diff --git a/server/embed/config.go b/server/embed/config.go
index 75bcbc34152e..8e97ff2551e7 100644
--- a/server/embed/config.go
+++ b/server/embed/config.go
@@ -74,6 +74,8 @@ const (
 	DefaultDiscoveryKeepAliveTime    = 2 * time.Second
 	DefaultDiscoveryKeepAliveTimeOut = 6 * time.Second
 
+	DefaultWatchdogTolerateInactiveTimeout = 10 * time.Second
+
 	DefaultListenPeerURLs   = "http://localhost:2380"
 	DefaultListenClientURLs = "http://localhost:2379"
 
@@ -380,6 +382,9 @@ type Config struct {
 	// Defaults to 0.
 	ExperimentalDistributedTracingSamplingRatePerMillion int `json:"experimental-distributed-tracing-sampling-rate"`
 
+	EnableWatchDog                  bool          `json:"experimental-enable-watchdog"`
+	WatchDogTolerateInactiveTimeout time.Duration `json:"experimental-watchdog-tolerate-inactive-timeout"`
+
 	// Logger is logger options: currently only supports "zap".
 	// "capnslog" is removed in v3.5.
 	Logger string `json:"logger"`
@@ -532,6 +537,8 @@ func NewConfig() *Config {
 		ExperimentalCompactHashCheckEnabled: false,
 		ExperimentalCompactHashCheckTime:    time.Minute,
 
+		WatchDogTolerateInactiveTimeout: DefaultWatchdogTolerateInactiveTimeout,
+
 		V2Deprecation: config.V2_DEPR_DEFAULT,
 
 		DiscoveryCfg: v3discovery.DiscoveryConfig{
@@ -750,6 +757,17 @@ func (cfg *Config) Validate() error {
 		return fmt.Errorf("--election-timeout[%vms] is too long, and should be set less than %vms", cfg.ElectionMs, maxElectionMs)
 	}
 
+	if cfg.EnableWatchDog {
+		if cfg.WatchDogTolerateInactiveTimeout == 0 {
+			return fmt.Errorf("--experimental-watchdog-tolerate-inactive-timeout must be >0 (set to %s)", cfg.WatchDogTolerateInactiveTimeout)
+		}
+
+		if int64(2*cfg.ElectionMs) > cfg.WatchDogTolerateInactiveTimeout.Milliseconds() {
+			return fmt.Errorf("--experimental-watchdog-tolerate-inactive-timeout[%s] should be at least as 2 times as --election-timeout[%dms]",
+				cfg.WatchDogTolerateInactiveTimeout, cfg.ElectionMs)
+		}
+	}
+
 	// check this last since proxying in etcdmain may make this OK
 	if cfg.LCUrls != nil && cfg.ACUrls == nil {
 		return ErrUnsetAdvertiseClientURLsFlag
diff --git a/server/embed/etcd.go b/server/embed/etcd.go
index a03b4f1c9fe9..ba3748f5a80d 100644
--- a/server/embed/etcd.go
+++ b/server/embed/etcd.go
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@ import (
 	"go.etcd.io/etcd/server/v3/etcdserver/api/rafthttp"
 	"go.etcd.io/etcd/server/v3/storage"
 	"go.etcd.io/etcd/server/v3/verify"
+	"go.etcd.io/etcd/server/v3/watchdog"
 
 	grpc_prometheus "github.com/grpc-ecosystem/go-grpc-prometheus"
 	"github.com/soheilhy/cmux"
@@ -263,6 +264,12 @@ func StartEtcd(inCfg *Config) (e *Etcd, err error) {
 			return e, err
 		}
 	}
+
+	if cfg.EnableWatchDog {
+		inactiveTimeoutMs := cfg.WatchDogTolerateInactiveTimeout.Milliseconds()
+		watchdog.Start(e.cfg.logger, e.Server.StoppingNotify(), e.Stop, inactiveTimeoutMs)
+	}
+
 	e.Server.Start()
 
 	if err = e.servePeers(); err != nil {
@@ -400,6 +407,27 @@ func (e *Etcd) Close() {
 		lg.Sync()
 	}()
 
