diff --git a/akka-docs-dev/rst/scala/code/docs/stream/cookbook/RecipeSeq.scala b/akka-docs-dev/rst/scala/code/docs/stream/cookbook/RecipeSeq.scala
deleted file mode 100644
index 8be87b7858..0000000000
--- a/akka-docs-dev/rst/scala/code/docs/stream/cookbook/RecipeSeq.scala
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,55 +0,0 @@
-/**
- *  Copyright (C) 2015 Lightbend Inc. <http://www.lightbend.com/>
- */
-package docs.stream.cookbook
-
-import akka.stream.scaladsl.{ Sink, Source }
-
-import scala.collection.immutable
-import scala.concurrent.{ Await, Future }
-import scala.concurrent.duration._
-
-class RecipeSeq extends RecipeSpec {
-
-  "Recipe for draining a stream into a strict collection" must {
-
-    "work" in {
-      //#draining-to-seq-unsafe
-      val result = immutable.Seq[Message]("1", "2", "3")
-      val myData = Source(result)
-
-      val unsafe: Future[Seq[Message]] = myData.runWith(Sink.seq) // dangerous!
-      //#draining-to-seq-unsafe
-
-      Await.result(unsafe, 3.seconds) should be(result)
-    }
-
-    "work together with limit(n)" in {
-      //#draining-to-seq-safe
-      val result = List("1", "2", "3")
-      val myData = Source(result)
-      val max = 100
-
-      // OK. Future will fail with a `StreamLimitReachedException`
-      // if the number of incoming elements is larger than max
-      val safe1: Future[immutable.Seq[Message]] = myData.limit(max).runWith(Sink.seq)
-      //#draining-to-seq-safe
-
-      Await.result(safe1, 3.seconds) should be(result)
-    }
-
-    "work together with take(n)" in {
-      val result = List("1", "2", "3")
-      val myData = Source(result)
-      val max = 100
-
-      //#draining-to-seq-safe
-      // OK. Collect up until max-th elements only, then cancel upstream
-      val safe2: Future[immutable.Seq[Message]] = myData.take(max).runWith(Sink.seq)
-      //#draining-to-seq-safe
-
-      Await.result(safe2, 3.seconds) should be(result)
-    }
-  }
-
-}
diff --git a/akka-docs/rst/dev/building-akka.rst b/akka-docs/rst/dev/building-akka.rst
index ce44ba9150..808f144818 100644
--- a/akka-docs/rst/dev/building-akka.rst
+++ b/akka-docs/rst/dev/building-akka.rst
@@ -31,8 +31,8 @@ code with ``git pull``::
    git pull origin master
 
 
-sbt - Simple Build Tool
-=======================
+sbt
+===
 
 Akka is using the excellent `sbt`_ build system. So the first thing you have to
 do is to download and install sbt. You can read more about how to do that in the
diff --git a/akka-docs/rst/project/sponsors.rst b/akka-docs/rst/project/sponsors.rst
index a7acf286a8..2f99dbbc7d 100644
--- a/akka-docs/rst/project/sponsors.rst
+++ b/akka-docs/rst/project/sponsors.rst
@@ -4,10 +4,10 @@ Sponsors
 ========
 
 Lightbend
---------
+---------
 
 Lightbend is the company behind the Akka Project, Scala Programming Language,
-Play Web Framework, Scala IDE, Simple Build Tool and many other open source
+Play Web Framework, Scala IDE, sbt and many other open source
 projects. It also provides the Lightbend Stack, a full-featured development
 stack consisting of AKka, Play and Scala. Learn more at
 `lightbend.com <http://www.lightbend.com>`_.
diff --git a/akka-docs/rst/scala/code/docs/CompileOnlySpec.scala b/akka-docs/rst/scala/code/docs/CompileOnlySpec.scala
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e326923f8c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/akka-docs/rst/scala/code/docs/CompileOnlySpec.scala
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (C) 2009-2016 Lightbend Inc. <http://www.lightbend.com>
+ */
+
+package docs
+
+trait CompileOnlySpec {
+  /**
+   * Given a block of code... does NOT execute it.
+   * Useful when writing code samples in tests, which should only be compiled.
+   */
+  def compileOnlySpec(body: => Unit) = ()
+}
diff --git a/akka-docs/rst/scala/code/docs/http/scaladsl/HttpServerExampleSpec.scala b/akka-docs/rst/scala/code/docs/http/scaladsl/HttpServerExampleSpec.scala
index acd403ac11..08f1262838 100644
--- a/akka-docs/rst/scala/code/docs/http/scaladsl/HttpServerExampleSpec.scala
+++ b/akka-docs/rst/scala/code/docs/http/scaladsl/HttpServerExampleSpec.scala
@@ -12,18 +12,18 @@ import akka.http.scaladsl.model._
 import akka.stream.ActorMaterializer
 import akka.stream.scaladsl.{ Flow, Sink }
 import akka.testkit.TestActors
+import docs.CompileOnlySpec
 import org.scalatest.{ Matchers, WordSpec }
 import scala.language.postfixOps
 
 import scala.concurrent.{ ExecutionContext, Future }
 
-class HttpServerExampleSpec extends WordSpec with Matchers {
+class HttpServerExampleSpec extends WordSpec with Matchers
+  with CompileOnlySpec {
 
