diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/Kconfig.profile b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/Kconfig.profile
index 0bfd276c19fe..3925be65d314 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/Kconfig.profile
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/Kconfig.profile
@@ -1,3 +1,15 @@
+config DRM_I915_FENCE_TIMEOUT
+	int "Timeout for unsignaled foreign fences"
+	default 10000 # milliseconds
+	help
+	  When listening to a foreign fence, we install a supplementary timer
+	  to ensure that we are always signaled and our userspace is able to
+	  make forward progress. This value specifies the timeout used for an
+	  unsignaled foreign fence.
+
+	  May be 0 to disable the timeout, and rely on the foreign fence being
+	  eventually signaled.
+
 config DRM_I915_USERFAULT_AUTOSUSPEND
 	int "Runtime autosuspend delay for userspace GGTT mmaps (ms)"
 	default 250 # milliseconds
diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/Makefile b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/Makefile
index 5359c736c789..b0da6ea6e3f1 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/Makefile
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/Makefile
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ subdir-ccflags-y += -I$(srctree)/$(src)
 
 # core driver code
 i915-y += i915_drv.o \
+	  i915_config.o \
 	  i915_irq.o \
 	  i915_getparam.o \
 	  i915_params.o \
diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/display/intel_display.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/display/intel_display.c
index 2a17cf38d3dc..7b3578cfcacc 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/display/intel_display.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/display/intel_display.c
@@ -15815,7 +15815,7 @@ intel_prepare_plane_fb(struct drm_plane *_plane,
 	if (new_plane_state->uapi.fence) { /* explicit fencing */
 		ret = i915_sw_fence_await_dma_fence(&state->commit_ready,
 						    new_plane_state->uapi.fence,
-						    I915_FENCE_TIMEOUT,
+						    i915_fence_timeout(dev_priv),
 						    GFP_KERNEL);
 		if (ret < 0)
 			return ret;
@@ -15842,7 +15842,8 @@ intel_prepare_plane_fb(struct drm_plane *_plane,
 
 		ret = i915_sw_fence_await_reservation(&state->commit_ready,
 						      obj->base.resv, NULL,
-						      false, I915_FENCE_TIMEOUT,
+						      false,
+						      i915_fence_timeout(dev_priv),
 						      GFP_KERNEL);
 		if (ret < 0)
 			goto unpin_fb;
diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/gem/i915_gem_clflush.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/gem/i915_gem_clflush.c
index 34be4c0ee7c5..bc0223716906 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/gem/i915_gem_clflush.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/gem/i915_gem_clflush.c
@@ -108,7 +108,7 @@ bool i915_gem_clflush_object(struct drm_i915_gem_object *obj,
 	if (clflush) {
 		i915_sw_fence_await_reservation(&clflush->base.chain,
 						obj->base.resv, NULL, true,
-						I915_FENCE_TIMEOUT,
+						i915_fence_timeout(to_i915(obj->base.dev)),
 						I915_FENCE_GFP);
 		dma_resv_add_excl_fence(obj->base.resv, &clflush->base.dma);
 		dma_fence_work_commit(&clflush->base);
diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/gem/i915_gem_client_blt.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/gem/i915_gem_client_blt.c
index 3a146aa2593b..d3a86a4d5c04 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/gem/i915_gem_client_blt.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/gem/i915_gem_client_blt.c
@@ -288,8 +288,7 @@ int i915_gem_schedule_fill_pages_blt(struct drm_i915_gem_object *obj,
 
 	i915_gem_object_lock(obj);
 	err = i915_sw_fence_await_reservation(&work->wait,
-					      obj->base.resv, NULL,
-					      true, I915_FENCE_TIMEOUT,
+					      obj->base.resv, NULL, true, 0,
 					      I915_FENCE_GFP);
 	if (err < 0) {
 		dma_fence_set_error(&work->dma, err);
diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/gem/i915_gem_fence.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/gem/i915_gem_fence.c
index 2f6100ec2608..8ab842c80f99 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/gem/i915_gem_fence.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/gem/i915_gem_fence.c
@@ -72,8 +72,8 @@ i915_gem_object_lock_fence(struct drm_i915_gem_object *obj)
 		       0, 0);
 
