diff --git a/remoting/src/main/java/hudson/remoting/Channel.java b/remoting/src/main/java/hudson/remoting/Channel.java
index d79db7d40361e11f857815ed06ce81d5eaa04c0e..a28f89af95bc4d06a79a005f5ce30263fcdd87ca 100644
--- a/remoting/src/main/java/hudson/remoting/Channel.java
+++ b/remoting/src/main/java/hudson/remoting/Channel.java
@@ -631,6 +631,14 @@ public class Channel implements VirtualChannel, IChannel {
             wait();
     }
 
+    /**
+     * If the receiving end of the channel is closed (that is, if we are guaranteed to receive nothing further),
+     * this method returns true.
+     */
+    /*package*/ boolean isInClosed() {
+        return inClosed;
+    }
+
     /**
      * Waits for this {@link Channel} to be closed down, but only up the given milliseconds.
      *
diff --git a/remoting/src/main/java/hudson/remoting/Request.java b/remoting/src/main/java/hudson/remoting/Request.java
index 115b2aa1e1d175fc9af714c3d5c4677afa1f0752..02c7619387856c2a65db284b099bc8360684b7d0 100644
--- a/remoting/src/main/java/hudson/remoting/Request.java
+++ b/remoting/src/main/java/hudson/remoting/Request.java
@@ -112,8 +112,15 @@ abstract class Request<RSP extends Serializable,EXC extends Throwable> extends C
             final String name = t.getName();
             try {
                 t.setName(name+" / waiting for "+channel);
-                while(response==null)
-                    wait(); // wait until the response arrives
+                while(response==null && !channel.isInClosed())
+                    // I don't know exactly when this can happen, as pendingCalls are cleaned up by Channel,
+                    // but in production I've observed that in rare occasion it can block forever, even after a channel
+                    // is gone. So be defensive against that.
+                    wait(30*1000); // wait until the response arrives
+
+                if (response==null)
+                    // channel is closed and we still don't have a response
+                    throw new RequestAbortedException(null);
             } catch (InterruptedException e) {
                 // if we are cancelled, abort the remote computation, too
                 channel.send(new Cancel(id));