diff --git a/src/includes/footer.php b/src/includes/footer.php
index b9c7be9..7a732d9 100644
--- a/src/includes/footer.php
+++ b/src/includes/footer.php
@@ -35,4 +35,64 @@
     if ('serviceWorker' in navigator) {
         navigator.serviceWorker.register('service-worker.js');
     }
+</script>
+
+<!--
+    Idle-timeout warning: the session dies silently after
+    <?php echo SESSION_IDLE_TIMEOUT; ?> seconds of inactivity (no PHP page
+    load), which loses whatever form the user is filling in. This warns a
+    couple of minutes before that happens and offers a "stay logged in"
+    button that pings the server without navigating away.
+-->
+<div id="session-timeout-toast" class="toast" role="alert" aria-live="assertive" aria-atomic="true"
+     style="position:fixed;bottom:20px;right:20px;z-index:2000;min-width:320px;display:none;">
+    <div class="toast-header bg-warning">
+        <i class="fa fa-clock mr-2"></i>
+        <strong class="mr-auto">Session expiring soon</strong>
+    </div>
+    <div class="toast-body bg-white">
+        <span id="session-timeout-message">You'll be logged out in a couple of minutes due to inactivity.</span>
+        <div class="mt-2">
+            <button type="button" id="session-timeout-extend" class="btn btn-sm btn-primary">Stay logged in</button>
+        </div>
+    </div>
+</div>
+<script>
+(function () {
+    var SESSION_IDLE_TIMEOUT = <?php echo (int) SESSION_IDLE_TIMEOUT; ?>;
+    var WARNING_LEAD_TIME = 120; // show the warning this many seconds before expiry
+    var toast = document.getElementById('session-timeout-toast');
+    var message = document.getElementById('session-timeout-message');
+    var extendBtn = document.getElementById('session-timeout-extend');
+    var warnTimer = null;
+
+    function showWarning() {
+        toast.style.display = 'block';
+    }
+
+    function scheduleWarning() {
+        clearTimeout(warnTimer);
+        var delayMs = Math.max(0, (SESSION_IDLE_TIMEOUT - WARNING_LEAD_TIME) * 1000);
+        warnTimer = setTimeout(showWarning, delayMs);
+    }
+
+    extendBtn.addEventListener('click', function () {
+        fetch('session_ping.php', { method: 'GET', redirect: 'manual', credentials: 'same-origin' })
+            .then(function (response) {
+                // redirect: 'manual' turns a server-side redirect (session already
+                // dead) into an opaque response instead of silently following it.
+                if (response.type === 'opaqueredirect' || !response.ok) {
+                    throw new Error('expired');
+                }
+                toast.style.display = 'none';
+                scheduleWarning();
+            })
+            .catch(function () {
+                message.textContent = 'Your session already expired - please copy any unsaved work before reloading.';
+                extendBtn.style.display = 'none';
+            });
+    });
+
+    scheduleWarning();
+})();
 </script>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/session_ping.php b/src/session_ping.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2a82254
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/session_ping.php
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+<?php
+// Lightweight keep-alive endpoint: including bootstrap.php refreshes
+// $_SESSION['last_activity'], extending the idle timeout without navigating
+// away from (and losing) whatever form the user is currently filling in.
+// Deliberately doesn't use auth_validate.php's redirect-to-login-on-failure
+// behavior: this is called from JS, and a 401 lets the caller show "your
+// session already expired" instead of silently following a redirect.
+require_once 'includes/bootstrap.php';
+
+header('Content-Type: application/json');
+
+if (empty($_SESSION['user_logged_in'])) {
+    http_response_code(401);
+    echo json_encode(['ok' => false]);
+    exit;
+}
+
+echo json_encode(['ok' => true]);