diff --git a/internal/server/server.go b/internal/server/server.go
index 9262a6c..9ee0e41 100644
--- a/internal/server/server.go
+++ b/internal/server/server.go
@@ -1184,9 +1184,65 @@ func (s *Server) defaultForwardRequestWithBodyFunc(w http.ResponseWriter, ctx co
 	return err
 }
 
+// Liveness-detection knobs for the proxied WebSocket. Vars (not consts) so
+// tests can shorten them. wsIdleTimeout is the maximum gap between any frames
+// (data, ping, pong) received from the upstream before we declare the
+// connection dead and tear it down. wsWriteTimeout caps any single forwarded
+// data write so a slow downstream peer can't stall the proxy or starve the
+// idle detector on the other leg.
+var (
+	wsIdleTimeout         = 90 * time.Second
+	wsWriteTimeout        = 30 * time.Second
+	wsControlWriteTimeout = 10 * time.Second
+)
+
+// wsBackendIdleError marks a read-deadline timeout from the backend leg.
+// This is the only error condition that unambiguously means "upstream went
+// silent"; other timeouts (e.g. a write to a slow client) are downstream
+// backpressure and must not be attributed to the upstream endpoint.
+type wsBackendIdleError struct{ err error }
+
+func (e *wsBackendIdleError) Error() string { return e.err.Error() }
+func (e *wsBackendIdleError) Unwrap() error { return e.err }
+
+// installControlForwarders installs ping/pong handlers on src that forward
+// the frame to dst via WriteControl, instead of letting gorilla auto-pong
+// inbound pings on src. This makes the proxy transparent for WS control
+// frames: a client's ping reaches the upstream RPC node, and the upstream's
+// pong reaches the client, proving the full chain.
+//
+// If bumpDeadline is true, every received control frame also extends src's
+// read deadline by wsIdleTimeout — used for the upstream side so quiet
+// pong/ping traffic from a healthy upstream resets the idle backstop.
+//
+// A WriteControl failure on dst is returned from the handler, which causes
+// src.ReadMessage to return the same error and triggers the existing
+// teardown path.
+func installControlForwarders(src, dst *websocket.Conn, bumpDeadline bool) {
+	src.SetPingHandler(func(appData string) error {
+		if bumpDeadline {
+			_ = src.SetReadDeadline(time.Now().Add(wsIdleTimeout))
+		}
+		return dst.WriteControl(websocket.PingMessage,
+			[]byte(appData), time.Now().Add(wsControlWriteTimeout))
+	})
+	src.SetPongHandler(func(appData string) error {
+		if bumpDeadline {
+			_ = src.SetReadDeadline(time.Now().Add(wsIdleTimeout))
+		}
+		return dst.WriteControl(websocket.PongMessage,
+			[]byte(appData), time.Now().Add(wsControlWriteTimeout))
+	})
+}
+
 // proxyWebSocketCopy copies messages from src to dst, forwarding close frames
 // to the destination so both peers receive a proper WebSocket close handshake.
-func proxyWebSocketCopy(src, dst *websocket.Conn) error {
+// Each forwarded write is bounded by wsWriteTimeout so a slow peer can't
+// stall the goroutine indefinitely. If bumpSrcDeadline is true, the src read
+// deadline is reset to wsIdleTimeout AFTER every successful end-to-end
+// forward, so a slow downstream write doesn't shorten the next read budget
+// and cause a false "upstream idle" timeout.
+func proxyWebSocketCopy(src, dst *websocket.Conn, bumpSrcDeadline bool) error {
 	for {
 		msgType, msg, err := src.ReadMessage()
 		if err != nil {
@@ -1202,11 +1258,26 @@ func proxyWebSocketCopy(src, dst *websocket.Conn) error {
 				_ = dst.WriteMessage(websocket.CloseMessage,
 					websocket.FormatCloseMessage(code, closeErr.Text))
 			}
+			// Tag a backend-leg read-deadline timeout as the genuine
+			// upstream-idle signal. Write timeouts (or read timeouts on
+			// the client leg, which has no deadline today) must not be
+			// misattributed to the upstream — they are caught by the
+			// caller's isExpectedWSClose path and don't mark unhealthy.