+	e.Stop()
+
+	if e.Server != nil {
+		e.Server.Stop()
+	}
+
+	if e.errc != nil {
+		close(e.errc)
+	}
+}
+
+func (e *Etcd) Stop() {
+	fields := []zap.Field{
+		zap.String("name", e.cfg.Name),
+		zap.String("data-dir", e.cfg.Dir),
+		zap.Strings("advertise-peer-urls", e.cfg.getAPURLs()),
+		zap.Strings("advertise-client-urls", e.cfg.getACURLs()),
+	}
+	lg := e.GetLogger()
+	lg.Info("stopping etcd server", fields...)
+
 	e.closeOnce.Do(func() {
 		close(e.stopc)
 	})
@@ -436,11 +464,6 @@ func (e *Etcd) Close() {
 		e.tracingExporterShutdown()
 	}
 
-	// close rafthttp transports
-	if e.Server != nil {
-		e.Server.Stop()
-	}
-
 	// close all idle connections in peer handler (wait up to 1-second)
 	for i := range e.Peers {
 		if e.Peers[i] != nil && e.Peers[i].close != nil {
@@ -449,9 +472,6 @@ func (e *Etcd) Close() {
 			cancel()
 		}
 	}
-	if e.errc != nil {
-		close(e.errc)
-	}
 }
 
 func stopServers(ctx context.Context, ss *servers) {
diff --git a/server/etcdmain/config.go b/server/etcdmain/config.go
index 84763dd9a6db..1e204d9f55e3 100644
--- a/server/etcdmain/config.go
+++ b/server/etcdmain/config.go
@@ -284,6 +284,9 @@ func newConfig() *config {
 	fs.DurationVar(&cfg.ec.ExperimentalWaitClusterReadyTimeout, "experimental-wait-cluster-ready-timeout", cfg.ec.ExperimentalWaitClusterReadyTimeout, "Maximum duration to wait for the cluster to be ready.")
 	fs.Uint64Var(&cfg.ec.SnapshotCatchUpEntries, "experimental-snapshot-catchup-entries", cfg.ec.SnapshotCatchUpEntries, "Number of entries for a slow follower to catch up after compacting the the raft storage entries.")
 
+	fs.BoolVar(&cfg.ec.EnableWatchDog, "experimental-enable-watchdog", cfg.ec.EnableWatchDog, "Enable watchdog to detect inactive activities.")
+	fs.DurationVar(&cfg.ec.WatchDogTolerateInactiveTimeout, "experimental-watchdog-tolerate-inactive-timeout", cfg.ec.WatchDogTolerateInactiveTimeout, "Maximum inactive duration of each activity that the watchdog tolerates.")
+
 	// unsafe
 	fs.BoolVar(&cfg.ec.UnsafeNoFsync, "unsafe-no-fsync", false, "Disables fsync, unsafe, will cause data loss.")
 	fs.BoolVar(&cfg.ec.ForceNewCluster, "force-new-cluster", false, "Force to create a new one member cluster.")
diff --git a/server/etcdserver/api/snap/snapshotter.go b/server/etcdserver/api/snap/snapshotter.go
index 093ab6bc9149..ffc299bb7dee 100644
--- a/server/etcdserver/api/snap/snapshotter.go
+++ b/server/etcdserver/api/snap/snapshotter.go
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ import (
 	"go.etcd.io/etcd/pkg/v3/pbutil"
 	"go.etcd.io/etcd/server/v3/etcdserver/api/snap/snappb"
 	"go.etcd.io/etcd/server/v3/storage/wal/walpb"
+	"go.etcd.io/etcd/server/v3/watchdog"
 	"go.etcd.io/raft/v3"
 	"go.etcd.io/raft/v3/raftpb"
 
@@ -88,7 +89,9 @@ func (s *Snapshotter) save(snapshot *raftpb.Snapshot) error {
 	spath := filepath.Join(s.dir, fname)
 
 	fsyncStart := time.Now()
+	cancel := watchdog.Register("save v2 snapshot")
 	err = pioutil.WriteAndSyncFile(spath, d, 0666)
+	cancel()
 	snapFsyncSec.Observe(time.Since(fsyncStart).Seconds())
 