   // never actually called
   val log: LoggingAdapter = null
 
-  def compileOnlySpec(body: => Unit) = ()
-
   "binding-example" in compileOnlySpec {
     import akka.http.scaladsl.Http
     import akka.stream.ActorMaterializer
diff --git a/akka-docs/rst/scala/code/docs/http/scaladsl/server/RoutingSpec.scala b/akka-docs/rst/scala/code/docs/http/scaladsl/server/RoutingSpec.scala
index 20917f958f..a86ba5bac1 100644
--- a/akka-docs/rst/scala/code/docs/http/scaladsl/server/RoutingSpec.scala
+++ b/akka-docs/rst/scala/code/docs/http/scaladsl/server/RoutingSpec.scala
@@ -6,6 +6,9 @@ package docs.http.scaladsl.server
 
 import akka.http.scaladsl.server.Directives
 import akka.http.scaladsl.testkit.ScalatestRouteTest
+import docs.CompileOnlySpec
 import org.scalatest.{ Matchers, WordSpec }
 
-abstract class RoutingSpec extends WordSpec with Matchers with Directives with ScalatestRouteTest
+abstract class RoutingSpec extends WordSpec with Matchers
+  with Directives with ScalatestRouteTest
+  with CompileOnlySpec
diff --git a/akka-docs/rst/scala/code/docs/http/scaladsl/server/directives/BasicDirectivesExamplesSpec.scala b/akka-docs/rst/scala/code/docs/http/scaladsl/server/directives/BasicDirectivesExamplesSpec.scala
index ae2cca83a1..4818717a64 100644
--- a/akka-docs/rst/scala/code/docs/http/scaladsl/server/directives/BasicDirectivesExamplesSpec.scala
+++ b/akka-docs/rst/scala/code/docs/http/scaladsl/server/directives/BasicDirectivesExamplesSpec.scala
@@ -260,6 +260,7 @@ class BasicDirectivesExamplesSpec extends RoutingSpec {
     //#1mapResponse-advanced
     trait ApiRoutes {
       protected def system: ActorSystem
+
       private val log = Logging(system, "ApiRoutes")
 
       private val NullJsonEntity = HttpEntity(ContentTypes.`application/json`, "{}")
@@ -800,5 +801,4 @@ class BasicDirectivesExamplesSpec extends RoutingSpec {
     //#
   }
 
-  private def compileOnlySpec(block: => Unit) = pending
-}
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/akka-docs/rst/scala/code/docs/http/scaladsl/server/directives/FileAndResourceDirectivesExamplesSpec.scala b/akka-docs/rst/scala/code/docs/http/scaladsl/server/directives/FileAndResourceDirectivesExamplesSpec.scala
index bec1027176..22959f7157 100644
--- a/akka-docs/rst/scala/code/docs/http/scaladsl/server/directives/FileAndResourceDirectivesExamplesSpec.scala
+++ b/akka-docs/rst/scala/code/docs/http/scaladsl/server/directives/FileAndResourceDirectivesExamplesSpec.scala
@@ -102,5 +102,4 @@ class FileAndResourceDirectivesExamplesSpec extends RoutingSpec {
     }
   }
 
