Consider deprecating old helpers API

**Feature request**
It would be great to have timeout for helpers.

**Use case**
Many users need this functionality for production deployments.

**Implementation idea**
Add a new config option `enable_timeout` with default `false`.

Start by locating the helpers API and the configuration handling in the repository. Trace how helper operations are invoked, then determine where the `enable_timeout` option belongs and how a timeout should apply. Done means the option defaults to `false`, enables the requested behavior when set, and has coverage for both settings.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.