diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index ea0935b904..ef88c9fb66 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@
 - [#5939](https://github.com/influxdata/influxdb/issues/5939): Support viewing and killing running queries.
 - [#6073](https://github.com/influxdata/influxdb/pulls/6073): Iterator stats
 - [#6079](https://github.com/influxdata/influxdb/issues/6079): Limit the maximum number of concurrent queries.
+- [#6075](https://github.com/influxdata/influxdb/issues/6075): Limit the maximum running time of a query.
 
 ### Bugfixes
 
diff --git a/cluster/config.go b/cluster/config.go
index 60e8c53814..9bd80b4441 100644
--- a/cluster/config.go
+++ b/cluster/config.go
@@ -16,6 +16,10 @@ const (
 	// DefaultShardMapperTimeout is the default timeout set on shard mappers.
 	DefaultShardMapperTimeout = 5 * time.Second
 
+	// DefaultQueryTimeout is the default timeout for executing a query.
+	// A value of zero will have no query timeout.
+	DefaultQueryTimeout = time.Duration(0)
+
 	// DefaultMaxRemoteWriteConnections is the maximum number of open connections
 	// that will be available for remote writes to another host.
 	DefaultMaxRemoteWriteConnections = 3
@@ -33,6 +37,7 @@ type Config struct {
 	MaxRemoteWriteConnections int           `toml:"max-remote-write-connections"`
 	ShardMapperTimeout        toml.Duration `toml:"shard-mapper-timeout"`
 	MaxConcurrentQueries      int           `toml:"max-concurrent-queries"`
+	QueryTimeout              toml.Duration `toml:"query-timeout"`
 }
 
 // NewConfig returns an instance of Config with defaults.
@@ -41,6 +46,7 @@ func NewConfig() Config {
 		WriteTimeout:              toml.Duration(DefaultWriteTimeout),
 		ShardWriterTimeout:        toml.Duration(DefaultShardWriterTimeout),
 		ShardMapperTimeout:        toml.Duration(DefaultShardMapperTimeout),
+		QueryTimeout:              toml.Duration(DefaultQueryTimeout),
 		MaxRemoteWriteConnections: DefaultMaxRemoteWriteConnections,
 		MaxConcurrentQueries:      DefaultMaxConcurrentQueries,
 	}
diff --git a/cluster/query_executor.go b/cluster/query_executor.go
index 7739bb586e..5f0d4aefcc 100644
--- a/cluster/query_executor.go
+++ b/cluster/query_executor.go
@@ -39,6 +39,9 @@ type QueryExecutor struct {
 	// Used for managing and tracking running queries.
 	QueryManager influxql.QueryManager
 
+	// Query execution timeout.
+	QueryTimeout time.Duration
+
 	// Remote execution timeout
 	Timeout time.Duration
 
@@ -59,9 +62,10 @@ const (
 // NewQueryExecutor returns a new instance of QueryExecutor.
 func NewQueryExecutor() *QueryExecutor {
 	return &QueryExecutor{
-		Timeout:   DefaultShardMapperTimeout,
-		LogOutput: ioutil.Discard,
-		statMap:   influxdb.NewStatistics("queryExecutor", "queryExecutor", nil),
+		Timeout:      DefaultShardMapperTimeout,
+		QueryTimeout: DefaultQueryTimeout,
+		LogOutput:    ioutil.Discard,
+		statMap:      influxdb.NewStatistics("queryExecutor", "queryExecutor", nil),
 	}
 }
 
@@ -86,6 +90,7 @@ func (e *QueryExecutor) executeQuery(query *influxql.Query, database string, chu
 		_, closing, err = e.QueryManager.AttachQuery(&influxql.QueryParams{
 			Query:       query,
 			Database:    database,
+			Timeout:     e.QueryTimeout,
 			InterruptCh: closing,
 		})
 		if err != nil {
@@ -469,6 +474,12 @@ func (e *QueryExecutor) executeSelectStatement(stmt *influxql.SelectStatement, c
 	for {
 		row := em.Emit()
 		if row == nil {
+			// Check if the query was interrupted while emitting.
+			select {
+			case <-closing:
+				return influxql.ErrQueryInterrupted
+			default:
+			}
 			break
 		}
 