-  private def compileOnlySpec(block: => Unit) = pending
 }
diff --git a/akka-docs/rst/scala/code/docs/http/scaladsl/server/directives/TimeoutDirectivesExamplesSpec.scala b/akka-docs/rst/scala/code/docs/http/scaladsl/server/directives/TimeoutDirectivesExamplesSpec.scala
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..5536e96d99
--- /dev/null
+++ b/akka-docs/rst/scala/code/docs/http/scaladsl/server/directives/TimeoutDirectivesExamplesSpec.scala
@@ -0,0 +1,78 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (C) 2009-2016 Lightbend Inc. <http://www.lightbend.com>
+ */
+
+package docs.http.scaladsl.server.directives
+
+import akka.http.scaladsl.model.{ HttpResponse, StatusCodes }
+import akka.http.scaladsl.server.RoutingSpec
+import docs.CompileOnlySpec
+
+import scala.concurrent.duration._
+import scala.concurrent.{ Future, Promise }
+
+class TimeoutDirectivesExamplesSpec extends RoutingSpec with CompileOnlySpec {
+
+  "Request Timeout" should {
+    "be configurable in routing layer" in compileOnlySpec {
+      //#withRequestTimeout-plain
+      val route =
+        path("timeout") {
+          withRequestTimeout(3.seconds) {
+            val response: Future[String] = slowFuture() // very slow
+            complete(response)
+          }
+        }
+      //#
+    }
+    "without timeout" in compileOnlySpec {
+      //#withoutRequestTimeout-1
+      val route =
+        path("timeout") {
+          withoutRequestTimeout {
+            val response: Future[String] = slowFuture() // very slow
+            complete(response)
+          }
+        }
+      //#
+    }
+
+    "allow mapping the response while setting the timeout" in compileOnlySpec {
+      //#withRequestTimeout-with-handler
+      val timeoutResponse = HttpResponse(StatusCodes.EnhanceYourCalm,
+        entity = "Unable to serve response within time limit, please enchance your calm.")
+
+      val route =
+        path("timeout") {
+          // updates timeout and handler at
+          withRequestTimeout(1.milli, request => timeoutResponse) {
+            val response: Future[String] = slowFuture() // very slow
+            complete(response)
+          }
+        }
+      //#
+    }
+
+    "allow mapping the response" in compileOnlySpec {
+      pending // compile only spec since requires actuall Http server to be run
+
+      //#withRequestTimeoutResponse
+      val timeoutResponse = HttpResponse(StatusCodes.EnhanceYourCalm,
+        entity = "Unable to serve response within time limit, please enchance your calm.")
+
+      val route =
+        path("timeout") {
+          withRequestTimeout(1.milli) {
+            withRequestTimeoutResponse(request => timeoutResponse) {
+              val response: Future[String] = slowFuture() // very slow
+              complete(response)
+            }
+          }
+        }
+      //#
+    }
+  }
+
+  def slowFuture(): Future[String] = Promise[String].future
+
+}
diff --git a/akka-docs/rst/scala/http/client-side/connection-level.rst b/akka-docs/rst/scala/http/client-side/connection-level.rst
index ec98c22686..b29ba71176 100644
--- a/akka-docs/rst/scala/http/client-side/connection-level.rst
+++ b/akka-docs/rst/scala/http/client-side/connection-level.rst
@@ -65,7 +65,12 @@ Timeouts
 
 Currently Akka HTTP doesn't implement client-side request timeout checking itself as this functionality can be regarded
 as a more general purpose streaming infrastructure feature.
-However, akka-stream should soon provide such a feature.
+
+It should be noted that Akka Streams provide various timeout functionality so any API that uses a streams can benefit
+from the stream stages such as ``idleTimeout``, ``completionTimeout``, ``initialTimeout`` and even ``throttle``.
+To learn more about these refer to their documentation in Akka Streams (and Scala Doc).
+
+For more details about timeout support in Akka HTTP in general refer to :ref:`http-timeouts`.
 
