diff --git a/server/core/externcmd.cc b/server/core/externcmd.cc
index 2a4d6c605..c31648b1c 100644
--- a/server/core/externcmd.cc
+++ b/server/core/externcmd.cc
@@ -16,10 +16,12 @@
 #include <ctype.h>
 #include <errno.h>
 #include <string.h>
+#include <sys/wait.h>
 
 #include <maxscale/alloc.h>
 #include <maxscale/log_manager.h>
 #include <maxscale/pcre2.h>
+#include <maxscale/thread.h>
 
 
 
@@ -175,6 +177,7 @@ int externcmd_execute(EXTERNCMD* cmd)
     int rval = 0;
     pid_t pid;
 
+    // The SIGCHLD handler must be disabled before child process is forked
     pid = fork();
 
     if (pid < 0)
@@ -191,9 +194,71 @@ int externcmd_execute(EXTERNCMD* cmd)
     }
     else
     {
+        MXS_INFO("Executing command '%s' in process %d", cmd->argv[0], pid);
         cmd->child = pid;
         cmd->n_exec++;
-        MXS_DEBUG("[monitor_exec_cmd] Forked child process %d : %s.", pid, cmd->argv[0]);
+
+        bool first_warning = true;
+        bool again = true;
+        uint64_t t = 0;
+        uint64_t t_max = cmd->timeout * 1000;
+
+        while (again)
+        {
+            int exit_status;
+
+            switch (waitpid(pid, &exit_status, WNOHANG))
+            {
+                case -1:
+                    MXS_ERROR("Failed to wait for child process: %d, %s", errno, mxs_strerror(errno));
+                    again = false;
+                    break;
+
+                case 0:
+                    if (t++ > t_max)
+                    {
+                        // Command timed out
+                        t = 0;
+                        if (first_warning)
+                        {
+                            MXS_WARNING("Soft timeout for command '%s', sending SIGTERM", cmd->argv[0]);
+                            kill(pid, SIGTERM);
+                            first_warning = false;
+                        }
+                        else
+                        {
+                            MXS_ERROR("Hard timeout for command '%s', sending SIGKILL", cmd->argv[0]);
+                            kill(pid, SIGKILL);
+                        }
+                    }
+                    else
+                    {
+                        // Sleep and try again
+                        thread_millisleep(1);
+                    }
+                    break;
+
+                default:
+                    again = false;
+
+                    if (WIFEXITED(exit_status))
+                    {
+                        rval = WEXITSTATUS(exit_status);
+                    }
+                    else if (WIFSIGNALED(exit_status))
+                    {
+                        rval = WTERMSIG(exit_status);
+                    }
+                    else
+                    {
+                        rval = exit_status;
+                        MXS_ERROR("Command '%s' did not exit normally. Exit status: %d",
+                                  cmd->argv[0], exit_status);
+                    }
+                    break;
+            }
+        }
+
     }
 
     return rval;
diff --git a/server/core/gateway.cc b/server/core/gateway.cc
index 60e96478f..afa547856 100644
--- a/server/core/gateway.cc
+++ b/server/core/gateway.cc
@@ -369,45 +369,6 @@ sigint_handler(int i)
     }
 }
 
-static void
-sigchld_handler (int i)
-{
-    int exit_status = 0;
-    pid_t child = -1;
-
-    if ((child = wait(&exit_status)) == -1)
-    {
-        MXS_ERROR("Failed to wait child process: %d %s",
-                  errno, mxs_strerror(errno));
-    }
-    else
-    {
-        if (WIFEXITED(exit_status))
-        {
-            if (WEXITSTATUS(exit_status) != 0)
-            {
-                MXS_ERROR("Child process %d exited with status %d",
-                          child, WEXITSTATUS(exit_status));
-            }
-            else
-            {
-                MXS_INFO("Child process %d exited with status %d",
-                         child, WEXITSTATUS(exit_status));
-            }
-        }
-        else if (WIFSIGNALED(exit_status))
-        {
-            MXS_ERROR("Child process %d was stopped by signal %d.",
-                      child, WTERMSIG(exit_status));
-        }
-        else
-        {
-            MXS_ERROR("Child process %d did not exit normally. Exit status: %d",
-                      child, exit_status);
-        }
-    }
-}
-
 volatile sig_atomic_t fatal_handling = 0;
 
 static int signal_set(int sig, void (*handler)(int));
@@ -1178,11 +1139,6 @@ bool configure_signals(void)
         return false;
     }
 
-    if (!configure_signal(SIGCHLD, "SIGCHLD", sigchld_handler))
-    {
-        return false;
-    }
-
 #ifdef SIGBUS
     if (!configure_signal(SIGBUS, "SIGBUS", sigfatal_handler))
     {
diff --git a/server/core/maxscale/externcmd.h b/server/core/maxscale/externcmd.h
index c23b3ac45..096e5a2b3 100644
--- a/server/core/maxscale/externcmd.h
+++ b/server/core/maxscale/externcmd.h
@@ -22,10 +22,11 @@ MXS_BEGIN_DECLS
 
 typedef struct extern_cmd_t
 {
-    char** argv; /*< Argument vector for the command, first being the actual command
-                * being executed. */
-    int n_exec; /*< Number of times executed */
-    pid_t child; /*< PID of the child process */
+    char** argv;      /**< Argument vector for the command, first being the
+                       * actual command being executed */
+    int n_exec;       /**< Number of times executed */
+    pid_t child;      /**< PID of the child process */
+    uint32_t timeout; /**< Command timeout in seconds */
 } EXTERNCMD;
 
 char* externcmd_extract_command(const char* argstr);