDoesNotBlockForever guards against
+// EXECUTION-03: a peer that stops draining its socket after the handshake
+// must not be able to park writeRLPx (and therefore every exported sender,
+// since they all serialize on writeMu) forever. Before the fix, no write
+// deadline was ever set on the underlying connection.
+func TestWriteRLPx_UnresponsivePeerDoesNotBlockForever(t *testing.T) {
+	original := writeTimeout
+	writeTimeout = 200 * time.Millisecond
+	t.Cleanup(func() { writeTimeout = original })
+
+	peer := newTestRLPxPeer(t)
+
+	handshakeDone := make(chan struct{})
+
+	go func() {
+		peer.acceptAndHandshake(t)
+		close(handshakeDone)
+		// Go silent from here: never read again. This is the "peer stops
+		// draining its socket" scenario EXECUTION-03 describes. peer.conn
+		// stays referenced (and open) via the testRLPxPeer struct itself,
+		// which the test keeps alive until its Cleanup runs.
+	}()
+
+	log := logrus.New()
+	log.SetLevel(logrus.ErrorLevel)
+
+	client, err := New(context.Background(), log, peer.enode(), "test-client")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	require.NoError(t, client.Start(context.Background()))
+	t.Cleanup(func() { _ = client.Stop(context.Background()) })
+
+	select {
+	case <-handshakeDone:
+	case <-time.After(2 * time.Second):
+		t.Fatal("server never completed the handshake")
+	}
+
+	time.Sleep(100 * time.Millisecond) // let the client process our Hello (enables snappy)
+
+	txs := largeTransactions(t, 12_000_000) // under the ~16MB RLPx frame cap, large enough to fill kernel buffers
+
+	done := make(chan error, 1)
+	start := time.Now()
+
+	go func() { done <- client.Transactions(context.Background(), txs) }()
+
+	select {
+	case err := <-done:
+		elapsed := time.Since(start)
+		require.Error(t, err, "Transactions must fail once the write deadline is exceeded")
+		require.Less(t, elapsed, 2*time.Second, "Transactions took too long to give up")
+	case <-time.After(2 * time.Second):
+		t.Fatal("Transactions did not return within 2s against an unresponsive peer; the write deadline is not being enforced")
+	}
+}