diff --git a/surfsense_backend/app/routes/search_source_connectors_routes.py b/surfsense_backend/app/routes/search_source_connectors_routes.py
index bb20da65d..c10838ed6 100644
--- a/surfsense_backend/app/routes/search_source_connectors_routes.py
+++ b/surfsense_backend/app/routes/search_source_connectors_routes.py
@@ -81,6 +81,38 @@ _heartbeat_redis_client: redis.Redis | None = None
 
 # Redis key TTL - notification is stale if no heartbeat in this time
 HEARTBEAT_TTL_SECONDS = 120  # 2 minutes
+# How often the background loop refreshes the Redis key. Must be < TTL so
+# the key cannot expire between refreshes when the indexing function is
+# doing blocking work (e.g. gitingest in Phase 1) that doesn't trigger
+# on_heartbeat_callback.
+HEARTBEAT_REFRESH_INTERVAL = 60
+
+
+async def _run_indexing_heartbeat_loop(notification_id: int) -> None:
+    """Background coroutine that refreshes the Redis heartbeat every
+    HEARTBEAT_REFRESH_INTERVAL seconds while a connector indexing task is
+    running.
+
+    Mirrors `_run_heartbeat_loop` in app/tasks/celery_tasks/document_tasks.py.
+    Cancelled via heartbeat_task.cancel() when the indexing call returns
+    (success or failure). If the worker dies, the coroutine dies with it
+    and the Redis key expires naturally on its TTL.
+    """
+    key = _get_heartbeat_key(notification_id)
+    try:
+        while True:
+            await asyncio.sleep(HEARTBEAT_REFRESH_INTERVAL)
+            try:
+                get_heartbeat_redis_client().setex(
+                    key, HEARTBEAT_TTL_SECONDS, "alive"
+                )
+            except Exception as e:
+                logger.warning(
+                    f"Failed to refresh Redis heartbeat for notification "
+                    f"{notification_id}: {e}"
+                )
+    except asyncio.CancelledError:
+        pass  # Normal cancellation when the indexing task completes
 
 
 def get_heartbeat_redis_client() -> redis.Redis:
@@ -1457,6 +1489,7 @@ async def _run_indexing_with_notifications(
 
     notification = None
     connector_lock_acquired = False
+    heartbeat_task: asyncio.Task | None = None
     # Track indexed count for retry notifications and heartbeat
     current_indexed_count = 0
 
@@ -1502,6 +1535,16 @@ async def _run_indexing_with_notifications(
                 except Exception as e:
                     logger.warning(f"Failed to set initial Redis heartbeat: {e}")
 
+                # Start a background coroutine that refreshes the
+                # heartbeat every HEARTBEAT_REFRESH_INTERVAL seconds.
+                # Without this the cleanup_stale_indexing_notifications
+                # task can mark the doc failed when on_heartbeat_callback
+                # doesn't fire — for example during the GitHub
+                # connector's Phase 1 gitingest blocking call (#1295).
+                heartbeat_task = asyncio.create_task(
+                    _run_indexing_heartbeat_loop(notification.id)
+                )
+
         # Update notification to fetching stage
         if notification:
             await NotificationService.connector_indexing.notify_indexing_progress(
@@ -1792,6 +1835,13 @@ async def _run_indexing_with_notifications(
             except Exception as notif_error:
                 logger.error(f"Failed to update notification: {notif_error!s}")
     finally:
+        # Stop the background heartbeat refresher BEFORE deleting the
+        # Redis key, so the loop cannot race and re-create the key
+        # after we delete it.
+        if heartbeat_task is not None:
+            heartbeat_task.cancel()
+            with suppress(Exception):
+                await asyncio.gather(heartbeat_task, return_exceptions=True)
         # Clean up Redis heartbeat key when task completes (success or failure)
         if notification:
             try: