diff --git a/pageindex/index/utils.py b/pageindex/index/utils.py
index cb4b9b5..7267fbc 100644
--- a/pageindex/index/utils.py
+++ b/pageindex/index/utils.py
@@ -103,11 +103,18 @@ async def _llm_semaphore():
     node at once and exhausts the process file-descriptor limit (Errno 24).
     """
     ceiling_sem = _process_ceiling_semaphore()
-    # threading.Semaphore.acquire() blocks the calling thread, so run it off
-    # the event loop thread — otherwise it would freeze every other coroutine
-    # on this loop while waiting for a slot. release() is non-blocking and
-    # safe to call directly from any thread.
-    await asyncio.to_thread(ceiling_sem.acquire)
+    # A blocking ceiling_sem.acquire() run via asyncio.to_thread() would be
+    # unsafe under cancellation: the worker thread can't be interrupted, so if
+    # this coroutine is cancelled (Ctrl-C, an outer timeout) while the thread
+    # is still parked inside acquire(), the thread can go on to actually
+    # acquire a permit *after* we've already unwound — leaking it forever,
+    # since the matching finally: release() below never runs for that attempt.
+    # Poll with the non-blocking form instead: each check returns immediately
+    # (no OS-level wait), so it's safe to call straight from the event loop
+    # thread and there's no window for a background acquire to succeed after
+    # we've already given up on it.
+    while not ceiling_sem.acquire(False):
+        await asyncio.sleep(0.05)
     try:
         effective = get_max_concurrency()
         ceiling = _process_wide_max_concurrency()
diff --git a/tests/test_concurrency.py b/tests/test_concurrency.py
index f90244d..bf2e2b8 100644
--- a/tests/test_concurrency.py
+++ b/tests/test_concurrency.py
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ from pageindex.config import (
     set_llm_params,
     set_max_concurrency,
 )
-from pageindex.index.utils import _llm_semaphore, llm_acompletion
+from pageindex.index.utils import _llm_semaphore, _process_ceiling_semaphore, llm_acompletion
 
 
 @pytest.fixture(autouse=True)
@@ -91,6 +91,40 @@ def test_llm_semaphore_is_a_true_process_wide_ceiling_across_threads():
     assert state["peak"] == 3
 
 
+def test_llm_semaphore_cancellation_while_waiting_does_not_leak_a_permit():
+    # A blocking ceiling_sem.acquire() run via asyncio.to_thread() would leak a
+    # permit under cancellation: the worker thread can't be interrupted, so if
+    # the awaiting coroutine is cancelled while the thread is still parked
+    # inside acquire(), the thread can go on to actually acquire the permit
+    # *after* the coroutine already unwound, and the matching finally:
+    # release() never runs for that attempt. Cancel a task waiting on an
+    # already-exhausted ceiling and confirm the permit count fully recovers.
+    set_max_concurrency(1)
+
+    async def run():
+        async def hold():
+            async with _llm_semaphore():
+                await asyncio.sleep(10)
+
+        holder = asyncio.create_task(hold())
+        await asyncio.sleep(0.1)  # let it acquire the single permit
+
+        waiter = asyncio.create_task(_llm_semaphore().__aenter__())
+        await asyncio.sleep(0.1)  # let it start waiting for the permit
+        waiter.cancel()
+        with pytest.raises(asyncio.CancelledError):
+            await waiter
+
+        holder.cancel()
+        with pytest.raises(asyncio.CancelledError):
+            await holder
+
+        await asyncio.sleep(0.2)  # give any orphaned acquire a chance to land
+        assert _process_ceiling_semaphore()._value == 1
+
+    asyncio.run(run())
+
+
 def test_llm_semaphore_uses_scoped_override():
     # A per-index max_concurrency_scope active when the loop's semaphore is first
     # created must set its size, and must not mutate the process default.