+			if bumpSrcDeadline {
+				var netErr net.Error
+				if errors.As(err, &netErr) && netErr.Timeout() {
+					return &wsBackendIdleError{err: err}
+				}
+			}
 			return err
 		}
+		_ = dst.SetWriteDeadline(time.Now().Add(wsWriteTimeout))
 		if err := dst.WriteMessage(msgType, msg); err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
+		if bumpSrcDeadline {
+			_ = src.SetReadDeadline(time.Now().Add(wsIdleTimeout))
+		}
 	}
 }
 
@@ -1307,15 +1378,30 @@ func (s *Server) defaultProxyWebSocket(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request, b
 		backendConn.Close()
 		return err
 	}
-	// Proxy messages in both directions
+
+	// Forward WS control frames in both directions instead of letting
+	// gorilla auto-pong inbound pings on each side. This makes liveness
+	// checks transparent end-to-end: a client ping reaches the upstream RPC
+	// node, and the upstream pong reaches the client.
+	//
+	// On the backend conn we also bump the read deadline on every received
+	// frame and seed it now. If the upstream goes silent for wsIdleTimeout
+	// (no data, ping, or pong), ReadMessage returns a Timeout error and the
+	// teardown below propagates a close frame to the client so it knows to
+	// reconnect. The client conn intentionally has no read deadline — silent
+	// clients are fine; only upstream silence is the failure mode.
+	installControlForwarders(clientConn, backendConn, false)
+	installControlForwarders(backendConn, clientConn, true)
+	_ = backendConn.SetReadDeadline(time.Now().Add(wsIdleTimeout))
+
+	// Proxy messages in both directions. The backend leg also resets the
+	// backend read deadline on each received data frame.
 	errc := make(chan error, 2)
 	go func() {
-		err := proxyWebSocketCopy(clientConn, backendConn)
-		errc <- err
+		errc <- proxyWebSocketCopy(clientConn, backendConn, false)
 	}()
 	go func() {
-		err := proxyWebSocketCopy(backendConn, clientConn)
-		errc <- err
+		errc <- proxyWebSocketCopy(backendConn, clientConn, true)
 	}()
 	// Wait for one direction to fail/close, then immediately close both
 	// connections so the other goroutine unblocks and finishes cleanly.
@@ -1324,8 +1410,24 @@ func (s *Server) defaultProxyWebSocket(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request, b
 	backendConn.Close()
 	<-errc // wait for the second goroutine to finish
 
-	// Mark endpoint as unhealthy for WS if error is not a normal closure
 	if err != nil {
+		// Backend leg's read deadline fired = upstream sent nothing for
+		// wsIdleTimeout. Only this specific error is attributed to the
+		// upstream. Other timeouts (downstream write blocking, control
+		// frame forwarding) are caught by isExpectedWSClose below and
+		// don't mark the endpoint unhealthy.
+		var idleErr *wsBackendIdleError
+		if errors.As(err, &idleErr) {
+			log.Warn().
+				Err(err).
+				Str("endpoint", helpers.RedactAPIKey(backendURL)).
+				Dur("idle_timeout", wsIdleTimeout).
+				Msg("WebSocket upstream idle timeout, marking endpoint unhealthy")
+			if chain, endpointID, found := s.findChainAndEndpointByURL(backendURL); found {
+				s.markEndpointUnhealthyProtocol(chain, endpointID, "ws")
+			}
+			return err
+		}
 		if isExpectedWSClose(err) {
 			if closeErr, ok := err.(*websocket.CloseError); ok && closeErr.Code == websocket.CloseAbnormalClosure {
 				log.Debug().Err(err).Str("endpoint", helpers.RedactAPIKey(backendURL)).Msg("WebSocket connection closed abnormally (1006), not counting as failure")
diff --git a/internal/server/server_test.go b/internal/server/server_test.go
index 0568233..1423432 100644
--- a/internal/server/server_test.go
+++ b/internal/server/server_test.go
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import (
 	"io"
 	"net/http"
 	"net/http/httptest"
+	"strings"
 	"testing"
 	"time"
 
@@ -499,6 +500,202 @@ func TestIsExpectedWSClose(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+// TestProxyWebSocket_UpstreamIdleTimeout verifies that when the upstream
+// stops sending any frames (data, ping, or pong) for longer than
+// wsIdleTimeout, the proxy tears down the client connection and marks the
+// endpoint unhealthy. This is the regression test for the silent-subscription
+// bug where eth_subscribe stops delivering newHeads but the client connection
+// stays open indefinitely.
