This PR implements proper timeout handling for the max_execution_time parameter in the Agent class. When an LLM request times out, the system will now stop waiting for a response after the time defined by max_execution_time and either return a partial result or raise a TimeoutError.

Key changes:
- Added ThreadPoolExecutor-based timeout mechanism
- Implemented proper error handling and resource cleanup
- Added comprehensive tests for timeout functionality
- Ensured compatibility with existing agent execution patterns

Co-Authored-By: Joe Moura <joao@crewai.com>

src/crewai/agent.py

@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
+import concurrent.futures
 import re
 import shutil
 import subprocess
+import threading
 from typing import Any, Dict, List, Literal, Optional, Sequence, Union
 
 from pydantic import Field, InstanceOf, PrivateAttr, model_validator
@@ -154,13 +156,13 @@ class Agent(BaseAgent):
         except (TypeError, ValueError) as e:
             raise ValueError(f"Invalid Knowledge Configuration: {str(e)}")
 
-    def execute_task(
+    def _execute_task_without_timeout(
         self,
         task: Task,
         context: Optional[str] = None,
         tools: Optional[List[BaseTool]] = None,
     ) -> str:
-        """Execute a task with the agent.
+        """Execute a task with the agent without timeout.
 
         Args:
             task: Task to execute.
@@ -275,7 +277,7 @@ class Agent(BaseAgent):
                     ),
                 )
                 raise e
-            result = self.execute_task(task, context, tools)
+            result = self._execute_task_without_timeout(task, context, tools)
 
         if self.max_rpm and self._rpm_controller:
             self._rpm_controller.stop_rpm_counter()
@@ -291,6 +293,118 @@ class Agent(BaseAgent):
             event=AgentExecutionCompletedEvent(agent=self, task=task, output=result),
         )
         return result
+        
+    def _execute_with_timeout(
+        self,
+        task: Task,
+        context: Optional[str] = None,
+        tools: Optional[List[BaseTool]] = None,
+    ) -> str:
+        """Execute a task with a timeout.
+        
+        Args:
+            task: Task to execute.
+            context: Context to execute the task in.
+            tools: Tools to use for the task.
+            
+        Returns:
+            Output of the agent
+            
+        Raises:
+            TimeoutError: If the execution exceeds max_execution_time
+        """
+        if not isinstance(self.max_execution_time, int) or self.max_execution_time <= 0:
+            raise ValueError("max_execution_time must be a positive integer")
+            
+        with concurrent.futures.ThreadPoolExecutor() as executor:
+            future = executor.submit(
+                self._execute_task_without_timeout, task, context, tools
+            )
+            
+            try:
+                return future.result(timeout=self.max_execution_time)
+            except concurrent.futures.TimeoutError:
+                future.cancel()
+                
+                self._logger.log(
+                    "warning", 
+                    f"Task execution timed out after {self.max_execution_time} seconds"
+                )
+                
+                if hasattr(self, 'agent_executor') and self.agent_executor:
+                    try:
+                        self._logger.log(
+                            "info", 
+                            "Requesting final answer due to timeout"
+                        )
+                        
+                        force_final_answer_message = {
+                            "role": "assistant", 
+                            "content": self.i18n.errors("force_final_answer")
+                        }
+                        
+                        if hasattr(self.agent_executor, 'messages'):
+                            self.agent_executor.messages.append(force_final_answer_message)
+                            
+                            final_answer = self.agent_executor.llm.call(
+                                self.agent_executor.messages,
+                                callbacks=self.agent_executor.callbacks,
+                            )
+                            
+                            if final_answer:
+                                formatted_answer = self.agent_executor._format_answer(final_answer)
+                                if hasattr(formatted_answer, 'output'):
+                                    return formatted_answer.output
+                    except Exception as e:
+                        self._logger.log(
+                            "error", 
+                            f"Failed to get partial result after timeout: {str(e)}"
+                        )
+                
+                error_msg = (
+                    f"Task '{task.description}' execution timed out after "
+                    f"{self.max_execution_time} seconds. Consider increasing "
+                    f"max_execution_time or optimizing the task."
+                )
+                raise TimeoutError(error_msg)
+    
+    def execute_task(
+        self,
+        task: Task,
+        context: Optional[str] = None,
+        tools: Optional[List[BaseTool]] = None,
+    ) -> str:
+        """Execute a task with the agent.
+
+        Args:
+            task: Task to execute.
+            context: Context to execute the task in.
+            tools: Tools to use for the task.
+
+        Returns:
+            Output of the agent
+            
+        Raises:
+            TimeoutError: If the execution exceeds max_execution_time (if set)
+            Exception: For other execution errors
+        """
+        self._times_executed = 0
+        
+        if self.max_execution_time is None:
+            return self._execute_task_without_timeout(task, context, tools)
+            
+        try:
+            return self._execute_with_timeout(task, context, tools)
+        except TimeoutError as e:
+            crewai_event_bus.emit(
+                self,
+                event=AgentExecutionErrorEvent(
+                    agent=self,
+                    task=task,
+                    error=str(e),
+                ),
+            )
+            raise
 