@@ -489,7 +500,7 @@ func (e *QueryExecutor) executeSelectStatement(stmt *influxql.SelectStatement, c
 		// Send results or exit if closing.
 		select {
 		case <-closing:
-			return nil
+			return influxql.ErrQueryInterrupted
 		case results <- result:
 		}
 
diff --git a/cmd/influxd/run/server.go b/cmd/influxd/run/server.go
index 9d5c13954d..5fce77db3b 100644
--- a/cmd/influxd/run/server.go
+++ b/cmd/influxd/run/server.go
@@ -164,6 +164,7 @@ func NewServer(c *Config, buildInfo *BuildInfo) (*Server, error) {
 	s.QueryExecutor.TSDBStore = s.TSDBStore
 	s.QueryExecutor.Monitor = s.Monitor
 	s.QueryExecutor.PointsWriter = s.PointsWriter
+	s.QueryExecutor.QueryTimeout = time.Duration(c.Cluster.QueryTimeout)
 	s.QueryExecutor.QueryManager = influxql.DefaultQueryManager(c.Cluster.MaxConcurrentQueries)
 	if c.Data.QueryLogEnabled {
 		s.QueryExecutor.LogOutput = os.Stderr
diff --git a/influxql/query_manager.go b/influxql/query_manager.go
index b4ee118be1..5c7a99fc87 100644
--- a/influxql/query_manager.go
+++ b/influxql/query_manager.go
@@ -10,8 +10,13 @@ import (
 )
 
 var (
+	// ErrNoQueryManager is an error sent when a SHOW QUERIES or KILL QUERY
+	// statement is issued with no query manager.
 	ErrNoQueryManager = errors.New("no query manager available")
 
+	// ErrQueryInterrupted is an error returned when the query is interrupted.
+	ErrQueryInterrupted = errors.New("query interrupted")
+
 	// ErrMaxConcurrentQueriesReached is an error when a query cannot be run
 	// because the maximum number of queries has been reached.
 	ErrMaxConcurrentQueriesReached = errors.New("max concurrent queries reached")
@@ -33,6 +38,9 @@ type QueryParams struct {
 	// The database this query is being run in. Required.
 	Database string
 
+	// The timeout for automatically killing a query that hasn't finished. Optional.
+	Timeout time.Duration
+
 	// The channel to watch for when this query is interrupted or finished.
 	// Not required, but highly recommended. If this channel is not set, the
 	// query needs to be manually managed by the caller.
@@ -127,15 +135,23 @@ func (qm *defaultQueryManager) AttachQuery(params *QueryParams) (uint64, <-chan
 	}
 	qm.queries[qid] = query
 
-	if params.InterruptCh != nil {
-		go qm.waitForQuery(qid, params.InterruptCh)
+	if params.InterruptCh != nil || params.Timeout != 0 {
+		go qm.waitForQuery(qid, params.Timeout, params.InterruptCh)
 	}
 	qm.nextID++
 	return qid, query.closing, nil
 }
 
-func (qm *defaultQueryManager) waitForQuery(qid uint64, closing <-chan struct{}) {
-	<-closing
+func (qm *defaultQueryManager) waitForQuery(qid uint64, timeout time.Duration, closing <-chan struct{}) {
+	var timer <-chan time.Time
+	if timeout != 0 {
+		timer = time.After(timeout)
+	}
+
+	select {
+	case <-closing:
+	case <-timer:
+	}
 	qm.KillQuery(qid)
 }
 
diff --git a/influxql/query_manager_test.go b/influxql/query_manager_test.go
index b4bd6902ab..7a9abaf5da 100644
--- a/influxql/query_manager_test.go
+++ b/influxql/query_manager_test.go
@@ -127,6 +127,31 @@ func TestQueryManager_Queries(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestQueryManager_Limit_Timeout(t *testing.T) {
+	q, err := influxql.ParseQuery(`SELECT count(value) FROM cpu`)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	qm := influxql.DefaultQueryManager(0)
+	params := influxql.QueryParams{
+		Query:    q,
+		Database: `mydb`,
+		Timeout:  time.Nanosecond,
+	}
+
+	_, ch, err := qm.AttachQuery(&params)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	select {
+	case <-ch:
+	case <-time.After(time.Millisecond):
+		t.Errorf("timeout has not killed the query")
+	}
+}
+
 func TestQueryManager_Limit_ConcurrentQueries(t *testing.T) {
 	q, err := influxql.ParseQuery(`SELECT count(value) FROM cpu`)
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/influxql/select.go b/influxql/select.go
index f1415c13e1..59932e84d0 100644
--- a/influxql/select.go
+++ b/influxql/select.go
@@ -348,6 +348,9 @@ func buildExprIterator(expr Expr, ic IteratorCreator, opt IteratorOptions) (Iter
 			if !opt.Interval.IsZero() && opt.Fill != NoFill {
 				itr = NewFillIterator(itr, expr, opt)
 			}
+			if opt.InterruptCh != nil {
+				itr = NewInterruptIterator(itr, opt.InterruptCh)
+			}
 			return itr, nil
 		}
 	case *BinaryExpr: