diff --git a/config/gitlab.yml.example b/config/gitlab.yml.example
index 699ab6075b6e7a13a60b0ee299d90833225096f3..2da225904e12569454e0300b29619bf78a71577e 100644
--- a/config/gitlab.yml.example
+++ b/config/gitlab.yml.example
@@ -138,6 +138,8 @@ production: &base
 
     # The mailbox where incoming mail will end up. Usually "inbox".
     mailbox: "inbox"
+    # The mailbox where incoming mail will end up. Usually "inbox".
+    idle_timeout: 60
 
   ## Build Artifacts
   artifacts:
diff --git a/config/mail_room.yml b/config/mail_room.yml
index b026d510f1b513fabde9317b615254e40b9eaf63..774c5350a452578563f6d35595213ed8084114be 100644
--- a/config/mail_room.yml
+++ b/config/mail_room.yml
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@
       :start_tls: <%= config[:start_tls].to_json %>
       :email: <%= config[:user].to_json %>
       :password: <%= config[:password].to_json %>
-      :idle_timeout: 60
+      :idle_timeout: <%= config[:idle_timeout].to_json %>
 
       :name: <%= config[:mailbox].to_json %>
 
diff --git a/lib/gitlab/mail_room.rb b/lib/gitlab/mail_room.rb
index a5220d92312c559305a771475f6e1f45d3b91f51..3503fac40e8bfe3788d850bcbe994a719b672472 100644
--- a/lib/gitlab/mail_room.rb
+++ b/lib/gitlab/mail_room.rb
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ module Gitlab
         config[:ssl] = false if config[:ssl].nil?
         config[:start_tls] = false if config[:start_tls].nil?
         config[:mailbox] = 'inbox' if config[:mailbox].nil?
+        config[:idle_timeout] = 60 if config[:idle_timeout].nil?
 
         if config[:enabled] && config[:address]
           gitlab_redis = Gitlab::Redis.new(rails_env)
diff --git a/spec/config/mail_room_spec.rb b/spec/config/mail_room_spec.rb
index 22bf3055538a92e6bd7a574d1cabe6f03751357e..294fae95752f10a06d64c308a65bbf7f70f65250 100644
--- a/spec/config/mail_room_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/config/mail_room_spec.rb
@@ -47,6 +47,7 @@ describe 'mail_room.yml' do
       expect(mailbox[:email]).to eq('gitlab-incoming@gmail.com')
       expect(mailbox[:password]).to eq('[REDACTED]')
       expect(mailbox[:name]).to eq('inbox')
+      expect(mailbox[:idle_timeout]).to eq(60)
 
       redis_url = gitlab_redis.url
       sentinels = gitlab_redis.sentinels