 
 .. _http-client-layer:
diff --git a/akka-docs/rst/scala/http/common/index.rst b/akka-docs/rst/scala/http/common/index.rst
index 2688e1f75a..bf8c2b34e7 100644
--- a/akka-docs/rst/scala/http/common/index.rst
+++ b/akka-docs/rst/scala/http/common/index.rst
@@ -18,4 +18,5 @@ which are specific to one side only.
    unmarshalling
    de-coding
    json-support
-   xml-support
\ No newline at end of file
+   xml-support
+   timeouts
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/akka-docs/rst/scala/http/common/timeouts.rst b/akka-docs/rst/scala/http/common/timeouts.rst
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..21c512f173
--- /dev/null
+++ b/akka-docs/rst/scala/http/common/timeouts.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,76 @@
+.. _http-timeouts:
+
+Akka HTTP Timeouts
+==================
+
+Akka HTTP comes with a variety of built-in timeout mechanisms to protect your servers from malicious attacks or
+programming mistakes. Some of these are simply configuration options (which may be overriden in code) while others
+are left to the streaming APIs and are easily implementable as patterns in user-code directly.
+
+Common timeouts
+---------------
+
+Idle timeouts
+^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+
+The ``idle-timeout`` is a global setting which sets the maximum inactivity time of a given connection.
+In other words, if a connection is open but no request/response is being written to it for over ``idle-timeout`` time,
+the connection will be automatically closed.
+
+The setting works the same way for all connections, be it server-side or client-side, and it's configurable
+independently for each of those using the following keys::
+
+    akka.http.server.idle-timeout
+    akka.http.client.idle-timeout
+    akka.http.http-connection-pool.idle-timeout
+    akka.http.http-connection-pool.client.idle-timeout
+
+.. note::
+  For the connection pooled client side the idle period is counted only when the pool has no pending requests waiting.
+
+
+Server timeouts
+---------------
+
+.. _request-timeout:
+
+Request timeout
+^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+
+Request timeouts are a mechanism that limits the maximum time it may take to produce an ``HttpResponse`` from a route.
+If that deadline is not met the server will automatically inject a Service Unavailable HTTP response and close the connection
+to prevent it from leaking and staying around indefinitely (for example if by programming error a Future would never complete,
+never sending the real response otherwise).
+
+The default ``HttpResponse`` that is written when a request timeout is exceeded looks like this:
+
+.. includecode2:: /../../akka-http-core/src/main/scala/akka/http/impl/engine/server/HttpServerBluePrint.scala
+   :snippet: default-request-timeout-httpresponse
+
+A default request timeout is applied globally to all routes and can be configured using the
+``akka.http.server.request-timeout`` setting (which defaults to 20 seconds).
+
+.. note::
+  Please note that if multiple requests (``R1,R2,R3,...``) were sent by a client (see "HTTP pipelining")
+  using the same connection and the ``n-th`` request triggers a request timeout the server will reply with an Http Response
+  and close the connection, leaving the ``(n+1)-th`` (and subsequent requests on the same connection) unhandled.
+
+The request timeout can be configured at run-time for a given route using the any of the :ref:`TimeoutDirectives`.
+
+Bind timeout
+^^^^^^^^^^^^
+
+The bind timeout is the time period within which the TCP binding process must be completed (using any of the ``Http().bind*`` methods).
+It can be configured using the ``akka.http.server.bind-timeout`` setting.
+
+Client timeouts
+---------------
+
+Connecting timeout
+^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+
+The connecting timeout is the time period within which the TCP connecting process must be completed.
+Tweaking it should rarely be required, but it allows erroring out the connection in case a connection
+is unable to be established for a given amount of time.
+
+it can be configured using the ``akka.http.client.connecting-timeout`` setting.
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/akka-docs/rst/scala/http/routing-dsl/directives/alphabetically.rst b/akka-docs/rst/scala/http/routing-dsl/directives/alphabetically.rst
index 07654b87b6..87a02f5e8c 100644
--- a/akka-docs/rst/scala/http/routing-dsl/directives/alphabetically.rst
+++ b/akka-docs/rst/scala/http/routing-dsl/directives/alphabetically.rst
@@ -210,10 +210,14 @@ Directive                                   Description
 :ref:`-tprovide-`                           Injects a given tuple of values into a directive
 :ref:`-uploadedFile-`                       Streams one uploaded file from a multipart request to a file on disk
 :ref:`-validate-`                           Checks a given condition before running its inner route
+:ref:`-withoutRequestTimeout-`              Disables :ref:`request timeouts <request-timeout>` for a given route.
 :ref:`-withExecutionContext-`               Runs its inner route with the given alternative ``ExecutionContext``
 :ref:`-withMaterializer-`                   Runs its inner route with the given alternative ``Materializer``
 :ref:`-withLog-`                            Runs its inner route with the given alternative ``LoggingAdapter``
 :ref:`-withRangeSupport-`                   Adds ``Accept-Ranges: bytes`` to responses to GET requests, produces partial
                                             responses if the initial request contained a valid ``Range`` header
+:ref:`-withRequestTimeout-`                 Configures the :ref:`request timeouts <request-timeout>` for a given route.
+:ref:`-withRequestTimeoutResponse-`         Prepares the ``HttpResponse`` that is emitted if a request timeout is triggered.
+                                            ``RequestContext => RequestContext`` function
 :ref:`-withSettings-`                       Runs its inner route with the given alternative ``RoutingSettings``
 =========================================== ============================================================================
diff --git a/akka-docs/rst/scala/http/routing-dsl/directives/by-trait.rst b/akka-docs/rst/scala/http/routing-dsl/directives/by-trait.rst
index 46552c0f73..1d2b08062d 100644
--- a/akka-docs/rst/scala/http/routing-dsl/directives/by-trait.rst
+++ b/akka-docs/rst/scala/http/routing-dsl/directives/by-trait.rst
@@ -74,6 +74,9 @@ Directives creating or transforming the response
 :ref:`BasicDirectives` and :ref:`MiscDirectives`
   Directives handling or transforming response properties.
 