 	if (i915_sw_fence_await_reservation(&stub->chain,
-					    obj->base.resv, NULL,
-					    true, I915_FENCE_TIMEOUT,
+					    obj->base.resv, NULL, true,
+					    i915_fence_timeout(to_i915(obj->base.dev)),
 					    I915_FENCE_GFP) < 0)
 		goto err;
 
diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_config.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_config.c
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..b79b5f6d2cfa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_config.c
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT
+/*
+ * Copyright © 2020 Intel Corporation
+ */
+
+#include "i915_drv.h"
+
+unsigned long
+i915_fence_context_timeout(const struct drm_i915_private *i915, u64 context)
+{
+	if (context && IS_ACTIVE(CONFIG_DRM_I915_FENCE_TIMEOUT))
+		return msecs_to_jiffies_timeout(CONFIG_DRM_I915_FENCE_TIMEOUT);
+
+	return 0;
+}
diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_drv.h b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_drv.h
index 6af69555733e..2e3b5c4d0759 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_drv.h
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_drv.h
@@ -614,8 +614,16 @@ struct i915_gem_mm {
 
 #define I915_IDLE_ENGINES_TIMEOUT (200) /* in ms */
 
+unsigned long i915_fence_context_timeout(const struct drm_i915_private *i915,
+					 u64 context);
+
+static inline unsigned long
+i915_fence_timeout(const struct drm_i915_private *i915)
+{
+	return i915_fence_context_timeout(i915, U64_MAX);
+}
+
 #define I915_RESET_TIMEOUT (10 * HZ) /* 10s */
-#define I915_FENCE_TIMEOUT (10 * HZ) /* 10s */
 
 #define I915_ENGINE_DEAD_TIMEOUT  (4 * HZ)  /* Seqno, head and subunits dead */
 #define I915_SEQNO_DEAD_TIMEOUT   (12 * HZ) /* Seqno dead with active head */
diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_request.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_request.c
index 92fa5267bcce..8a1750c69ef0 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_request.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_request.c
@@ -1172,7 +1172,8 @@ i915_request_await_proxy(struct i915_request *rq, struct dma_fence *fence)
 	 * Wait until we know the real fence so that can optimise the
 	 * inter-fence synchronisation.
 	 */
-	return __i915_request_await_proxy(rq, fence, I915_FENCE_TIMEOUT,
+	return __i915_request_await_proxy(rq, fence,
+					  i915_fence_timeout(rq->i915),
 					  await_proxy, NULL);
 }
 
@@ -1226,7 +1227,8 @@ i915_request_await_dma_fence(struct i915_request *rq, struct dma_fence *fence)
 			ret = i915_request_await_proxy(rq, fence);
 		else
 			ret = i915_sw_fence_await_dma_fence(&rq->submit, fence,
-							    fence->context ? I915_FENCE_TIMEOUT : 0,
+							    i915_fence_context_timeout(rq->i915,
+										       fence->context),
 							    I915_FENCE_GFP);
 		if (ret < 0)
 			return ret;
@@ -1342,7 +1344,8 @@ i915_request_await_proxy_execution(struct i915_request *rq,
 	 * be able to hook into its execution, as opposed to waiting for
 	 * its completion.
 	 */
-	return __i915_request_await_proxy(rq, fence, I915_FENCE_TIMEOUT,
+	return __i915_request_await_proxy(rq, fence,
+					  i915_fence_timeout(rq->i915),
 					  execution_proxy, hook);
 }
 
@@ -1388,7 +1391,7 @@ i915_request_await_execution(struct i915_request *rq,
 								 hook);
 		else
 			ret = i915_sw_fence_await_dma_fence(&rq->submit, fence,
-							    I915_FENCE_TIMEOUT,
+							    i915_fence_timeout(rq->i915),
 							    I915_FENCE_GFP);
 		if (ret < 0)
 			return ret;