+func TestProxyWebSocket_UpstreamIdleTimeout(t *testing.T) {
+	origTimeout := wsIdleTimeout
+	wsIdleTimeout = 300 * time.Millisecond
+	t.Cleanup(func() { wsIdleTimeout = origTimeout })
+
+	// Silent upstream: complete the WS handshake, then do nothing — no
+	// reads (so no auto-pong on inbound pings), no writes, no close frame.
+	upgrader := websocket.Upgrader{CheckOrigin: func(*http.Request) bool { return true }}
+	upstream := httptest.NewServer(http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		c, err := upgrader.Upgrade(w, r, nil)
+		if err != nil {
+			return
+		}
+		<-r.Context().Done()
+		c.Close()
+	}))
+	t.Cleanup(upstream.Close)
+
+	upstreamWSURL := "ws" + strings.TrimPrefix(upstream.URL, "http")
+
+	cfg := &config.Config{
+		Endpoints: map[string]config.ChainEndpoints{
+			"chainX": {
+				"ep1": config.Endpoint{Provider: "ep1", WSURL: upstreamWSURL, Role: "primary", Type: "full"},
+			},
+		},
+	}
+	valkeyClient := store.NewMockValkeyClient()
+	valkeyClient.PopulateStatuses(map[string]*store.EndpointStatus{
+		"chainX:ep1": {HasWS: true, HealthyWS: true},
+	})
+	srv := NewServer(cfg, valkeyClient, createTestConfig())
+
+	proxy := httptest.NewServer(http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		_ = srv.defaultProxyWebSocket(w, r, upstreamWSURL)
+	}))
+	t.Cleanup(proxy.Close)
+
+	proxyWSURL := "ws" + strings.TrimPrefix(proxy.URL, "http")
+	client, resp, err := websocket.DefaultDialer.Dial(proxyWSURL, nil)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("client dial failed: %v", err)
+	}
+	if resp != nil && resp.Body != nil {
+		_ = resp.Body.Close()
+	}
+	defer client.Close()
+
+	// Give the proxy a generous read deadline; we expect it to hang up well
+	// before this fires.
+	_ = client.SetReadDeadline(time.Now().Add(wsIdleTimeout + 2*time.Second))
+	start := time.Now()
+	_, _, err = client.ReadMessage()
+	elapsed := time.Since(start)
+
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatalf("expected client ReadMessage to fail after upstream idle timeout, got nil after %s", elapsed)
+	}
+	if elapsed < wsIdleTimeout {
+		t.Errorf("client torn down too early: elapsed=%s wsIdleTimeout=%s", elapsed, wsIdleTimeout)
+	}
+	if elapsed > wsIdleTimeout+2*time.Second {
+		t.Errorf("client torn down too late: elapsed=%s wsIdleTimeout=%s", elapsed, wsIdleTimeout)
+	}
+
+	// The proxy should mark the upstream endpoint unhealthy. The status
+	// write happens just before defaultProxyWebSocket returns, after both
+	// goroutines have joined; allow a brief moment for it to land.
+	deadline := time.Now().Add(500 * time.Millisecond)
+	for {
+		status, _ := valkeyClient.GetEndpointStatus(context.Background(), "chainX", "ep1")
+		if !status.HealthyWS {
+			break
+		}
+		if time.Now().After(deadline) {
+			t.Errorf("expected HealthyWS=false after upstream idle timeout, still true")
+			break
+		}
+		time.Sleep(10 * time.Millisecond)
+	}
+}
+
+// TestProxyWebSocket_PingPongForwarded verifies that a client ping is
+// forwarded all the way to the upstream and the upstream's pong is forwarded
+// back to the client (rather than aetherlay auto-ponging at the proxy
+// layer). Payload bytes must round-trip unchanged.
