diff --git a/document-parser/infra/local_converter.py b/document-parser/infra/local_converter.py
index a126e7b..1a3b701 100644
--- a/document-parser/infra/local_converter.py
+++ b/document-parser/infra/local_converter.py
@@ -49,7 +49,6 @@ logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 # Thread lock — DoclingConverter is not thread-safe.
 # Uses a timeout to prevent a frozen conversion from blocking all others.
 _converter_lock = threading.Lock()
-_LOCK_TIMEOUT = 300  # seconds — fail fast rather than wait forever
 
 # US Letter page dimensions (points) — fallback when page size is unknown
 _DEFAULT_PAGE_WIDTH = 612.0
@@ -218,10 +217,10 @@ def _process_content_item(
 
 
 def _convert_sync(file_path: str, options: ConversionOptions) -> ConversionResult:
-    acquired = _converter_lock.acquire(timeout=_LOCK_TIMEOUT)
+    acquired = _converter_lock.acquire(timeout=settings.lock_timeout)
     if not acquired:
         raise TimeoutError(
-            f"Could not acquire converter lock within {_LOCK_TIMEOUT}s — "
+            f"Could not acquire converter lock within {settings.lock_timeout}s — "
             "a previous conversion may be frozen"
         )
     try:
diff --git a/document-parser/infra/settings.py b/document-parser/infra/settings.py
index 60cc3c5..496e032 100644
--- a/document-parser/infra/settings.py
+++ b/document-parser/infra/settings.py
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ class Settings:
     docling_serve_api_key: str | None = None
     conversion_timeout: int = 900
     document_timeout: float = 120.0  # Docling-level per-document timeout (seconds)
+    lock_timeout: int = 300  # converter lock acquisition timeout (seconds)
     max_concurrent_analyses: int = 3
     default_table_mode: str = "accurate"  # "accurate" or "fast"
     max_page_count: int = 0  # 0 = unlimited (upload validation)
@@ -31,6 +32,8 @@ class Settings:
             errors.append(f"document_timeout must be > 0 (got {self.document_timeout})")
         if self.conversion_timeout <= 0:
             errors.append(f"conversion_timeout must be > 0 (got {self.conversion_timeout})")
+        if self.lock_timeout <= 0:
+            errors.append(f"lock_timeout must be > 0 (got {self.lock_timeout})")
         if self.max_concurrent_analyses < 1:
             errors.append(
                 f"max_concurrent_analyses must be >= 1 (got {self.max_concurrent_analyses})"
@@ -58,6 +61,7 @@ class Settings:
             docling_serve_api_key=os.environ.get("DOCLING_SERVE_API_KEY"),
             conversion_timeout=int(os.environ.get("CONVERSION_TIMEOUT", "900")),
             document_timeout=float(os.environ.get("DOCUMENT_TIMEOUT", "120.0")),
+            lock_timeout=int(os.environ.get("LOCK_TIMEOUT", "300")),
             max_concurrent_analyses=int(os.environ.get("MAX_CONCURRENT_ANALYSES", "3")),
             default_table_mode=os.environ.get("DEFAULT_TABLE_MODE", "accurate"),
             max_page_count=int(os.environ.get("MAX_PAGE_COUNT", "0")),
diff --git a/document-parser/tests/test_settings.py b/document-parser/tests/test_settings.py
index aa27233..9a683fd 100644
--- a/document-parser/tests/test_settings.py
+++ b/document-parser/tests/test_settings.py
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ class TestSettingsDefaults:
         assert s.docling_serve_api_key is None
         assert s.conversion_timeout == 900
         assert s.document_timeout == 120.0
+        assert s.lock_timeout == 300
         assert s.max_page_count == 0
         assert s.upload_dir == "./uploads"
         assert s.db_path == "./data/docling_studio.db"
@@ -66,6 +67,12 @@ class TestSettingsValidation:
         with pytest.raises(ValueError, match="max_file_size must be >= 0"):
             Settings(max_file_size=-1)
 
+    def test_zero_lock_timeout_rejected(self):
+        import pytest
+
+        with pytest.raises(ValueError, match="lock_timeout must be > 0"):
+            Settings(lock_timeout=0)
+
     def test_invalid_table_mode_rejected(self):
         import pytest