diff --git a/core/capabilities/launcher.go b/core/capabilities/launcher.go
index 27c43fe0a53..98318853e2a 100644
--- a/core/capabilities/launcher.go
+++ b/core/capabilities/launcher.go
@@ -398,7 +398,8 @@ func (w *launcher) addToRegistryAndSetDispatcher(ctx context.Context, capability
 }
 
 var (
-	defaultTargetRequestTimeout = time.Minute
+	// TODO: make this configurable
+	defaultTargetRequestTimeout = 8 * time.Minute
 )
 
 func (w *launcher) exposeCapabilities(ctx context.Context, myPeerID p2ptypes.PeerID, don registrysyncer.DON, state *registrysyncer.LocalRegistry, remoteWorkflowDONs []registrysyncer.DON) error {
diff --git a/core/capabilities/remote/executable/client.go b/core/capabilities/remote/executable/client.go
index 9af32eb5f8e..776ddb692ad 100644
--- a/core/capabilities/remote/executable/client.go
+++ b/core/capabilities/remote/executable/client.go
@@ -41,6 +41,8 @@ var _ commoncap.ExecutableCapability = &client{}
 var _ types.Receiver = &client{}
 var _ services.Service = &client{}
 
+const expiryCheckInterval = 30 * time.Second
+
 func NewClient(remoteCapabilityInfo commoncap.CapabilityInfo, localDonInfo commoncap.DON, dispatcher types.Dispatcher,
 	requestTimeout time.Duration, lggr logger.Logger) *client {
 	return &client{
@@ -98,7 +100,11 @@ func (c *client) checkDispatcherReady() {
 }
 
 func (c *client) checkForExpiredRequests() {
-	ticker := time.NewTicker(c.requestTimeout)
+	tickerInterval := expiryCheckInterval
+	if c.requestTimeout < tickerInterval {
+		tickerInterval = c.requestTimeout
+	}
+	ticker := time.NewTicker(tickerInterval)
 	defer ticker.Stop()
 	for {
 		select {
@@ -116,7 +122,7 @@ func (c *client) expireRequests() {
 
 	for messageID, req := range c.requestIDToCallerRequest {
 		if req.Expired() {
-			req.Cancel(errors.New("request expired"))
+			req.Cancel(errors.New("request expired by executable client"))
 			delete(c.requestIDToCallerRequest, messageID)
 		}
 
diff --git a/core/capabilities/remote/executable/endtoend_test.go b/core/capabilities/remote/executable/endtoend_test.go
index 4e78fead87e..8be92e878ad 100644
--- a/core/capabilities/remote/executable/endtoend_test.go
+++ b/core/capabilities/remote/executable/endtoend_test.go
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ func Test_RemoteExecutableCapability_RandomCapabilityError(t *testing.T) {
 
 	methods = append(methods, func(ctx context.Context, caller commoncap.ExecutableCapability) {
 		executeCapability(ctx, t, caller, transmissionSchedule, func(t *testing.T, responseCh commoncap.CapabilityResponse, responseError error) {
-			assert.Equal(t, "error executing request: request expired", responseError.Error())
+			assert.Equal(t, "error executing request: request expired by executable client", responseError.Error())
 		})
 	})
 
diff --git a/core/capabilities/remote/executable/server.go b/core/capabilities/remote/executable/server.go
index b767a2d7030..d43c7ab5c41 100644
--- a/core/capabilities/remote/executable/server.go
+++ b/core/capabilities/remote/executable/server.go
@@ -87,7 +87,11 @@ func (r *server) Start(ctx context.Context) error {
 		r.wg.Add(1)
 		go func() {
 			defer r.wg.Done()
-			ticker := time.NewTicker(r.requestTimeout)
+			tickerInterval := expiryCheckInterval
+			if r.requestTimeout < tickerInterval {
+				tickerInterval = r.requestTimeout
+			}
+			ticker := time.NewTicker(tickerInterval)
 			defer ticker.Stop()
 			r.lggr.Info("executable capability server started")
 			for {
@@ -118,7 +122,7 @@ func (r *server) expireRequests() {
 
 	for requestID, executeReq := range r.requestIDToRequest {
 		if executeReq.request.Expired() {
-			err := executeReq.request.Cancel(types.Error_TIMEOUT, "request expired")
+			err := executeReq.request.Cancel(types.Error_TIMEOUT, "request expired by executable server")
 			if err != nil {
 				r.lggr.Errorw("failed to cancel request", "request", executeReq, "err", err)
 			}