diff --git a/lib/service/signals.go b/lib/service/signals.go
index c319533a85dc1..290d28c2def46 100644
--- a/lib/service/signals.go
+++ b/lib/service/signals.go
@@ -82,9 +82,16 @@ func (process *TeleportProcess) WaitForSignals(ctx context.Context) error {
 				process.Shutdown(ctx)
 				process.log.Infof("All services stopped, exiting.")
 				return nil
-			case syscall.SIGTERM, syscall.SIGKILL, syscall.SIGINT:
-				process.log.Infof("Got signal %q, exiting immediately.", signal)
-				process.Close()
+			case syscall.SIGTERM, syscall.SIGINT:
+				timeout := getShutdownTimeout(process.log)
+				cancelCtx, cancelFunc := context.WithTimeout(ctx, timeout)
+				process.log.Infof("Got signal %q, exiting within %vs.", signal, timeout.Seconds())
+				go func() {
+					defer cancelFunc()
+					process.Shutdown(cancelCtx)
+				}()
+				<-cancelCtx.Done()
+				process.log.Infof("All services stopped or timeout passed, exiting immediately.")
 				return nil
 			case syscall.SIGUSR1:
 				// All programs placed diagnostics on the standard output.
@@ -151,6 +158,31 @@ func (process *TeleportProcess) WaitForSignals(ctx context.Context) error {
 	}
 }
 
+const defaultShutdownTimeout = time.Second * 3
+const maxShutdownTimeout = time.Minute * 10
+
+func getShutdownTimeout(log logrus.FieldLogger) time.Duration {
+	timeout := defaultShutdownTimeout
+
+	// read undocumented env var TELEPORT_UNSTABLE_SHUTDOWN_TIMEOUT.
+	// TODO(Tener): DELETE IN 15.0. after ironing out all possible shutdown bugs.
+	override := os.Getenv("TELEPORT_UNSTABLE_SHUTDOWN_TIMEOUT")
+	if override != "" {
+		t, err := time.ParseDuration(override)
+		if err != nil {
+			log.Warnf("Cannot parse timeout override %q, using default instead.", override)
+		}
+		if err == nil {
+			if t > maxShutdownTimeout {
+				log.Warnf("Timeout override %q exceeds maximum value, reducing.", override)
+				t = maxShutdownTimeout
+			}
+			timeout = t
+		}
+	}
+	return timeout
+}
+
 // ErrTeleportReloading is returned when signal waiter exits
 // because the teleport process has initiaded shutdown
 var ErrTeleportReloading = &trace.CompareFailedError{Message: "teleport process is reloading"}
diff --git a/lib/service/signals_test.go b/lib/service/signals_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..2819e90c92462
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/service/signals_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,63 @@
+// Copyright 2023 Gravitational, Inc
+//
+// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+// you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+// You may obtain a copy of the License at
+//
+//      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+//
+// Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+// distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+// WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+// See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+// limitations under the License.
+
+package service
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+)
+
+func Test_getShutdownTimeout(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name     string
+		envValue string
+		want     time.Duration
+	}{
+		{
+			name:     "no override",
+			envValue: "",
+			want:     defaultShutdownTimeout,
+		},
+		{
+			name:     "accept valid override, one second",
+			envValue: "1s",
+			want:     time.Second * 1,
+		},
+		{
+			name:     "accept valid override, one minute",
+			envValue: "1m",
+			want:     time.Minute * 1,
+		},
+		{
+			name:     "ignore invalid override",
+			envValue: "one moment",
+			want:     defaultShutdownTimeout,
+		},
+		{
+			name:     "valid override above maximum, trim",
+			envValue: "3000h",
+			want:     maxShutdownTimeout,
+		},
+	}
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			t.Setenv("TELEPORT_UNSTABLE_SHUTDOWN_TIMEOUT", tt.envValue)
+			require.Equal(t, tt.want, getShutdownTimeout(logrus.StandardLogger()))
+		})
+	}
+}