I would like to request a new CLI argument, --timeout, to set an upper time limit for the entire Robot Framework test execution.

I am aware that timeouts can be defined at the suite and test levels, but I am building an automation system that runs Robot Framework tests for multiple teams. Many of these teams do not have timeouts set in their tests, and I need a way to enforce a global timeout for better control.

Currently, I have a timeout for the command handler itself (e.g., an SSH session), but this is not ideal because:

• If the timeout is reached, Robot Framework does not generate a complete report—tests are left in an incomplete state.
• Teams cannot determine which test or stage got stuck.
• Debugging test failures becomes difficult.

Proposed Solution:
Introduce a CLI argument like:

robot --timeout 3h test.robot

This argument would:

• Act as an upper limit for test execution.
• Override any timeouts already defined in test cases or suites.
• Ensure that a proper Robot Framework report is generated when the timeout is reached.

Would this be possible to implement? I believe it would greatly benefit users managing large-scale test automation.

Let me know if I can provide more details!