+func TestProxyWebSocket_PingPongForwarded(t *testing.T) {
+	origTimeout := wsIdleTimeout
+	wsIdleTimeout = 5 * time.Second
+	t.Cleanup(func() { wsIdleTimeout = origTimeout })
+
+	pingReceived := make(chan string, 1)
+	upgrader := websocket.Upgrader{CheckOrigin: func(*http.Request) bool { return true }}
+	upstream := httptest.NewServer(http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		c, err := upgrader.Upgrade(w, r, nil)
+		if err != nil {
+			return
+		}
+		// Override default ping handler so we can capture the payload AND
+		// reply with a pong carrying the same payload (default behavior, but
+		// explicit here).
+		c.SetPingHandler(func(appData string) error {
+			select {
+			case pingReceived <- appData:
+			default:
+			}
+			return c.WriteControl(websocket.PongMessage,
+				[]byte(appData), time.Now().Add(time.Second))
+		})
+		// Drive the read loop so the ping handler actually fires.
+		for {
+			if _, _, err := c.ReadMessage(); err != nil {
+				return
+			}
+		}
+	}))
+	t.Cleanup(upstream.Close)
+
+	upstreamWSURL := "ws" + strings.TrimPrefix(upstream.URL, "http")
+
+	cfg := &config.Config{
+		Endpoints: map[string]config.ChainEndpoints{
+			"chainX": {
+				"ep1": config.Endpoint{Provider: "ep1", WSURL: upstreamWSURL, Role: "primary", Type: "full"},
+			},
+		},
+	}
+	valkeyClient := store.NewMockValkeyClient()
+	valkeyClient.PopulateStatuses(map[string]*store.EndpointStatus{
+		"chainX:ep1": {HasWS: true, HealthyWS: true},
+	})
+	srv := NewServer(cfg, valkeyClient, createTestConfig())
+
+	proxy := httptest.NewServer(http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		_ = srv.defaultProxyWebSocket(w, r, upstreamWSURL)
+	}))
+	t.Cleanup(proxy.Close)
+
+	proxyWSURL := "ws" + strings.TrimPrefix(proxy.URL, "http")
+	client, resp, err := websocket.DefaultDialer.Dial(proxyWSURL, nil)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("client dial failed: %v", err)
+	}
+	if resp != nil && resp.Body != nil {
+		_ = resp.Body.Close()
+	}
+	defer client.Close()
+
+	pongReceived := make(chan string, 1)
+	client.SetPongHandler(func(appData string) error {
+		select {
+		case pongReceived <- appData:
+		default:
+		}
+		return nil
+	})
+	// Read loop required to drive the pong handler.
+	go func() {
+		for {
+			if _, _, err := client.ReadMessage(); err != nil {
+				return
+			}
+		}
+	}()
+
+	payload := "abc-correlation-123"
+	if err := client.WriteControl(websocket.PingMessage,
+		[]byte(payload), time.Now().Add(time.Second)); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("client ping write failed: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	select {
+	case got := <-pingReceived:
+		if got != payload {
+			t.Errorf("upstream got ping payload %q, want %q", got, payload)
+		}
+	case <-time.After(2 * time.Second):
+		t.Fatal("upstream never received the forwarded ping (proxy is auto-ponging instead of forwarding)")
+	}
+
+	select {
+	case got := <-pongReceived:
+		if got != payload {
+			t.Errorf("client got pong payload %q, want %q", got, payload)
+		}
+	case <-time.After(2 * time.Second):
+		t.Fatal("client never received the forwarded pong from upstream")
+	}
+}
+
 // TestMarkEndpointUnhealthy_HTTP tests marking an endpoint unhealthy for HTTP.
 func TestMarkEndpointUnhealthy_HTTP(t *testing.T) {
 	cfg := &config.Config{