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/server/storage/backend/batch_tx.go b/server/storage/backend/batch_tx.go
index 0d12a0868ddc..91bb7067e7db 100644
--- a/server/storage/backend/batch_tx.go
+++ b/server/storage/backend/batch_tx.go
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ import (
 	"go.uber.org/zap"
 
 	bolt "go.etcd.io/bbolt"
+	"go.etcd.io/etcd/server/v3/watchdog"
 )
 
 type BucketID int
@@ -114,7 +115,9 @@ func (t *batchTx) RUnlock() {
 }
 
 func (t *batchTx) UnsafeCreateBucket(bucket Bucket) {
+	cancel := watchdog.Register("batchTx createBucket")
 	_, err := t.tx.CreateBucket(bucket.Name())
+	cancel()
 	if err != nil && err != bolt.ErrBucketExists {
 		t.backend.lg.Fatal(
 			"failed to create a bucket",
@@ -126,7 +129,9 @@ func (t *batchTx) UnsafeCreateBucket(bucket Bucket) {
 }
 
 func (t *batchTx) UnsafeDeleteBucket(bucket Bucket) {
+	cancel := watchdog.Register("batchTx deleteBucket")
 	err := t.tx.DeleteBucket(bucket.Name())
+	cancel()
 	if err != nil && err != bolt.ErrBucketNotFound {
 		t.backend.lg.Fatal(
 			"failed to delete a bucket",
@@ -161,7 +166,11 @@ func (t *batchTx) unsafePut(bucketType Bucket, key []byte, value []byte, seq boo
 		// this can delay the page split and reduce space usage.
 		bucket.FillPercent = 0.9
 	}
-	if err := bucket.Put(key, value); err != nil {
+
+	cancel := watchdog.Register("batchTx put")
+	err := bucket.Put(key, value)
+	cancel()
+	if err != nil {
 		t.backend.lg.Fatal(
 			"failed to write to a bucket",
 			zap.Stringer("bucket-name", bucketType),
@@ -216,7 +225,9 @@ func (t *batchTx) UnsafeDelete(bucketType Bucket, key []byte) {
 			zap.Stack("stack"),
 		)
 	}
+	cancel := watchdog.Register("batchTx delete")
 	err := bucket.Delete(key)
+	cancel()
 	if err != nil {
 		t.backend.lg.Fatal(
 			"failed to delete a key",
@@ -268,9 +279,11 @@ func (t *batchTx) commit(stop bool) {
 
 		start := time.Now()
 
+		cancel := watchdog.Register("batchTx commit")
 		// gofail: var beforeCommit struct{}
 		err := t.tx.Commit()
 		// gofail: var afterCommit struct{}
+		cancel()
 
 		rebalanceSec.Observe(t.tx.Stats().RebalanceTime.Seconds())
 		spillSec.Observe(t.tx.Stats().SpillTime.Seconds())
diff --git a/server/storage/wal/wal.go b/server/storage/wal/wal.go
index 7f8b25f5ddd2..6d47a9a15347 100644
--- a/server/storage/wal/wal.go
+++ b/server/storage/wal/wal.go
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ import (
 	"go.etcd.io/etcd/client/pkg/v3/fileutil"
 	"go.etcd.io/etcd/pkg/v3/pbutil"
 	"go.etcd.io/etcd/server/v3/storage/wal/walpb"
+	"go.etcd.io/etcd/server/v3/watchdog"
 	"go.etcd.io/raft/v3"
 	"go.etcd.io/raft/v3/raftpb"
 
@@ -798,6 +799,8 @@ func (w *WAL) cut() error {
 }
 
 func (w *WAL) sync() error {
+	cancel := watchdog.Register("WAL sync")
+	defer cancel()
 	if w.encoder != nil {
 		if err := w.encoder.flush(); err != nil {
 			return err
@@ -935,12 +938,19 @@ func (w *WAL) Save(st raftpb.HardState, ents []raftpb.Entry) error {
 	mustSync := raft.MustSync(st, w.state, len(ents))
 
 	// TODO(xiangli): no more reference operator
+	cancel := watchdog.Register("WAL saveEntry")
 	for i := range ents {
 		if err := w.saveEntry(&ents[i]); err != nil {
+			cancel()
 			return err
 		}
 	}
-	if err := w.saveState(&st); err != nil {
+	cancel()
+
+	cancel = watchdog.Register("WAL saveState")
+	err := w.saveState(&st)
+	cancel()
+	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 
@@ -972,9 +982,13 @@ func (w *WAL) SaveSnapshot(e walpb.Snapshot) error {
 	defer w.mu.Unlock()
 
 	rec := &walpb.Record{Type: SnapshotType, Data: b}
-	if err := w.encoder.encode(rec); err != nil {
+	cancel := watchdog.Register("WAL saveSnapshot")
+	err := w.encoder.encode(rec)
+	cancel()
+	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
+
 	// update enti only when snapshot is ahead of last index
 	if w.enti < e.Index {
 		w.enti = e.Index