+:ref:`TimeoutDirectives`
+  Configure request timeouts and automatic timeout responses.
+
 
 List of predefined directives by trait
 --------------------------------------
@@ -104,3 +107,4 @@ List of predefined directives by trait
    scheme-directives/index
    security-directives/index
    websocket-directives/index
+   timeout-directives/index
diff --git a/akka-docs/rst/scala/http/routing-dsl/directives/timeout-directives/index.rst b/akka-docs/rst/scala/http/routing-dsl/directives/timeout-directives/index.rst
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e19f58c365
--- /dev/null
+++ b/akka-docs/rst/scala/http/routing-dsl/directives/timeout-directives/index.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+.. _TimeoutDirectives:
+
+TimeoutDirectives
+=================
+
+.. toctree::
+   :maxdepth: 1
+
+   withRequestTimeout
+   withoutRequestTimeout
+   withRequestTimeoutResponse
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/akka-docs/rst/scala/http/routing-dsl/directives/timeout-directives/withRequestTimeout.rst b/akka-docs/rst/scala/http/routing-dsl/directives/timeout-directives/withRequestTimeout.rst
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..62ccbb227d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/akka-docs/rst/scala/http/routing-dsl/directives/timeout-directives/withRequestTimeout.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,49 @@
+.. _-withRequestTimeout-:
+
+withRequestTimeout
+==================
+
+Signature
+---------
+
+.. includecode2:: /../../akka-http/src/main/scala/akka/http/scaladsl/server/directives/TimeoutDirectives.scala
+   :snippet: withRequestTimeout
+
+Description
+-----------
+
+This directive enables "late" (during request processing) control over the :ref:`request-timeout` feature in Akka HTTP.
+
+The timeout can be either loosened or made more tight using this directive, however one should be aware that it is
+inherently racy (which may especially show with very tight timeouts) since a timeout may already have been triggered
+when this directive executes.
+
+In case of pipelined HTTP requests (multiple requests being accepted on the same connection before sending the first response)
+a the request timeout failure of the ``n-th`` request *will shut down the connection* causing the already enqueued requests
+to be dropped. This is by-design, as the request timeout feature serves as a "safety net" in case of programming errors
+(e.g. a Future that never completes thus potentially blocking the entire connection forever) or malicious attacks on the server.
+
+Optionally, a timeout handler may be provided in which is called when a time-out is triggered and must produce an
+``HttpResponse`` that will be sent back to the client instead of the "too late" response (in case it'd ever arrive).
+See also :ref:`-withRequestTimeoutResponse-` if only looking to customise the timeout response without changing the timeout itself.
+
+.. warning::
+  Please note that setting the timeout from within a directive is inherently racy (as the "point in time from which
+  we're measuring the timeout" is already in the past (the moment we started handling the request), so if the existing
+  timeout already was triggered before your directive had the chance to change it, an timeout may still be logged.
+
+  It is recommended to use a larger statically configured timeout (think of it as a "safety net" against programming errors
+  or malicious attackers) and if needed tighten it using the directives – not the other way around.
+
+For more information about various timeouts in Akka HTTP see :ref:`http-timeouts`.
+
+Example
+-------
+
+.. includecode2:: ../../../../code/docs/http/scaladsl/server/directives/TimeoutDirectivesExamplesSpec.scala
+   :snippet: withRequestTimeout-plain
+
+With setting the handler at the same time:
+
+.. includecode2:: ../../../../code/docs/http/scaladsl/server/directives/TimeoutDirectivesExamplesSpec.scala
+   :snippet: withRequestTimeout-with-handler