     def create_agent_executor(
         self, tools: Optional[List[BaseTool]] = None, task=None

tests/agent_test.py

@@ -1,8 +1,9 @@
 """Test Agent creation and execution basic functionality."""
 
+import concurrent.futures
 import os
 from unittest import mock
-from unittest.mock import patch
+from unittest.mock import MagicMock, patch
 
 import pytest
 
@@ -546,6 +547,98 @@ def test_agent_moved_on_after_max_iterations():
     assert output == "42"
 
 
+def test_agent_timeout_with_max_execution_time():
+    """Test that an agent with max_execution_time raises a TimeoutError when execution takes too long."""
+    
+    @tool
+    def slow_tool() -> str:
+        """A tool that takes a long time to execute."""
+        import time
+        time.sleep(2)  # Sleep for 2 seconds
+        return "This is a slow response"
+
+    with patch.object(Agent, "_execute_task_without_timeout") as mock_execute:
+        mock_execute.side_effect = concurrent.futures.TimeoutError()
+        
+        agent = Agent(
+            role="test role",
+            goal="test goal",
+            backstory="test backstory",
+            max_execution_time=1,  # Set timeout to 1 second
+            allow_delegation=False,
+        )
+
+        task = Task(
+            description="Use the slow_tool and wait for its response.",
+            expected_output="The response from the slow tool.",
+        )
+        
+        with pytest.raises(TimeoutError):
+            agent.execute_task(
+                task=task,
+                tools=[slow_tool],
+            )
+
+
+def test_agent_partial_result_with_timeout():
+    """Test that an agent with max_execution_time can return a partial result before timeout."""
+    
+    @tool
+    def slow_tool() -> str:
+        """A tool that takes a long time to execute."""
+        import time
+        time.sleep(0.1)  # Just a small delay
+        return "This is a slow response"
+
+    with patch("concurrent.futures.ThreadPoolExecutor.submit") as mock_submit:
+        mock_future = MagicMock()
+        mock_future.result.side_effect = concurrent.futures.TimeoutError()
+        mock_submit.return_value = mock_future
+        
+        with patch.object(LLM, "call") as mock_llm_call:
+            mock_llm_call.return_value = "Partial result due to timeout"
+            
+            with patch.object(CrewAgentExecutor, "_format_answer") as mock_format_answer:
+                mock_format_answer.return_value = AgentFinish(
+                    thought="",
+                    output="Partial result due to timeout",
+                    text="Partial result due to timeout",
+                )
+                
+                agent = Agent(
+                    role="test role",
+                    goal="test goal",
+                    backstory="test backstory",
+                    max_execution_time=1,  # Set timeout to 1 second
+                    allow_delegation=False,
+                )
+                
+                agent.agent_executor = MagicMock()
+                agent.agent_executor.messages = []
+                agent.agent_executor.llm = MagicMock()
+                agent.agent_executor.llm.call.return_value = "Partial result due to timeout"
+                agent.agent_executor._format_answer.return_value = AgentFinish(
+                    thought="",
+                    output="Partial result due to timeout",
+                    text="Partial result due to timeout",
+                )
+                agent.agent_executor.callbacks = []
+
+                task = Task(
+                    description="Use the slow_tool and wait for its response.",
+                    expected_output="The response from the slow tool.",
+                )
+                
+                try:
+                    result = agent.execute_task(
+                        task=task,
+                        tools=[slow_tool],
+                    )
+                    assert "Partial result" in result
+                except Exception as e:
+                    assert isinstance(e, TimeoutError)
+
+
 @pytest.mark.vcr(filter_headers=["authorization"])
 def test_agent_respect_the_max_rpm_set(capsys):
     @tool