Support timeout configuration

**Problem**
When working with config, the error messages could be more descriptive.

**Suggestion**
Improve error handling and add detailed error messages.

**Context**
This would help with debugging and maintenance.

No files, tests, or entry points are named. Start by locating the configuration parsing and error-handling paths, then clarify where timeout settings should be read and validated. Done should include agreed timeout behavior, more descriptive configuration errors, and tests for the relevant cases.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.