diff --git a/akka-docs/rst/scala/http/routing-dsl/directives/timeout-directives/withRequestTimeoutResponse.rst b/akka-docs/rst/scala/http/routing-dsl/directives/timeout-directives/withRequestTimeoutResponse.rst
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..6fd76faa56
--- /dev/null
+++ b/akka-docs/rst/scala/http/routing-dsl/directives/timeout-directives/withRequestTimeoutResponse.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+.. _-withRequestTimeoutResponse-:
+
+withRequestTimeoutResponse
+==========================
+
+Signature
+---------
+
+.. includecode2:: /../../akka-http/src/main/scala/akka/http/scaladsl/server/directives/TimeoutDirectives.scala
+   :snippet: withRequestTimeoutResponse
+
+Description
+-----------
+
+Allows customising the ``HttpResponse`` that will be sent to clients in case of a :ref:`request-timeout`.
+
+See also :ref:`-withRequestTimeout-` or :ref:`-withoutRequestTimeout-` if interested in dynamically changing the timeout
+for a given route instead.
+
+.. warning::
+  Please note that setting handler is inherently racy as the timeout is measured from starting to handle the request
+  to its deadline, thus if the timeout triggers before the ``withRequestTimeoutResponse`` executed it would have emitted
+  the default timeout HttpResponse.
+
+  In practice this can only be a problem with very tight timeouts, so with default settings
+  of request timeouts being measured in seconds it shouldn't be a problem in reality (though certainly a possibility still).
+
+To learn more about various timeouts in Akka HTTP and how to configure them see :ref:`http-timeouts`.
+
+Example
+-------
+
+.. includecode2:: ../../../../code/docs/http/scaladsl/server/directives/TimeoutDirectivesExamplesSpec.scala
+   :snippet: withRequestTimeoutResponse
diff --git a/akka-docs/rst/scala/http/routing-dsl/directives/timeout-directives/withoutRequestTimeout.rst b/akka-docs/rst/scala/http/routing-dsl/directives/timeout-directives/withoutRequestTimeout.rst
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..b9ef619443
--- /dev/null
+++ b/akka-docs/rst/scala/http/routing-dsl/directives/timeout-directives/withoutRequestTimeout.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+.. _-withoutRequestTimeout-:
+
+withoutRequestTimeout
+=====================
+
+Signature
+---------
+
+.. includecode2:: /../../akka-http/src/main/scala/akka/http/scaladsl/server/directives/TimeoutDirectives.scala
+   :snippet: withoutRequestTimeout
+
+Description
+-----------
+
+This directive enables "late" (during request processing) control over the :ref:`request-timeout` feature in Akka HTTP.
+
+It is not recommended to turn off request timeouts using this method as it is inherently racy and disabling request timeouts
+basically turns off the safety net against programming mistakes that it provides.
+
+.. warning::
+  Please note that setting the timeout from within a directive is inherently racy (as the "point in time from which
+  we're measuring the timeout" is already in the past (the moment we started handling the request), so if the existing
+  timeout already was triggered before your directive had the chance to change it, an timeout may still be logged.
+
+For more information about various timeouts in Akka HTTP see :ref:`http-timeouts`.
+
+Example
+-------
+
+.. includecode2:: ../../../../code/docs/http/scaladsl/server/directives/TimeoutDirectivesExamplesSpec.scala
+   :snippet: withoutRequestTimeout
diff --git a/akka-http-core/src/main/scala/akka/http/impl/engine/server/HttpServerBluePrint.scala b/akka-http-core/src/main/scala/akka/http/impl/engine/server/HttpServerBluePrint.scala
index 81ab837c88..b16cfe86d2 100644
--- a/akka-http-core/src/main/scala/akka/http/impl/engine/server/HttpServerBluePrint.scala
+++ b/akka-http-core/src/main/scala/akka/http/impl/engine/server/HttpServerBluePrint.scala
@@ -315,8 +315,11 @@ private[http] object HttpServerBluePrint {
       requestEnd.fast.map(_ ⇒ new TimeoutSetup(Deadline.now, schedule(initialTimeout, this), initialTimeout, this))
     }
 
-    override def apply(request: HttpRequest) = HttpResponse(StatusCodes.ServiceUnavailable, entity = "The server was not able " +
+    override def apply(request: HttpRequest) =
+      //#default-request-timeout-httpresponse
+      HttpResponse(StatusCodes.ServiceUnavailable, entity = "The server was not able " +
       "to produce a timely response to your request.\r\nPlease try again in a short while!")
+      //#default-request-timeout-httpresponse
 
     def clear(): Unit = // best effort timeout cancellation
       get.fast.foreach(setup ⇒ if (setup.scheduledTask ne null) setup.scheduledTask.cancel())
diff --git a/akka-http-tests/src/test/scala/akka/http/scaladsl/server/IntegrationRoutingSpec.scala b/akka-http-tests/src/test/scala/akka/http/scaladsl/server/IntegrationRoutingSpec.scala
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..a931209d7f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/akka-http-tests/src/test/scala/akka/http/scaladsl/server/IntegrationRoutingSpec.scala
@@ -0,0 +1,49 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (C) 2009-2016 Lightbend Inc. <http://www.lightbend.com>
+ */
+package akka.http.scaladsl.server
+
+import akka.actor.ActorSystem
+import akka.http.scaladsl.{ Http, TestUtils }
+import akka.http.scaladsl.client.RequestBuilding
+import akka.http.scaladsl.model.{ HttpResponse, HttpRequest }
+import akka.stream.ActorMaterializer
+import akka.testkit.AkkaSpec
+import org.scalatest.concurrent.{ IntegrationPatience, ScalaFutures }
+import org.scalatest.{ BeforeAndAfterAll, Matchers, WordSpecLike }
+import scala.concurrent.duration._
+import scala.concurrent.Await
+
+/** INTERNAL API - not (yet?) ready for public consuption */
+private[akka] trait IntegrationRoutingSpec extends WordSpecLike with Matchers with BeforeAndAfterAll
+  with Directives with RequestBuilding
+  with ScalaFutures with IntegrationPatience {
+
+  implicit val system = ActorSystem(AkkaSpec.getCallerName(getClass))
+  implicit val mat = ActorMaterializer()
+  import system.dispatcher
+
+  override protected def afterAll(): Unit = {
+    Await.ready(system.terminate(), 3.seconds)
+  }
+
+  implicit class DSL(request: HttpRequest) {
+    def ~!>(route: Route) = new Prepped(request, route)
+  }
+
+  final case class Prepped(request: HttpRequest, route: Route)
+
+  implicit class Checking(p: Prepped) {
+    def ~!>(checking: HttpResponse ⇒ Unit) = {
+      val (_, host, port) = TestUtils.temporaryServerHostnameAndPort()
+      val binding = Http().bindAndHandle(p.route, host, port)
+
+      try {
+        val targetUri = p.request.uri.withHost(host).withPort(port).withScheme("http")
+        val response = Http().singleRequest(p.request.withUri(targetUri)).futureValue
+        checking(response)
+      } finally binding.flatMap(_.unbind()).futureValue
+    }
+  }
+
+}
diff --git a/akka-http-tests/src/test/scala/akka/http/scaladsl/server/TestServer.scala b/akka-http-tests/src/test/scala/akka/http/scaladsl/server/TestServer.scala
index 86a404fe80..48fa0d9a47 100644
--- a/akka-http-tests/src/test/scala/akka/http/scaladsl/server/TestServer.scala
+++ b/akka-http-tests/src/test/scala/akka/http/scaladsl/server/TestServer.scala
@@ -5,11 +5,13 @@
 package akka.http.scaladsl.server
 
 import akka.http.scaladsl.marshallers.xml.ScalaXmlSupport
+import akka.http.scaladsl.model.{ StatusCodes, HttpResponse }
 import akka.http.scaladsl.server.directives.Credentials
 import com.typesafe.config.{ ConfigFactory, Config }
 import akka.actor.ActorSystem
 import akka.stream.ActorMaterializer
 import akka.http.scaladsl.Http
+import scala.concurrent.duration._
 
 object TestServer extends App {
   val testConf: Config = ConfigFactory.parseString("""
@@ -31,7 +33,11 @@ object TestServer extends App {
   val bindingFuture = Http().bindAndHandle({
     get {
       path("") {
-        complete(index)
+        withRequestTimeout(1.milli, _ ⇒ HttpResponse(StatusCodes.EnhanceYourCalm,
+          entity = "Unable to serve response within time limit, please enchance your calm.")) {
+          Thread.sleep(1000)
+          complete(index)
+        }
       } ~
         path("secure") {
           authenticateBasicPF("My very secure site", auth) { user ⇒
diff --git a/akka-http-tests/src/test/scala/akka/http/scaladsl/server/directives/TimeoutDirectivesSpec.scala b/akka-http-tests/src/test/scala/akka/http/scaladsl/server/directives/TimeoutDirectivesSpec.scala
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..8a324f3bb9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/akka-http-tests/src/test/scala/akka/http/scaladsl/server/directives/TimeoutDirectivesSpec.scala
@@ -0,0 +1,62 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (C) 2009-2016 Lightbend Inc. <http://www.lightbend.com>
+ */
+
+package akka.http.scaladsl.server.directives
+
+import akka.http.scaladsl.model.{ HttpResponse, StatusCodes }
+import akka.http.scaladsl.server.IntegrationRoutingSpec
+
+import scala.concurrent.duration._
+import scala.concurrent.{ Future, Promise }
+
+class TimeoutDirectivesSpec extends IntegrationRoutingSpec {
+
+  "Request Timeout" should {
+    "be configurable in routing layer" in {
+
+      val route = path("timeout") {
+        withRequestTimeout(3.seconds) {
+          val response: Future[String] = slowFuture() // very slow
+          complete(response)
+        }
+      }
+
+      Get("/timeout") ~!> route ~!> { response ⇒
+        import response._
+
+        status should ===(StatusCodes.ServiceUnavailable)
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
+  "allow mapping the response" in {
+    val timeoutResponse = HttpResponse(StatusCodes.EnhanceYourCalm,
+      entity = "Unable to serve response within time limit, please enchance your calm.")
+
+    val route =
+      path("timeout") {
+        withRequestTimeout(500.millis) {
+          withRequestTimeoutResponse(request ⇒ timeoutResponse) {
+            val response: Future[String] = slowFuture() // very slow
+            complete(response)
+          }
+        }
+      } ~
+        path("equivalent") {
+          // updates timeout and handler at
+          withRequestTimeout(500.millis, request ⇒ timeoutResponse) {
+            val response: Future[String] = slowFuture() // very slow
+            complete(response)
+          }
+        }
+
+    Get("/timeout") ~!> route ~!> { response ⇒
+      import response._
+      status should ===(StatusCodes.EnhanceYourCalm)
+    }
+  }
+
+  def slowFuture(): Future[String] = Promise[String].future
+
+}
diff --git a/akka-http/src/main/scala/akka/http/scaladsl/server/Directives.scala b/akka-http/src/main/scala/akka/http/scaladsl/server/Directives.scala
index 97f356a2d1..b5af98cfb5 100644
--- a/akka-http/src/main/scala/akka/http/scaladsl/server/Directives.scala
+++ b/akka-http/src/main/scala/akka/http/scaladsl/server/Directives.scala
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ trait Directives extends RouteConcatenation
   with MethodDirectives
   with MiscDirectives
   with ParameterDirectives
+  with TimeoutDirectives
   with PathDirectives
   with RangeDirectives
   with RespondWithDirectives
diff --git a/akka-http/src/main/scala/akka/http/scaladsl/server/directives/TimeoutDirectives.scala b/akka-http/src/main/scala/akka/http/scaladsl/server/directives/TimeoutDirectives.scala
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..5b0f1fead0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/akka-http/src/main/scala/akka/http/scaladsl/server/directives/TimeoutDirectives.scala
@@ -0,0 +1,79 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (C) 2009-2016 Lightbend Inc. <http://www.lightbend.com>
+ */
+
+package akka.http.scaladsl.server.directives
+
+import akka.http.scaladsl.model._
+import akka.http.scaladsl.model.headers.`Timeout-Access`
+import akka.http.scaladsl.server.{ Directive, Directive0 }
+
+import scala.concurrent.duration.Duration
+
+trait TimeoutDirectives {
+
+  def withoutRequestTimeout: Directive0 =
+    withRequestTimeout(Duration.Inf)
+
+  /**
+   * Tries to set a new request timeout and handler (if provided) at the same time.
+   *
+   * Due to the inherent raciness it is not guaranteed that the update will be applied before
+   * the previously set timeout has expired!
+   */
+  def withRequestTimeout(timeout: Duration): Directive0 =
+    withRequestTimeout(timeout, None)
+
+  /**
+   * Tries to set a new request timeout and handler (if provided) at the same time.
+   *
+   * Due to the inherent raciness it is not guaranteed that the update will be applied before
+   * the previously set timeout has expired!
+   *
+   * @param handler optional custom "timeout response" function. If left None, the default timeout HttpResponse will be used.
+   */
+  def withRequestTimeout(timeout: Duration, handler: HttpRequest ⇒ HttpResponse): Directive0 =
+    withRequestTimeout(timeout, Some(handler))
+
+  /**
+   * Tries to set a new request timeout and handler (if provided) at the same time.
+   *
+   * Due to the inherent raciness it is not guaranteed that the update will be applied before
+   * the previously set timeout has expired!
+   *
+   * @param handler optional custom "timeout response" function. If left None, the default timeout HttpResponse will be used.
+   */
+  def withRequestTimeout(timeout: Duration, handler: Option[HttpRequest ⇒ HttpResponse]): Directive0 =
+    Directive { inner ⇒
+      ctx ⇒
+        ctx.request.header[`Timeout-Access`] match {
+          case Some(t) ⇒
+            handler match {
+              case Some(h) ⇒ t.timeoutAccess.update(timeout, h)
+              case _       ⇒ t.timeoutAccess.updateTimeout(timeout)
+            }
+          case _ ⇒ ctx.log.warning("withRequestTimeout was used in route however no request-timeout is set!")
+        }
+        inner()(ctx)
+    }
+
+  /**
+   * Tries to set a new request timeout handler, which produces the timeout response for a
+   * given request. Note that the handler must produce the response synchronously and shouldn't block!
+   *
+   * Due to the inherent raciness it is not guaranteed that the update will be applied before
+   * the previously set timeout has expired!
+   */
+  def withRequestTimeoutResponse(handler: HttpRequest ⇒ HttpResponse): Directive0 =
+    Directive { inner ⇒
+      ctx ⇒
+        ctx.request.header[`Timeout-Access`] match {
+          case Some(t) ⇒ t.timeoutAccess.updateHandler(handler)
+          case _       ⇒ ctx.log.warning("withRequestTimeoutResponse was used in route however no request-timeout is set!")
+        }
+        inner()(ctx)
+    }
+
+}
+
+object TimeoutDirectives extends TimeoutDirectives
\ No newline at end of file